How Many Weeks of Unemployment Each State Pays (2026)
The maximum number of weeks of unemployment benefits in each state and DC.
| State | How many weeks |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Generally 14 to 20 weeks of full benefits, depending on the state unemployment rate. Claimants in approved training who filed on or after January 1, 2020 may qualify for up to 5 additional weeks. Alabama Department of Workforce, Unemployment FAQ; Unemployment Guidebook |
| Alaska | 16 to 26 weeks, depending on the amount and distribution of your base period wages. The benefit year is generally 52 weeks from the effective date of the claim. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook |
| Arizona | Up to 26 times your weekly benefit amount (26 weeks) if the state unemployment rate in the prior calendar quarter was 5% or more, or up to 24 times (24 weeks) if it was below 5%. Total benefits in a benefit year cannot exceed one-third of your base period earnings. A.R.S. § 23-780 |
| Arkansas | Up to 12 weeks per claim. Act 196 of 2023 reduced the maximum from 16 to 12 weeks for initial claims filed on or after January 1, 2024. Your Monetary Determination shows how many weeks you can receive. Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Unemployment Insurance Handbook (2026); UI Law Changes Effective January 1, 2024 |
| California | Your maximum award is 26 times your weekly benefit amount or one-half of your total base period wages, whichever is less, so up to 26 weeks of full benefits. The claim year lasts 52 weeks from the claim start date. California EDD, A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services (DE 1275A) |
| Colorado | Up to 26 weeks. Your total benefits per claim are the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your base period wages. C.R.S. § 8-73-104; Colorado UI Benefits Estimator |
| Connecticut | Up to 26 weeks; maximum benefits are 26 times your weekly benefit rate. People receiving partial benefits or a pension may collect over more than 26 weeks, but the total is still capped at 26 times the rate. The benefit year is 52 weeks starting the Sunday of the week you file. CTDOL, A Guide to Collecting Benefits in Connecticut |
| Delaware | Normally up to 26 weeks: total benefits are 50% of your base period wages or 26 times your weekly benefit amount, whichever is less. A special program may add weeks during periods of high unemployment. Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance, UI Claimant Handbook; Claimant FAQs |
| District of Columbia | A standard 26 weeks: total benefits in a benefit year are 26 times your weekly benefit amount. DOES Unemployment FAQs; D.C. Code § 51-107(d) |
| Florida | Twelve weeks if Florida's average unemployment rate is at or below 5%, plus one more week for each 0.5% above 5%, up to 23 weeks if the rate is 10.5% or higher. Total benefits are 25% of your base period wages, up to the lesser of $6,325 or your weekly benefit times the allowed number of weeks. Fla. Stat. § 443.111(5) |
| Georgia | From 14 to 26 weeks, depending on the seasonally adjusted state unemployment rate: 14 weeks if the rate is 4.5% or less, adding one week for each additional half point, up to 26 weeks at 10% or more. Total benefits are the lesser of that number of weeks times your weekly benefit or 1/4 of your base period wages. Claims filed July 1 to December 31 use the previous April's rate; claims filed January 1 to June 30 use the previous October's rate. Georgia Department of Labor, UI Claimant Handbook (2026), Appendix D: Maximum Unemployment Benefits |
| Hawaii | Up to 26 weeks within a claim that stays active for one year. Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Unemployment Insurance FAQ |
| Idaho | Between 10 and 26 weeks under state law, depending on the ratio of your total base period wages to your highest quarter and on Idaho's unemployment rate, which is updated each quarter. People with the lowest wage ratio get 10 weeks at any unemployment rate. Idaho Code § 72-1367 |
| Illinois | Up to 26 full weeks in a one-year benefit year; total benefits are 26 times your weekly benefit amount plus any dependent allowance. Illinois Department of Employment Security, Unemployment Insurance Benefits Handbook |
| Indiana | Up to 26 weeks, or until you reach your maximum benefit amount, which is 26 times your weekly benefit amount. The benefit year is 52 weeks from the week you file. Emergency extensions may be offered during periods of high unemployment. Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Claimant Handbook (July 2026) |
| Iowa | Up to 16 weeks: your maximum benefit amount is 16 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your total base period wages, whichever is less. If your last employer permanently closed, it may increase to 26 times your weekly benefit amount. Iowa Workforce Development, UI Claimant Handbook: Monetary Eligibility |
