Maximum Unemployment Benefits by State, 2026
What is the most unemployment insurance pays in each state?
It ranges widely. Washington pays the highest weekly maximum, $1,208, for up to 26 weeks, a ceiling of $31,408 on a full claim. Massachusetts pairs $1,154 a week (from October 2026) with the longest run in the country, 30 weeks, for a $34,620 ceiling, the highest total in the table. Mississippi pays the least per week at $235, and Florida, North Carolina, and Arkansas end regular benefits after just 12 weeks. Your own weekly amount comes from your past wages and lands between your state's minimum and maximum.
Unemployment is the one program in this hub that does not ask what you earn now. It asks what you earned before, and it replaces part of it while you look for the next job. Because every state runs its own system, the same layoff can mean a manageable bridge in one state and a cliff in another. This page collects the official ceilings so you can plan the gap honestly.
Weekly benefit minimums and maximums by state (July 2026)
| State | Minimum / week | Maximum / week | Maximum weeks | Ceiling on a full claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $45 | $275 | 26 | $7,150 |
| Alaska | $56 | $370 | 26 | $9,620 |
| Arizona | $236 | $320 | 24 | $7,680 |
| Arkansas | $81 | $451 | 12 | $5,412 |
| California | $40 | $450 | 26 | $11,700 |
| Colorado | $25 | $804 | 26 | $20,904 |
| Connecticut | $44 | $721 | 26 | $18,746 |
| Delaware | $20 | $450 | 26 | $11,700 |
| District of Columbia | $50 | $444 | 26 | $11,544 |
| Florida | $32 | $275 | 12 | $3,300 |
| Georgia | $55 | $365 | 26 | $9,490 |
| Hawaii | $5 | $868 | 26 | $22,568 |
| Idaho | $72 | $624 | 26 | $16,224 |
| Illinois | $51 | $628 | 26 | $16,328 |
| Indiana | $37 | $390 | 26 | $10,140 |
| Iowa | $96 | $644 | 16 | $10,304 |
| Kansas | $165 | $663 | 16 | $10,608 |
| Kentucky | $39 | $720 | 24 | $17,280 |
| Louisiana | $35 | $282 | 20 | $5,640 |
| Maine | $113 | $649 | 26 | $16,874 |
| Maryland | $50 | $430 | 26 | $11,180 |
| Massachusetts | $60 | $1,154 | 30 | $34,620 |
| Michigan | $218 | $446 | 20 | $8,920 |
| Minnesota | $37 | $948 | 26 | $24,648 |
| Mississippi | $30 | $235 | 26 | $6,110 |
| Missouri | $35 | $320 | 20 | $6,400 |
| Montana | $227 | $767 | 24 | $18,408 |
| Nebraska | $70 | $582 | 26 | $15,132 |
| Nevada | $16 | $657 | 26 | $17,082 |
| New Hampshire | $32 | $427 | 26 | $11,102 |
| New Jersey | $186 | $905 | 26 | $23,530 |
| New Mexico | $116 | $624 | 26 | $16,224 |
| New York | $140 | $869 | 26 | $22,594 |
| North Carolina | $15 | $350 | 12 | $4,200 |
| North Dakota | $43 | $815 | 26 | $21,190 |
| Ohio | $176 | $624 | 26 | $16,224 |
| Oklahoma | $16 | $649 | 16 | $10,384 |
| Oregon | $211 | $902 | 26 | $23,452 |
| Pennsylvania | $68 | $605 | 26 | $15,730 |
| Rhode Island | $82 | $777 | 26 | $20,202 |
| South Carolina | $42 | $350 | 20 | $7,000 |
| South Dakota | $28 | $575 | 26 | $14,950 |
| Tennessee | $55 | $325 | 20 | $6,500 |
| Texas | $75 | $605 | 26 | $15,730 |
| Utah | $47 | $806 | 26 | $20,956 |
| Vermont | $96 | $751 | 26 | $19,526 |
| Virginia | $160 | $478 | 26 | $12,428 |
| Washington | $383 | $1,208 | 26 | $31,408 |
| West Virginia | $24 | $662 | 26 | $17,212 |
| Wisconsin | $54 | $370 | 26 | $9,620 |
| Wyoming | $48 | $671 | 26 | $17,446 |
U.S. Department of Labor, Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026. Amounts are without dependents allowances, which raise the maximum in some states. Massachusetts' maximum is $1,154 from October 2026 (the July table's base figure is $1,105). The full claim ceiling multiplies the maximum weekly amount by the maximum weeks; some states cap total benefits by your base period wages instead, so many claimants exhaust sooner. Check your household against the income based programs in the benefits eligibility screener.
