Maximum Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits By State
| By Jessica Miller-Merrell | Career, Job Search
*All figures are as of FEBRUARY 26, 2019; sources are available upon request.
Listed below are maximum weekly unemployment benefits available in each state. I recommend you check with your local and state unemployment office as processes, amounts, and filing specifics tend to change. Weekly unemployment benefits provide displaced workers an opportunity to stay afloat while looking for a new place to work. Maximum weekly state unemployment benefits vary from state to state and the procedures for filing unemployment benefit claims also vary. It’s important that you keep detailed records of the date you filed, any work documentation you have, and you must be present for the unemployment hearing in order to be granted unemployment benefits. Often employees who voluntarily left their employment can be eligible for unemployment benefits, which is why documentation and attending the hearing are so important. Those who were involuntarily terminated, laid off, or fired for their jobs can be eligible for unemployment. I can’t stress enough that in order to be awarded weekly unemployment benefits, you must attend the hearing whether it is by phone or in person.
How Long Are Weekly Unemployment Benefits by State?
Most states offer 26 weeks of unemployment benefits compensation. There are currently seven states that provide UI benefits of fewer than 26 weeks and two that provide more than the standard 26 weeks. Those states and the duration of their state-specific unemployment benefit programs are listed below:
Montana (28 weeks)
Massachusetts (30 weeks)
Arkansas (25 weeks)
Missouri (20 weeks)
Michigan (20 weeks)
South Carolina (20 weeks)
Georgia (20 weeks)
North Carolina (20 weeks)
Florida (12-23 weeks)
Questions About Unemployment Benefits
I’m happy to answer any questions you have on unemployment claims and benefits, so you are welcome to leave a comment below. In addition to the weekly unemployment benefits list, you can access our resources on maintaining or filing your unemployment when relocating or about the unemployment benefits process for HR and companies.
Unemployment Weekly Benefit Amounts by State
Alabama | $265/week | Alabama Department of Labor
Alaska | $370/week | Alaska Department of Labor
Arizona | $240/week | Arizona Department of Economic Security
Arkansas | $451/week | Arkansas Workforce Services
California | $450/week | California Employment Development
Colorado | $542/week | Colorado Department of Labor
Connecticut | $594/week | Connecticut Department of Labor
Delaware | $330/week | Delaware Department of Labor
District of Columbia | $425/week | District of Colombia Department of Employment Services
Florida| | $275/week | Florida Reemployment Assistance
Georgia| $330/week | Georgia Department of Labor
Hawaii | $619/week State of Hawaii Department of Labor
Idaho | $405/week | Idaho Department of Labor
Illinois | $471/week | Illinois Department of Employment Security
Indiana | $390/week | Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Iowa | $467/week | Iowa Workforce Development
Kansas | $474/week | Kansas Department of Labor
Kentucky | $415/week | Kentucky Unemployment Insurance Office
Louisiana | $247/week | Louisiana Workforce Commission
Maine | $386/week | Maine Department of Labor
Maryland | $430/week | Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing,Regulation
Massachusetts | $795/week | Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance
Michigan | $362/week | Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency
Minnesota | $640/week | Minnesota Unemployment Insurance Program
Mississippi | $235/week | Mississippi Department of Employment Security
Missouri | $320/week | Missouri Division of Employment Security
Montana | $487/week | Montana Department of Labor and Industry
Nebraska | $408/week | Nebraska Department of Labor
Nevada | $439/week | Nevada Department of Employment,Training, and Rehabilitation
New Hampshire | $427/week | New Hampshire Employment Security
New Jersey | $681/week | New Jersey Department of Labor
New Mexico | $397/week | New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
New York | $420/week | New York Department of Labor
North Carolina | $350/week | North Carolina Division of Employment Security
North Dakota | $595/week | North Dakota Job Services
Ohio | $420/week | Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation
Oklahoma | $490/week | Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
Oregon | $549/week | Oregon Employment Department
Pennsylvania | $573/week | Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Service Center
Puerto Rico | $133/week | Puerto Rico Department of Labor
Rhode Island | $576/week | Rhode Island Department of Labor
South Carolina | $326/week | South Carolina Department of Employment
South Dakota | $352/week | South Dakota Department of Labor
Tennessee | $275/week | Tennessee Department of Labor
Texas | $465/week | Texas Workforce Commission
Utah | $496/week | Utah Department of Workforce
Vermont | $436/week | Vermont Department of Labor
Virginia | $378/week | Virginia Employment Commission
Virgin Islands | $477/week | Virgin Islands Department of Labor
Washington | $749/week | Washington Employment Security
West Virginia | $424/week | West Virginia Employment Security
Wisconsin | $370/week | Wisconsin Department of Workforce
Wyoming | $475/week | Wyoming Department of Workforce
All figures are as of FEBRUARY 26, 2019. Sources are available upon request.
Are you sure Mass. has a maximun benefit of $900? I think it is really $600.