| Kansas | Based on the three-month seasonally adjusted Kansas unemployment rate when your benefit year starts: 16 weeks if the rate is below 5%, 20 weeks if it is at least 5% but below 6%, and 26 weeks if it is 6% or higher. Total benefits cannot exceed 26 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your base period wages, whichever is less. K.S.A. 44-704 |
| Kentucky | From 16 to 24 weeks, depending on the state average unemployment rate when you file: 16 weeks if the rate is 6.5% or less, rising one week for each half-point up to 24 weeks at a rate above 10%. The number of weeks is locked in when the claim is filed. Up to five extra weeks may be available while in approved training, never exceeding 24 total. Kentucky Claimant Guide (PAM-UI-400, Rev. 02/26), Duration of Benefits; Kentucky Career Center, Claimant FAQs |
| Louisiana | For claims filed on or after January 5, 2025, total benefits equal 12 to 20 times your weekly benefit amount (12 to 20 weeks), based on the average of the three most recently published seasonally adjusted state unemployment rates. Claims filed before that date kept a 26-week cap. Up to 8 more weeks of Additional Benefits may be available if benefits end while you are in approved training. Louisiana Works, Frequently Asked Questions about Benefits; Unemployment Benefits Rights and Information (Rev. 08/2026) |
| Maine | Up to 26 weeks of regular benefits, depending on your earnings; not everyone qualifies for all 26 weeks. Weeks do not have to be used consecutively but must be used within the 52-week benefit year. Maine Department of Labor, Claimants Frequently Asked Questions |
| Maryland | Up to 26 weeks of regular benefits per benefit year. If you receive partial benefits, they can stretch beyond 26 calendar weeks, but you cannot receive more than 26 times your weekly benefit amount. Up to 26 weeks of Additional Training Benefits may be available for some workers in approved training. Maryland Department of Labor, A Guide to Reemployment |
| Massachusetts | Total benefits are the lesser of 36% of your base period wages or 30 times your weekly benefit rate (up to 30 weeks). When average unemployment over the last 12 months is 5.1% or less in every one of the state's 10 metropolitan areas, new claims are limited to the lesser of 36% of base period wages or 26 times the weekly rate (up to 26 weeks). Dependency benefits are added. Up to 26 more weeks may be available while attending approved training. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151A, § 30 |
| Michigan | The number of weeks equals 43% of your base period wages divided by your weekly benefit rate, rounded down to the nearest half week, with a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 26 weeks. MCL 421.27(d) |
| Minnesota | The maximum total benefits are the lower of one-third of your base period wage credits or 26 times your weekly benefit amount (up to 26 weeks). Minn. Stat. § 268.07, subd. 2a(c) |
| Mississippi | The most you can receive in a benefit year is the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your total base period wages (up to 26 weeks). MDES, Benefit Eligibility Requirements |
| Missouri | Up to 20 weeks in a benefit year. The most you can receive is the lesser of 20 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your base period wages. Missouri DES, Filing for Unemployment Insurance Benefits in Missouri (MODES-INF-288, 10-25) |
| Montana | Your maximum benefit amount is your weekly benefit amount times a number of weeks, up to 24 weeks, based on your base period wages. If you work while claiming, your benefits can last longer, within the 52-week benefit year. Montana UI Claimant Handbook (December 2025), Eligibility for Benefits |
| Nebraska | Up to 26 weeks of benefits during the 12-month period that begins with your claim's effective date. Nebraska Department of Labor, FAQ |
| Nevada | Total benefits in a benefit year are the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your total base period wages (up to 26 weeks). NRS 612.355 |
| New Hampshire | Up to 26 weeks. The statutory table sets your maximum total benefits at 26 times your weekly benefit amount (for example, $11,102 at the $427 maximum). RSA 282-A:25, I |
| New Jersey | Up to 26 weeks. Your maximum benefit amount equals the number of weeks you worked in the base year (up to 26) times your weekly benefit rate. For 2026, the most anyone can receive in a benefit year is $23,530 ($905 x 26). Benefits stop one year after the date of your claim. New Jersey Division of Unemployment Insurance, How we calculate benefits |
| New York | Up to 26 weeks of benefits; total benefits cannot exceed 26 times your weekly benefit rate in a benefit year. NYS DOL, Unemployment claimant benefit process; N.Y. Labor Law § 590(4) |
