Money & Benefits · Tracker
Unemployment benefits by state
The most a state pays per week and the number of weeks it pays, for every state, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, from the Department of Labor’s Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws.
Last verified · refreshed on-event
Unemployment insurance is a state program under federal rules, and no two states pay the same. The weekly amount is a fraction of past wages up to a cap, and the cap ranges from under $300 a week in a few states to over $1,000 in Massachusetts and Washington. The number of weeks is usually up to 26 but can be far fewer, and several states shorten it further when their unemployment rate is low.
The figures below are from the Department of Labor’s Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, the January 2026 edition, which the Employment and Training Administration compiles twice a year. Maximums change with state wage levels, usually in July, and the next edition is checked the day it appears. How to file for unemployment explains the base period, the waiting week and what happens after a claim is filed.
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| State | Maximum weekly benefit | Weeks payable | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $275.00 | 14 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Alaska | $370.00 | 16 to 26 | up to $442 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Arizona | $320.00 | 8 to 24 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Arkansas | $451.00 | 9 to 12 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| California | $450.00 | 14 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Colorado | $767.00 | 13 to 26 | up to $844 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Connecticut | $721.00 | 26 | up to $796 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Delaware | $450.00 | 24 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| District of Columbia | $444.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Florida | $275.00 | 9 to 12 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Georgia | $365.00 | 6 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Hawaii | $868.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Idaho | $624.00 | 10 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Illinois | $628.00 | 26 | up to $859 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Indiana | $390.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Iowa | $622.00 | 9 to 16 | up to $763 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Kansas | $637.00 | 10 to 16 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Kentucky | $720.00 | 16 to 24 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Louisiana | $282.00 | 12 to 20 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Maine | $623.00 | 15 to 26 | up to $1,090 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Maryland | $430.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Massachusetts | $1,105.00 | 10 to 30 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Michigan | $530.00 | 14 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Minnesota | $611.00 | 9 to 26 | up to $948 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Mississippi | $235.00 | 13 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Missouri | $320.00 | 8 to 20 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Montana | $767.00 | 8 to 24 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Nebraska | $582.00 | 10 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Nevada | $631.00 | 8 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| New Hampshire | $427.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| New Jersey | $905.00 | 20 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| New Mexico | $624.00 | 14 to 26 | up to $674 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| New York | $869.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| North Carolina | $350.00 | 12 to 20 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| North Dakota | $815.00 | 12 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Ohio | $624.00 | 20 to 26 | up to $842 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Oklahoma | $649.00 | 16 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Oregon | $872.00 | 1 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Pennsylvania | $605.00 | 18 to 26 | up to $613 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| Puerto Rico | $240.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Rhode Island | $745.00 | 17 to 26 | up to $931 with the maximum dependents’ allowance | oui.doleta.gov |
| South Carolina | $350.00 | 13 to 20 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| South Dakota | $553.00 | 15 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Tennessee | $325.00 | 12 to 20 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Texas | $605.00 | 10 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Utah | $806.00 | 10 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Vermont | $757.00 | 23 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Virginia | $430.00 | 12 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Virgin Islands | $648.00 | 13 to 16 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Washington | $1,152.00 | 1 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| West Virginia | $662.00 | 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Wisconsin | $370.00 | 14 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
| Wyoming | $651.00 | 11 to 26 | — | oui.doleta.gov |
What to do
- File in the state where you worked, not where you live, through its unemployment agency; the DOL portal links every state. Official link
- Your weekly amount is set by your own past wages up to the state maximum shown here; the maximum is a ceiling, not an entitlement. Official link
- Keep filing the weekly certification on time; a missed week is usually a lost week. Official link
Questions readers ask
- How much does unemployment pay per week?
- A fraction of your past wages up to a state maximum. In January 2026 the maximum weekly benefit ran from $235 in Mississippi to $1,152 in Washington, according to the Department of Labor’s table of state provisions. The figure for every state is in the table.
- How many weeks of unemployment can I get?
- Up to 26 weeks in most states. Some pay fewer, such as 9 to 12 weeks in Arkansas and Florida and 14 in Alabama, and a few pay more, such as up to 30 in Massachusetts. Extended benefits only switch on when a state’s unemployment rate crosses a legal threshold.
- Where do I file if I live in one state and worked in another?
- In the state where you worked. Unemployment insurance is run by the state that collected the taxes on your wages, and the Department of Labor’s guide links to every state’s claim site.
Background: How to file for unemployment
Mentioned:U.S. Department of Labor
How we reported this
Built from the documents in the Source Card. Entered from the Department of Labor’s January 2026 table on September 4, 2026; the July 2026 edition is checked when it is posted.
Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).
Updates
- Entered from the Department of Labor’s January 2026 table on September 4, 2026; the July 2026 edition is checked when it is posted.