Mass. is $653 per week plus $25 per dependent for a maximum of $900.
So a person with too many kids gets rewarded? Typical liberal “logic”.
I don’t even earn $900 a week; if I did I would live in luxury.
Oh please. Obviously you don’t have kids or have a CLUE how expensive child care is. Typical obnoxious nut-winger comment.
if you CHOOSE to have a bunch of kids YOU should pay for them, not taxpayers!
there should be no deductions on income taxes for kids, if you can’t afford them don’t have them!
Health Insurance should charge PER PERSON; it’s dumb that a family of 12 pays the same premium as a family of 3.
We need FAIRNESS and everyone paying their fair share.
And if a person loses his or her job – what do we do in the meantime? This isn’t WELFARE, you i***t, this is unemployment benefits, which WE, the taxpayers, pay into as we work.
WOW GOOD TO KNOW HOW 900$ A WEEK WILL BUY YOU LUXURY, I MAKE 125K IN bOSTON AND THIS IS NOT EVEN NEAR LUXURY, GOOD LUCK!!
I was just laid off on 4/8. I live in Texas and if I can would like to find a job here. If by the end of May I do not have any success, I would like to relocate to California as my children live there (I am divorced).
My question is, can I relocate and collect unemployment there until I find a job?
Frank,
Absolutely you can! You will need to contact your new local unemployment office and ask them to transfer your UI to your new home state. Best of luck!
Jessica
@blogging4jobs
Living expenses in California are 10 times what they are in Texas; are you nuts??
hi, which state would be best for me and my girl friend, ive just losted everything my business my cars ect. am currently drawing unemployment but its done in two weeks and cant find a job i live in travel trailer ready to go somewhere to work and start over am scared can you advise
thanks
todd
North dakota there is work everywhere
thanks very much, I must say your blog is brilliant!
Has this changed much? It’s almost 2 years old now and I wonder how far off, if any, these numbers are.
@Marko,
Some of these numbers have changed. I would recommend you contact your local unemployment benefits office to get the specifics. Thanks for reading.
Jessica
@blogging4jobs
Thanks for sharing, your blog is very useful.
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The maximum unemployment you could draw in Tennessee in 2008 is $275; in Massachusetts it is $900!
If I could get $900 a week to sit on my butt I wouldn’t worry about a job; NO WONDER their taxes are so high!
try a fact instead of propaganda. Mass ranks 37th in the nation in total tax burden on income.
Hi everyone!
We’ve spent some time digging into the numbers and have researched each state to find the most recent data for you on maximum unemployment benefits as of January 1, 2011.
This blog post appears to be one of the only comprehensive resources available on the internet so feel free to share with your friends and those who are looking to file or want more information about unemployment benefit maximums.
JMM
I lost my job back in May of 2016 and have been collecting Pennsylvania unemployment which ran out in January 2017. Finding a job is like having a job. I have sent resume’s networked etc and still with no luck for work. I sold my home and now am moving back to New York near my parents. Would I be able to apply for unemployment in New York when I get there?
Well not as much as I thought. Hard world.
good one. Thanks.
I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing
Thanks Betty. I hope you enjoy. I’m always working to update content and information helping job seekers find work quickly that fits their personal and professional goals.
JMM
How long does one have to work in a certain State to collect U.I. out of that particular State while living in another?
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Hi Jessica,
My job will be relocated from Mass to North Carolina next year, so if I want my job I need to move. My wife works 2 part time jobs to make ends meet. She was laid off from her full time job 3 years ago and cannot find an employer to hire her full time. She works 24 hrs with one retailer, and 15-20 with the other retailer. When we move to NC she will obviously quit her part time jobs here in mass. Where does she file a claim to collect Unemplohment benefits? I would think it would be filed in Mass since her two employers paid into MASS UI. And would she get mass UB $$ rates and Mass timeframes? Thank you, Tim
Hi Tim,
Thanks for visiting the blog. I wrote a post about relocation as other readers have offered that same question. You can read it here: https://workology.com/job-search/can-i-collect-unemployment-if-i-relocate/
I would contact your local unemployment office first as they will be able to help you.
Good luck on your move.
JMM
Thanks Melany. This blog has been going since 2007 and has lots of different information. Appreciate you stopping by.
JMM
Zamer, montazh i ustanovka – besplatno.
Currently it seems like WordPress is the preferred blogging platform available right now.
(from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
Is unemployment pay based on where your company HQ is, where you live, or where you work? I’m a remote employee.
Also, is there a max percent you can reduce an employees compensation to where they are entitled to unemployment if they quit because of the pay decrease?
I have my own small cleaning company I haven’t collected a payroll check in about 1 1/2 years. The business owed me money so I was just taking money out to the business that was due to me to live off of. Because I have not collected a payroll check per se, if I was to sell the business or close the business, Can “I collect unemployment?
I do not think so Sue. If I am reading the comment correctly you are a business owner.
JMM
The state I live in is Illinois