| North Carolina | From 12 to 20 weeks, depending on the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate, set every January 1 and July 1: 12 weeks when the rate is 5.5% or less, rising one week for each additional half-point up to 20 weeks when the rate is above 9%. DES currently states the maximum is 12 weeks. Your monetary determination shows the number of weeks for your claim. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 96-14.3; North Carolina DES, Unemployment Insurance FAQs |
| North Dakota | Benefits last 12 to 26 weeks. The number of weeks depends on your total base period wages divided by your highest quarter: a ratio of 1.50 to 2.29 gives 12 weeks, and a ratio of 3.20 or more gives 26 weeks. Job Service North Dakota, Unemployment Benefit Chart, "Duration" |
| Ohio | Up to 26 weeks. You get 20 times your weekly benefit for your first 20 qualifying weeks, plus one more week of benefits for each additional qualifying week, up to 26 times your weekly benefit. Ohio Rev. Code 4141.30(D) |
| Oklahoma | Usually up to 16 weeks, as set by state law, though this can vary in some cases. OESC Claimant Handbook OES-339 (Rev. 06-3-2026), "Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA)" |
| Oregon | You can receive up to 26 times your weekly benefit amount during your 52-week benefit year. Oregon Employment Department, Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook (UIPUB350) |
| Pennsylvania | With at least 18 credit weeks, your maximum benefit amount depends on how many credit weeks you have, multiplied by your weekly rate. It is capped at 26 times your weekly benefit rate. PA L&I Benefit Guide, Eligibility Information |
| Rhode Island | Total benefits in a benefit year equal 33% of your total base-period wages, up to a maximum of 26 times your weekly benefit rate. Dependents' allowances are added on top. Partial benefits can stretch past 26 weeks. R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-44-9; RI DLT client pamphlet |
| South Carolina | Up to 20 weeks. Your maximum benefit amount is the lesser of 20 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your total base-period wages. The benefit year runs one year from the effective date of your claim. SC DEW, Weekly Benefit Amount page; Claimant Handbook (as of 9/3/2025) |
| South Dakota | The most you can receive in a benefit year is one-third of your total base-period wages, up to 26 times your weekly benefit (26 weeks). SD DLR, Benefit Amount/Wage Requirements |
| Tennessee | The number of weeks depends on the state average unemployment rate. You can receive up to 12 weeks when the rate is at or below 5.5%, with one more week for each 0.5% increase above that. The number of weeks set for your claim does not change during your benefit year, and no extensions are available once you use up your benefits. Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Do I Qualify?; Restarting Benefits; Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-7-301(d) |
| Texas | Your maximum benefit amount is the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 27% of your total base-period wages, so up to 26 weeks. Your benefit year lasts 52 weeks from the Sunday of the week you applied. TWC, Eligibility & Benefit Amounts, "Maximum Benefit Amount" |
| Utah | Multiply your total base-period wages by 27%, then divide by your weekly benefit amount, dropping any fraction. The result is your number of weeks, with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 26. Utah DWS, Unemployment Insurance Benefit Schedule, January 2026, "How to Determine Weeks of Entitlement" |
| Vermont | Your total benefits are limited to 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 46% of your base-period wages, whichever is less. A misconduct finding limits you to 23 full weeks. VDOL, Calculating Your UI Benefit; Claimant Handbook, "Length of Payments" |
| Virginia | Your base-period earnings determine how many weeks you can collect, from 12 to 26 weeks. Your claim stays open for a one-year benefit year. VEC, Benefits Eligibility |
| Washington | Normally up to 26 weeks of regular benefits in a 52-week benefit year. Extended Benefits may be available when the state's unemployment rate is high. Washington ESD, Basic eligibility requirements |
| West Virginia | Up to 26 full weeks. If you collect partial benefits, they can stretch over more weeks, but not beyond 52. WorkForce WV, Claimant Handbook, "Amount of UI Benefits"; Unemployment Basics |
| Wisconsin | Your maximum benefit amount is 26 times your weekly benefit rate or 40% of your total base-period wages, whichever is smaller. That means up to 26 weeks at your full rate. Wisconsin DWD, Qualifying Wages, "Maximum Benefit Amount" |
| Wyoming | Up to 26 weeks of full benefits in a benefit year. If you have weeks with reduced benefits because of other income, payments can stretch over a longer period, up to a year. The exact number of weeks depends on your base-period earnings. Wyoming DWS, Unemployment Insurance FAQ, "How long will I receive unemployment benefits?" |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.