How your weekly amount is actually set
Your state looks back at a base period, normally the first four of the last five finished calendar quarters, and prices your claim off the wages in it. Most states lean on your best quarter: earn more in that quarter and the weekly benefit climbs, until it hits the state maximum and stops. New Jersey publishes its own version of the end point plainly: at an average weekly wage of about $1,509, its 60 percent formula reaches the $905 maximum, and a full 26 weeks at that rate totals $23,530. Earn less, and the same formula pays proportionally less; unemployment replaces a share of wages, never all of them.
Why the same job loss pays so differently across state lines
Put a Florida worker and a Washington worker side by side, both maxing out. Florida: $275 a week, 12 weeks, $3,300 all in. Washington: $1,208 a week, 26 weeks, $31,408 all in, nearly ten times as much on the same federal program framework. North Carolina matches Florida's short clock at $350 for 12 weeks ($4,200). Duration is where southern and mountain states have quietly cut the deepest, often tying the week count to the state unemployment rate, so the maximum shrinks exactly when jobs are plentiful and individual searches still run long.
Planning the gap while you claim
Three things to line up in the first week. First, most states have an unpaid waiting week, so the first check covers week two. Second, benefits are taxable income; electing the 10 percent federal withholding now beats a surprise bill later. Third, a job loss is the trigger to run the rest of this hub: your lower income may open SNAP, Medicaid for the kids, and heating help at exactly the moment rent is due. The emergency fund calculator will show how many weeks your savings actually cover at the new burn rate.
Filing, and what can go wrong
File with your state's unemployment agency in the week the job ends; waiting costs weeks you cannot get back. You will certify weekly or biweekly that you are able, available, and looking for work, and most states set a minimum number of work search activities. Severance, vacation payouts, and part time earnings can shift or delay payments under rules that differ by state, and quitting or being fired for misconduct can disqualify a claim outright. Those judgment calls belong to your state agency; this page only carries the amounts.
Frequently asked questions
How much unemployment can I get in my state?
Your weekly benefit is a fraction of what you earned, usually built from your highest quarter of wages in the base period, and capped at your state's maximum. The table on this page shows every state's range: minimums from $5 a week in Hawaii to $383 in Washington, maximums from $235 in Mississippi to $1,208 in Washington. Most workers land somewhere in the middle of their state's range.
Is 26 weeks of unemployment a national rule?
No. Twenty-six weeks is the most common maximum and the one people remember, but states set their own duration. Florida, North Carolina, and Arkansas cap regular benefits at 12 weeks; Michigan allows 20; Massachusetts allows 30. Several states also shrink the maximum when the state unemployment rate is low, so the weeks column in the table is a ceiling, not a promise.
What is a base period?
The window of past work your state uses to price your claim, usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. Your highest earning quarter in that window drives the calculation in most states. Recent raises may not show up in the base period yet, which surprises people whose pay just went up.
Do dependents increase my benefit?
In some states, yes. A dependents allowance adds a set amount per child in states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, and Ohio, and the Department of Labor table shows a higher maximum with dependents than without in those states. The base maximums in our table leave dependents out, so your state figure can be a little higher if you qualify for the allowance.
Is unemployment income taxed?
Yes, at the federal level and in most states that have an income tax. You can have 10 percent withheld for federal taxes from each check, which most filers are glad they did when April arrives. Unemployment counts as income for SNAP and can affect other benefits in the month you receive it.
Can I work part time while collecting?
Usually a little. Every state lets you earn some amount before benefits shrink; the federal summary calls it the earnings disregard, and it ranges from a flat $20 or so to a third or half of your weekly benefit. Earn above it and the benefit falls dollar for dollar or by formula. Your state's claim site shows the exact rule, and you must report the earnings either way.
Keep exploring
Programs: Benefits eligibility screener · WIC income limits · LIHEAP income limits · Medicaid and CHIP income limits · State earned income tax credits · Unemployment maximums by state
Already on Mami's Budget: SNAP maximum benefits by household size · USDA grocery costs by state · Childcare costs by state · Family budget planner
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Unemployment Insurance, 'Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws,' effective July 2026 (the Department notes the report is for informational and research purposes, not an official interpretation of state law); Massachusetts October 2026 maximum as reported from the same DOL series. Retrieved October 31, 2026. Your state unemployment agency calculates your actual benefit from your wage record and makes the final decision.