Unemployment Calculator: How Much Will You Get, and for How Long?

Quick answer: how much unemployment will I get?

Most states pay about half of your old weekly pay, up to a weekly maximum, for up to 26 weeks. The maximum is what decides it for most full-time workers: it ranges from $235 a week in Mississippi to $1,208 in Washington, and in states with low maximums anyone earning more than about $28,700 a year gets the cap (in Massachusetts you'd need $120,100).

For example, on a $60,000 salary you'd get about $450 a week in California (its maximum) for up to 26 weeks, $600 in Texas and $576 in New York. Benefits are taxable income for the IRS but carry no Social Security or Medicare tax, so after tax they replace a larger share of your take-home pay than of your gross pay.

Unemployment benefits by state, 2026

Maximum weekly benefit (before any dependents' allowance), maximum weeks for a claim filed now, the most you could collect, whether the first week is unpaid, and whether the state taxes benefits. Sources: each state's labor agency and the U.S. Department of Labor; several states change their maximum every January, July or October.

The biggest possible totals are in Massachusetts ($34,620), Washington ($31,408), Minnesota ($24,648), New Jersey ($23,530), Oregon ($23,452). The smallest are in Florida ($3,300), Louisiana ($3,384), Alabama ($3,850), Tennessee ($3,900), North Carolina ($4,200).

How much unemployment if I make $30,000 to $100,000?

Weekly benefit for a single worker with steady pay for at least 15 months and no dependents. A dash means the formula comes out below the state's minimum.

How your weekly benefit is calculated

States work from your base period: usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. If you file in October 2026, that's July 2025 through June 2026; the July–September 2026 quarter is too recent to count. Many states let you use the last four completed quarters instead (an "alternative base period") if you don't qualify otherwise.

Then the formula takes one of a few forms:

• Highest quarter: your best quarter divided by 23 to 26, so about half of that quarter's weekly pay. California, Florida, New York, Texas (÷ 25) and about half of all states.
• Two highest quarters: the average of your two best quarters, divided by 26 or similar. Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington.
• Whole base period: a percentage of all four quarters, which rewards steady work. Indiana (47% of the average weekly wage), Kentucky (1.1923%), Oregon (1.25%), Montana.
• Average weekly wage: New Jersey pays 60% and Ohio 50% of your average pay in the weeks you worked.
• Last two quarters: North Carolina uses the two most recent quarters of the base period ÷ 52.

The result is rounded (usually down to the dollar) and capped at the state maximum. A dozen states add a dependents' allowance: $25 a week per child in Massachusetts, $24 in Alaska, $15 in Connecticut, up to 15% more in New Jersey, and an extra 17.3% of your average wage for a child in Illinois.

How long unemployment lasts

Most states pay up to 26 weeks, but 16 pay fewer for claims filed now: Alabama (14), Arizona (24), Arkansas (12), Florida (12), Georgia (14), Idaho (21), Iowa (16), Kansas (16), Kentucky (16), Louisiana (12), Missouri (20), Montana (24), North Carolina (12), Oklahoma (16), South Carolina (20), Tennessee (12). Massachusetts currently pays up to 30.

• Tied to the unemployment rate: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Idaho and others add weeks when the state's unemployment rate rises. With rates under 4% in most of them, they're at or near their minimum.
• Tied to your wages: many states cap your total at a share of base-period wages (a third in many, 27% in Texas, a half in California), so if you worked only part of the year you get fewer weeks.
• The waiting week: in 43 of the 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC), the first week you're eligible isn't paid. Some, like New Jersey, Texas and Tennessee, pay it back later.

Who's eligible

You need to pass two kinds of tests:

• Money tests: enough wages in the base period, spread over at least two quarters in most states (for example, total wages at least 1.5 times your best quarter). The calculator checks your state's version.
• Why you're out of work: you must have lost your job through no fault of your own. Layoffs and job eliminations qualify; quitting without good cause or being fired for misconduct usually doesn't, at least until you've earned a set amount at a new job. Being let go for poor performance generally isn't misconduct.
• Every week you claim: you must be able to work, available for work and looking for work, with the number of job contacts your state requires, and report any earnings.

Federal civilian workers (UCFE) and recently separated service members (UCX) are paid by the state under its formula, using federal wages.

Is unemployment taxable?

Yes, by the IRS: all unemployment compensation is taxable income in the year you receive it; the 2020 exclusion of $10,200 hasn't come back (IRS Topic 418). You'll get Form 1099-G in January. But benefits aren't wages, so there's no Social Security or Medicare tax, and they don't count as earnings for Social Security (SSA). They also aren't earned income for the Earned Income Tax Credit or for IRA contributions (IRS), and don't qualify for the 2026 overtime or tip deductions.

Withholding: nothing is withheld unless you ask. Form W-4V lets you have exactly 10% withheld for federal tax (IRS); many states also offer state withholding. If you don't withhold, you may owe at tax time or need estimated payments.

States: nine states have no income tax on wages or benefits (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming). Five more exempt unemployment benefits: California (FTB), New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), Virginia (VA) and Alabama (AL). Wisconsin and Indiana tax only part of them at low incomes (WI). Everywhere else taxes them, including Montana and Oregon, which some older lists show as exempt (Montana DOR).

Example: $11,700 of California benefits on top of $45,000 of wages earlier in the year adds about $1,404 of federal tax and nothing for California. The same layoff in New York adds $1,797 federal and $809 state on $14,976 of benefits.

