Benefit Calculator for Unemployment

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Unemployment Benefit Calculator

Estimate your weekly and total potential benefits

The 3-month period you earned the most in the last 18 months.
Total gross wages earned in the last 4 completed quarters.
Varies by state (e.g., CA is $450, NY is $504, WA is $1019). Default: $550.

Your Benefit Estimate

Estimated Weekly Benefit (WBA): $0.00
Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA): $0.00
Estimated Duration: 26 Weeks

*Note: This is an estimate based on common formulas (1/26th of high quarter earnings). Actual benefits are determined by your state agency and depend on specific eligibility rules.

Understanding Unemployment Benefit Calculations

Calculating your potential unemployment benefits is critical for financial planning during a transition between jobs. While every state in the U.S. has its own specific laws and maximum caps, most follow a similar mathematical structure based on your "Base Period" earnings.

1. The Base Period

The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. To calculate your benefits, you need to know how much you earned in each of these four quarters.

2. The Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA)

Most states determine your weekly check by taking your Highest Quarter Earnings and dividing them by 26 (representing half a year). However, states also set a "Maximum Weekly Benefit" which acts as a hard ceiling regardless of how high your previous salary was.

3. Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA)

The total amount you can receive throughout your claim is usually the lesser of:

  • 26 times your Weekly Benefit Amount.
  • One-third (33%) of your total wages in the base period.

Example Calculation

Suppose you earned $13,000 in your highest quarter and a total of $48,000 during your base period:

  • Weekly Benefit: $13,000 / 26 = $500/week.
  • Total Capacity: 26 weeks x $500 = $13,000.
  • State Cap: If your state max is $450, your weekly benefit would be reduced to $450.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for these benefits, you generally must meet three criteria:

  1. You must be unemployed through no fault of your own (not fired for misconduct or quit without good cause).
  2. You must have earned a minimum amount of wages during the base period.
  3. You must be able to work, available for work, and actively seeking employment.
function calculateUnemploymentBenefits() { var highQuarter = parseFloat(document.getElementById('highQuarter').value); var totalBase = parseFloat(document.getElementById('totalBase').value); var stateMax = parseFloat(document.getElementById('stateMax').value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('unemploymentResult'); // Validation if (isNaN(highQuarter) || isNaN(totalBase) || highQuarter <= 0 || totalBase totalBase) { alert("High quarter earnings cannot be greater than total base period earnings."); return; } // Logic: Weekly Benefit Amount is typically 1/26 of the high quarter earnings var weeklyRaw = highQuarter / 26; // Cap at State Maximum var weeklyFinal = Math.min(weeklyRaw, stateMax); // Logic: Total Benefit (MBA) is typically the lesser of 26 x WBA OR 1/3 of total base wages var mbaOption1 = weeklyFinal * 26; var mbaOption2 = totalBase * 0.33; var mbaFinal = Math.min(mbaOption1, mbaOption2); // Calculate effective weeks var weeks = (mbaFinal / weeklyFinal).toFixed(1); // Display Results document.getElementById('weeklyBenefit').innerText = '$' + weeklyFinal.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); document.getElementById('maxBenefit').innerText = '$' + mbaFinal.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); document.getElementById('duration').innerText = weeks + ' Weeks'; resultDiv.style.display = 'block'; // Scroll to result smoothly resultDiv.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' }); }

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