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What would you get?
Pick the state where you worked, which is usually where you file, and enter what you earned. The estimate runs the state's own formula as the Labor Department publishes it.
Use quarters if your pay swung a lot: a bonus, commission, or part of the year out of work. Most formulas turn on your best quarter.
A calendar quarter is January to March, April to June, and so on. Leave out the quarter you're in now.
Only about a dozen states pay extra for dependents. The tool counts them where the amount is published.
Estimated weekly benefit
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Pick a state to see what it pays.
- Replaces
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- Roughly per month
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- Weeks payable
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- Total you could collect
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Things to consider
The fine print
How this state works
Filing
File first, sort it out second
File the week you lose the job. Claims generally start from the week you file, and waiting to see how the severance or the job search plays out is how people lose weeks they were owed.
Have this ready
Where to go
Reference
Every state, side by side
The same federal program, run 53 different ways. The best-paying state tops out at more than five times the worst, and the longest pays two and a half times as many weeks as the shortest. Select a column to sort.
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How to read this
What this tool can't tell you
- Whether you qualifyEvery state has an earnings test and a reason-for-leaving test. Laid off usually qualifies. Quit or fired for cause usually starts an argument. Only the state decides.
- Your exact amountThis is an estimate from a published summary of each formula. The state works from the wages your employers actually reported, and its letter is the number that counts.
- What severance doesIn many states severance, vacation payout or pay in lieu of notice delays or reduces benefits. The rules differ too much to table here. File anyway and report it.
- How many weeks you'll getWhere a range is shown, your number depends on your earnings and, in some states, on the unemployment rate. Extended benefits in bad times aren't included.
- What you'll keepBenefits are taxable income on your federal return, and in many states too. You can ask to have federal tax withheld when you file.
- What changes nextStates reset their maximums every January or July. The dates on every figure are in the footer. This isn't legal advice.
Your files
Estimates on file
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