How much of your paycheck it replaces

A $60,000 salary, single, laid off after earning $45,000 this year:

Nationally, the average weekly benefit was an estimated $475 over the year to February 2026 (Congressional Research Service); state averages ranged from $224 in Mississippi to $751 in Washington (DOL). Plan your budget on the after-tax figure: the budget calculator and emergency fund calculator help you see how long your savings stretch.

Working part-time while on unemployment

Every state pays a partial benefit if you work reduced hours and earn less than your weekly benefit, after ignoring part of your earnings. The rules vary widely: California ignores the greater of $25 or 25% of what you earn, Florida the first $58, Illinois half your weekly benefit, Michigan cuts 50 cents per dollar, and New York counts hours instead of dollars. In California, $200 of part-time pay in a week would leave about $300 of a $450 benefit. Enter your expected weekly earnings in the calculator to see your state's rule, and report every dollar when you certify.

Severance, vacation pay, pensions and Social Security

• Severance and vacation payouts: states treat these differently. Some delay benefits for the weeks the pay covers, some reduce them, and some ignore severance. Report them when you file and let the state decide.
• Pensions: federal law requires states to reduce benefits by a pension from a base-period employer whose work affected the pension, though many don't count the part you paid for yourself.
• Social Security: most states no longer reduce unemployment for Social Security retirement benefits, and unemployment doesn't count as earnings for Social Security's earnings test (SSA). See the Social Security calculator if you're near retirement.

Health insurance and your 401(k) after a layoff

Health insurance: losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period on the Marketplace. COBRA lets you keep your employer's plan for up to 18 months, but you can be charged up to 102% of the full premium. Unemployment counts as income for Marketplace subsidies, and the extra subsidies of 2021–2025 ended after 2025, so compare both before choosing.

401(k): avoid cashing out. A withdrawal before 59½ is taxed as income plus a 10% penalty, and 20% is withheld up front. If you leave your job in or after the year you turn 55, withdrawals from that employer's plan skip the penalty, but not if you first roll it to an IRA (IRS). Leaving the money in the plan or rolling it over directly avoids both. Unemployment isn't compensation, so it can't fund an IRA contribution.

When the first payment arrives

Federal standards ask states to make 87% of first payments within 14 days of the first payable week in states with a waiting week, or 21 days in states without one (20 CFR 640.5). In practice, expect two to four weeks from filing, longer if your claim needs an eligibility review, and some states miss the standard. File in the week you lose your job: benefits usually start from the week you apply, not the week you were laid off.

When benefits run out

There's no federal extension right now. The Extended Benefits program, which adds up to 13 or 20 weeks when a state's unemployment is high, isn't active in any state (DOL), and the pandemic programs ended in 2021. Once your weeks are used up, you can't file again until you've built a new base period with new wages.

Common questions

How much unemployment will I get if I make $1,000 a week?

About $500 a week in most states before the cap, because most formulas pay roughly half your weekly wage. In states with low maximums you'd get the cap: $275 in Florida, $350 in North Carolina, $450 in California.

Which state pays the most unemployment?

Washington has the highest weekly maximum ($1,208). Massachusetts ($1,154, plus $25 per child) pays for the longest, up to 30 weeks, so it has the biggest possible total. Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Colorado, New York and Hawaii also pay over $850 a week at the top.

Can I get unemployment if I quit?

Usually not, unless you had good cause, which states define differently (unsafe conditions, a big pay cut, or in some states following a spouse who relocated or escaping domestic violence).

Do I have to pay taxes on unemployment?

Federal income tax, yes; Social Security and Medicare, no. State tax depends on where you live. Have 10% withheld with Form W-4V to avoid a bill in April.

Can I get unemployment if I'm fired?

Usually yes if you were let go for reasons like poor fit or performance (you still need to meet the other tests); no if you were fired for misconduct, such as breaking a known rule on purpose.

What if I worked in more than one state?

You generally file in the state where you worked most recently, or a state where you have wages, and can combine wages from several states.

Sources

1. U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (January 2026) — U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 15, 2026.
2. Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 119th Congress (R48447) — Congressional Research Service. Accessed October 15, 2026.
3. Topic no. 418, Unemployment compensation — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 15, 2026.
4. Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 15, 2026.
5. Do unemployment benefits count as earnings for Social Security? — Social Security Administration. Accessed October 15, 2026.
6. Earned income — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 15, 2026.
7. Unemployment compensation (state tax) — California Franchise Tax Board. Accessed October 15, 2026.
8. NJ income tax: nontaxable income — New Jersey Division of Taxation. Accessed October 15, 2026.
9. PA personal income tax guide: gross compensation — Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Accessed October 15, 2026.
10. Subtractions from income — Virginia Department of Taxation. Accessed October 15, 2026.
11. Income exempt from Alabama income taxation — Alabama Department of Revenue. Accessed October 15, 2026.
12. Unemployment compensation (Wisconsin tax) — Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Accessed October 15, 2026.
13. Publication 1 (2026) — Montana Department of Revenue. Accessed October 15, 2026.
14. UIPL 12-26, Attachment I: average weekly benefit amounts, April 2025–March 2026 — U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 15, 2026.
15. Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims (October 8, 2026) — U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 15, 2026.
16. 20 CFR 640.5, Benefit payment promptness — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Accessed October 15, 2026.
17. Retirement topics: exceptions to tax on early distributions — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 15, 2026.
18. How your weekly UI benefit payment is calculated (P832) — New York State Department of Labor. Accessed October 15, 2026.
19. UI benefit calculator — California Employment Development Department. Accessed October 15, 2026.
20. Unemployment insurance benefits calculator — Kentucky Career Center. Accessed October 15, 2026.

State rules come from each state's labor agency (linked from the calculator for your state) and the DOL summary above. Research checked October 15, 2026.