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Salary & HRstatutoryUnited States only

Unemployment Benefit Estimator

A weekly unemployment benefit estimate. Every state sets its own formula, replacement rate and maximum, so all three are inputs rather than assumptions, and the maximum is what usually binds.

Also called: unemployment calculator, weekly benefit amount.

$
%
$
Weekly benefit
$576.92

$576.92 a week for up to 26 weeks, which is below the state maximum. That is $15,000.00 in total if you claim the full entitlement.

Before the state maximum
$576.92
Total across the entitlement
$15,000.00
Monthly equivalent
$2,500.00
Against the maximum
which is below the state maximum.
How this is calculated

An estimate, not an offer or a guarantee. Projected returns assume the rate you entered holds for the whole term, which no market does.

Method and background

This is what the calculation gives for the numbers you entered. It is an estimate, not advice, and it knows nothing about your situation beyond those numbers. Rules for United States change on a published schedule; the effective date is shown on every rule-based tool.

How this is calculated

Most states base the benefit on wages in the highest quarter of a base period, converted to a weekly figure and multiplied by a replacement rate around half. A state maximum then caps it, and for anyone on a middle income or above that cap is what actually determines the payment, which is why the replacement rate matters far less than it appears to.

weekly benefit = highest quarter wages / 13 weeks * replacement rate, capped at the state maximum
Q
Highest quarter of wages (currency)
r
Replacement rate (decimal)
M
State weekly maximum (currency)

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

a claim below the cap

Highest quarter of wages in the base period
$15,000.00
Replacement rate your state uses
50%
State weekly maximum
$600.00
Weeks of entitlement
26

Weekly benefit$576.92

15,000 / 13 * 50%, worked by hand

Open this example

a high earner is capped

Highest quarter of wages in the base period
$40,000.00
Replacement rate your state uses
50%
State weekly maximum
$600.00
Weeks of entitlement
26

Weekly benefit$600.00

boundary: the maximum binds, so the replacement rate stops mattering

Open this example

no wages, no benefit

Highest quarter of wages in the base period
$0.00
Replacement rate your state uses
50%
State weekly maximum
$600.00
Weeks of entitlement
26

Weekly benefit$0.00

degenerate case

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • A standard base period and full eligibility.

What it deliberately does not model

  • Formulas vary widely: some states use two quarters, some use annual wages, some add dependant allowances.
  • Federal extensions and state-specific supplements are not modelled.
  • Benefits are generally taxable, which is not applied here.

Sources

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Why is my benefit lower than half my wage?
Almost certainly the state maximum. Above a fairly modest income the cap binds, so the effective replacement rate falls the more you earned.