Unemployment benefits by state (2026)Updated October 17, 2026

As of Oct. 17, 2026 · state laws effective July 1, 2026 · claims data April-June 2026 (U.S. Labor Department)

Unemployment benefits by state

Weekly minimum, maximum and weeks are state laws effective July 1, 2026. The last three columns are what claimants actually got in April-June 2026. Tap your state's row to compare.

* Weeks depend on your past wages and the state's unemployment rate (DOL footnote 5). † Colorado and Minnesota: the lower maximum is based on high-quarter wages, the higher one on total base-period wages (DOL footnote 6). Amounts with dependents include the largest dependents' allowance the state pays. Weeks don't include extra weeks some states pay during high unemployment or approved training. “Used up all weeks” is DOL's exhaustion rate. United States: average weekly benefit $500.61, average 15.76 weeks, exhaustion rate 39.26%. Sources: DOL Significant Provisions (July 2026) · DOL UI Data Summary (Q2 2026)

Highest and lowest maximums

• Washington: $1,208 a week, up to 1-26 weeks
• Massachusetts: $1,105 + dependents (no cap) a week, up to 10-30* weeks
• New Jersey: $905 a week, up to 20-26 weeks
• Oregon: $902 a week, up to 1-26 weeks
• New York: $869 a week, up to 26 (same for everyone) weeks

Lowest regular maximums:

• Mississippi: $235 a week, up to 13-26 weeks
• Puerto Rico: $240 a week, up to 26 (same for everyone) weeks
• Florida: $275 a week, up to 9-12* weeks
• Alabama: $275 a week, up to 14* weeks
• Louisiana: $282 a week, up to 12-20 weeks

Ranked by the base maximum (without dependents). Source: DOL Significant Provisions (July 2026)

How many weeks you can get

• 26 weeks is the most in 37 of 53 jurisdictions. In 9 (Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, West Virginia), everyone who qualifies gets the same number of weeks.
• More than 26: Massachusetts, up to 30 weeks (depends on the state's unemployment rate).
• 16 weeks or fewer at most: Arkansas (12), Florida (12), Alabama (14), Iowa (16), Kansas (16), Oklahoma (16), Virgin Islands (16).
• In most states with a range, you get more weeks if you earned more in your base period. In states marked * in the table, the state's unemployment rate also changes the number of weeks.

Source: DOL Significant Provisions (July 2026)

How states figure your weekly benefit

• Base period: almost all states look at your wages in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. If you don't qualify that way, many states use the last four completed quarters instead (an alternative base period).
• Formula: the Labor Department says some states replace about 50% of lost wages up to a cap. In practice states use a share of your wages: Tennessee pays 1/26 of the average of your two highest quarters, California 1/23 to 1/26 of your highest quarter, Wisconsin 4% of your highest quarter. The result is capped at the state maximum.
• Working part-time while on unemployment: each state lets you earn some amount in a week before it cuts your check, and the amount differs by state (Tennessee: the greater of $50 or 25% of your weekly benefit).
• Waiting week: in most states you must serve an unpaid one-week waiting period before benefits start.

Formulas and earnings rules for every state: DOL Significant Provisions (July 2026). Base periods and waiting weeks: DOL Comparison of State UI Laws, ch. 3. We don't reproduce each state's formula; your state's determination letter is the official amount.

Taxes on unemployment

• Federal: the IRS says you generally must include all unemployment compensation in your income.
• You'll get Form 1099-G from the state showing what you were paid (Box 1) and any federal tax withheld (Box 4). It goes on Schedule 1 of your Form 1040.
• You can choose to have federal tax withheld with Form W-4V, or make quarterly estimated payments.
• Got a 1099-G for benefits you never claimed? That's a sign of identity theft. The IRS says to tell the state agency and ask for a corrected form. Our identity theft checklist has the next steps.

Source: IRS Topic 418. State income tax on benefits varies; check your state's tax agency.

How we built this: every weekly amount and week count was read from the Labor Department's July 2026 table, and the averages from its April-June 2026 data summary; both files are saved with checksums and the table is generated from them in code. The calculator runs in your browser with the same arithmetic as our server-side check. States change their maximums on their own schedules (some every year), so your state's site has the newest figure.

Facts and math, not a determination. VaultRubric isn't a state agency. Your state decides whether you qualify and how much you get. DOL notes its table isn't an official interpretation of state law.

Sources & as-of dates

• U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026 (PDF) (laws effective July 1, 2026; posted Sept. 2026; checked 2026-10-17)
• U.S. Department of Labor: UI Data Summary, 2nd quarter 2026 (average weekly benefit, duration, exhaustion rate by state) (2nd quarter 2026; checked 2026-10-17)
• U.S. Department of Labor: State unemployment insurance laws (Comparison of State UI Laws; waiting week and base period rules in chapter 3) (read Oct. 17, 2026; checked 2026-10-17)
• U.S. Department of Labor: Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws 2023, chapter 3 (Monetary Entitlement: base periods, waiting week, wage replacement) (2023 edition, read Oct. 17, 2026; checked 2026-10-17)
• IRS Topic No. 418: Unemployment compensation (last reviewed Sept. 24, 2026; checked 2026-10-17)
• CareerOneStop (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor): find unemployment benefits in your state (read Oct. 17, 2026; checked 2026-10-17)