Unemployment Benefits Calculator
Estimate your weekly unemployment insurance benefit from your highest-earning quarter, with an editable state percentage and cap.
🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing here is ever uploaded
About the Unemployment Benefits Calculator
Estimates your weekly unemployment insurance (UI) benefit from your highest-earning base-period quarter, using the widely-used 'highest quarter ÷ divisor × percentage, capped' method — with the percentage, divisor, and state cap left fully editable since every US state sets its own numbers.
- Enter your highest-earning quarter's wages from your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters).
- Set the benefit percentage and quarter divisor to match your state's formula (defaults are common, not universal).
- Enter your state's weekly maximum and maximum payable weeks.
- Optionally enter your prior weekly pay to see a replacement-rate comparison.
Highest-quarter wages of $9,000, divisor 26, 50% rate, $450 cap: $9,000 ÷ 26 = $346.15 average weekly wage, × 50% = $173.08 weekly benefit (under the cap), or about $4,500 total over a 26-week benefit period.
| State | Weekly maximum |
|---|---|
| California | $450 |
| New York | $504 |
| Texas | $605 |
| Florida | $275 |
| Massachusetts | $1,105 |
Unemployment insurance is run state-by-state — the base-period definition, percentage, divisor, weekly cap, and number of payable weeks all vary by state (2025 weekly caps ranged from about $235 to over $823). Some states, like Colorado, use a different method entirely (e.g. averaging your two highest quarters). This tool is a rough estimate, not a benefits determination — eligibility, waiting weeks, and partial-benefit offsets aren't modeled. Check your state unemployment insurance agency for your actual weekly benefit amount.
- • Look up your own state's exact percentage, divisor, and weekly maximum before relying on the default numbers — they're illustrative, not universal.
- • If your calculated amount hits the cap, your real WBA is fixed at the state maximum regardless of how much more you earned.
- • This models regular state UI only — it doesn't include federal extensions, dependent allowances, or partial-unemployment benefit rules some states offer.
- National Employment Law Project — Benefit Amounts — accessed 2026-08-31
- NJ Division of Unemployment Insurance — How we calculate benefits — accessed 2026-08-31
Illustrative estimate only, not financial or tax advice. Verify figures with a licensed adviser or your local tax authority.