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How Are My Benefits Figured?

When you first apply for benefits, you are filing a new claim. A review of your work history will be used to determine if you had enough insured work to establish a claim benefit year. Insured work is work done for one or more employers that are required to contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Your claim benefit year is the one-year period that unemployment benefits are potentially available to you.

The benefit amount you can receive is figured on wages paid during your base period. Your base period is the 12-month period consisting of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the beginning date of your claim.

NOTE: Wages are assigned to a quarter as they are paid; not when they are earned.

You must have wages of at least $1,400 in one quarter of your base period. This amount increases to $1,500 for claims filed January 1, 2008 or later. You must have wages in two quarters of the base period and the total amount of your wages must be at least one and one-half times your highest quarter wages. If you do not meet this requirement, you may still qualify if you have wages in at least two quarters of your base period and the total of the wages is at least $16,500. This amount increases to $18,000 for claims filed January 1, 2008 or later.

If you qualify, your weekly benefit amount (WBA) will be 4% of your highest quarterly wages, but cannot be more than $280. For claims filed January 1, 2008 or later, your WBA will be 4% of the average of your two highest quarters, but cannot be more than $320.

The most you can receive during your benefit year is your maximum benefit amount (MBA). This amount is 26 times your WBA or one-third of your base period wages, whichever is less. When figuring the MBA using either method, the base period wages for each quarter are limited to 26 times your WBA. If you have sufficient wages in the base period, the maximum number of weeks you can draw your full weekly amount is 26 weeks and the MBA available in a benefit year is $8,320 (26 x $320 = $8,320), for claims filed January 1, 2008 or later.

If you are filing a claim now and filed one a year ago, you cannot be paid on the new claim unless you have worked after filing last year. Your Regional Claims Center representative will explain this requirement when you file.