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Unemployment insurance: Benefits
| Unemployment insurance |
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| • Terms and definitions • Court cases • Unemployment insurance programs in the states • Reform proposals related to unemployment insurance • Reform activity in the states related to unemployment insurance • Index of articles about unemployment insurance |
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Unemployment insurance is a term that refers to a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.[1][2]
The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.[2]
Although the word insurance is in the term, a few key differences distinguish unemployment insurance from private insurance plans such as home insurance, car insurance, or health insurance. In most states, employers—rather than individuals themselves—pay unemployment taxes that fund state unemployment insurance programs. When an individual loses their employment (and meets eligibility requirements), state-administered unemployment insurance programs provide temporary monetary benefits to the former employee. Unemployment insurance compensation is not intended to replace lost wages; it is designed to replace a portion of the individual's lost wages with the goal of providing financial support as an individual searches for a new job.[3]
This page examines unemployment insurance benefits, also known as unemployment insurance compensation. For more information about unemployment insurance, click here.
Unemployment insurance: Benefits
The standard term of unemployment benefits is 26 weeks, but specific terms vary by state. For example, Arkansas law provided for up to 16 weeks of benefits as of 2025. Montana, on the other hand, paid up to 28 weeks of benefits.[4]
The following table identifies the maximum length and the range of unemployment insurance benefits by state as of 2025, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:[5]
| Length of unemployment benefits by state, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Maximum length of unemployment insurance benefits (weeks) | Minimum weekly benefits | Maximum weekly benefits |
| Alabama | 14 | $45 | $275 |
| Alaska | 26 | $56 - $128 | $370 - $442 |
| Arizona | 26 | $216 | $320 |
| Arkansas | 16 | $81 | $451 |
| California | 26 | $40 | $450 |
| Colorado | 26 | $25 | $675 (low formula) |
| Connecticut | 26 | $15 - $30 | $703 - $778 |
| Delaware | 26 | $20 | $400 |
| Florida | 12 | $32 | $275 |
| Georgia | 14 | $55 | $365 |
| Hawaii | 26 | $5 | $763 |
| Idaho | 21 | $72 | $532 |
| Illinois | 26 | $51 - $77 | $578 - $787 |
| Indiana | 26 | $37 | $390 |
| Iowa | 16 | $82 - $99 | $551 - $676 |
| Kansas | 16 | $140 | $560 |
| Kentucky | 12 | $39 | $626 |
| Louisiana | 26 | $35 | $275 to $284 |
| Maine | 26 | $94 - $164 | $538 - $941 |
| Maryland | 26 | $50 - $90 | $430 |
| Massachusetts | 30 | $55 - $87 | $1,015 - $1,522 |
| Michigan | 20 | $160 - $190 | $362 |
| Minnesota | 26 | $33 | $552 (based on HQW) |
| Mississippi | 26 | $30 | $235 |
| Missouri | 20 | $35 | $320 |
| Montana | 28 | $194 | $657 |
| Nebraska | 26 | $70 | $514 |
| Nevada | 26 | $16 | $562 |
| New Hampshire | 26 | $32 | $427 |
| New Jersey | 26 | $156 - $179 | $830 |
| New Mexico | 26 | $101 - $151 | $542 - $592 |
| New York | 26 | $124 | $504 |
| North Carolina | 12 | $15 | $350 |
| North Dakota | 26 | $43 | $673 |
| Ohio | 26 | $157 | $561 - $757 |
| Oklahoma | 16 | $16 | $493 |
| Oregon | 26 | $183 | $783 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | $68 - $76 | $605 - $613 |
| Rhode Island | 26 | $66 - $116 | $680 - $850 |
| South Carolina | 20 | $42 | $326 |
| South Dakota | 26 | $28 | $487 |
| Tennessee | 26 | $30 | $275 |
| Texas | 26 | $72 | $563 |
| Utah | 26 | $41 | $712 |
| Vermont | 26 | $80 | $668 |
| Virginia | 26 | $60 | $378 |
| Washington | 26 | $317 | $999 |
| Washington, D.C. | 26 | $50 | $444 |
| West Virginia | 26 | $24 | $630 |
| Wisconsin | 26 | $54 | $370 |
| Wyoming | 26 | $40 | $560 |
Extended benefits
During periods of high unemployment, extended benefits up to 13 weeks, depending on the state, are available to workers who have otherwise exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits. Extended benefits up to 20 weeks may also be available in some states during periods of extremely high unemployment.[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "How Does Unemployment Work?" February 22, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Employment Law Firms, "How Unemployment Works," accessed May 18, 2021
- ↑ Foundation for Government Accountability, "What is 'Unemployment Insurance?'" December 30, 2020
- ↑ Newsweek, "Map Shows States Where You Can Collect Unemployment the Longest" January 10, 2025
- ↑ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Policy Basics: How Many Weeks of Unemployment Compensation Are Available?" April 4, 2025
- ↑ United States Department of Labor, "Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits," accessed May 19, 2021
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