How many weeks of unemployment by state
Most states pay up to 26 weeks of unemployment, but 16 pay fewer for claims filed now, as few as 12 weeks in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Some states set weeks by the state's unemployment rate, so they can change each year or half year. Others pay fewer weeks if your pay was uneven or low. These are the most weeks for a claim filed now.
Most weeks of unemployment, 2026
| State | Most weeks now | How weeks are set |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 30 | Up to 30 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 30 weeks of benefits or 36% of your base period pay. When state unemployment is high, the most drops to 26 weeks. |
| Alaska | 26 | 16 to 26 weeks, set by how steady your pay was: your total base period pay divided by your best quarter. Three and a half times or more gives 26 weeks. |
| California | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or half your base period pay. |
| Colorado | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Connecticut | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| Delaware | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or half your base period pay. |
| District of Columbia | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| Hawaii | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| Illinois | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total cannot be more than your base period pay. |
| Indiana | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 28% of your base period pay. |
| Maine | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Maryland | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| Michigan | 26 | 14 to 26 weeks: 43% of your base period pay divided by your weekly benefit, in half weeks. |
| Minnesota | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Mississippi | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Nebraska | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Nevada | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| New Hampshire | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| New Jersey | 26 | One week of benefits for each base week you worked, up to 26. |
| New Mexico | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 60% of your base period pay. |
| New York | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| North Dakota | 26 | 12 to 26 weeks, set by how steady your pay was: your total base period pay divided by your best quarter. 3.2 times or more gives 26 weeks. |
| Ohio | 26 | 20 weeks, plus 1 for each week you worked over 20, up to 26. |
| Oregon | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | One week for each credit week you worked, from 18 to 26. |
| Rhode Island | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 33% of your base period pay. |
| South Dakota | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Texas | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 27% of your base period pay. |
| Utah | 26 | 10 to 26 weeks: 27% of your base period pay divided by your weekly benefit. |
| Vermont | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 46% of your base period pay. |
| Virginia | 26 | 12 to 26 weeks, set by Virginia's table: the more of your pay that falls outside your two best quarters, the more weeks. |
| Washington | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| West Virginia | 26 | 26 weeks for everyone who qualifies. |
| Wisconsin | 26 | Up to 26 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 26 weeks of benefits or 40% of your base period pay. |
| Wyoming | 26 | Up to 26 weeks: 30% of your base period pay divided by your weekly benefit, rounded up to a whole week. |
| Arizona | 24 * (follows unemployment rate) | 24 weeks while Arizona's unemployment rate is under 5%, and 26 weeks at 5% or more. Your total is also capped at one third of your base period pay. |
| Montana | 24 | 8 to 24 weeks, set by how steady your pay was: your total base period pay divided by your best quarter. Three times or more gives 24 weeks. |
| Idaho | 21 * (follows unemployment rate) | 10 to 26 weeks, set by how steady your pay was and by Idaho's unemployment rate. With the rate between 3% and 4%, the most is 21 weeks. |
| Missouri | 20 | Up to 20 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 20 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay, with each quarter counted up to 26 times your weekly benefit. |
| South Carolina | 20 | Up to 20 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 20 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Iowa | 16 | Up to 16 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 16 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. If your employer closed for good, up to 26 weeks. |
| Kansas | 16 * (follows unemployment rate) | 16 weeks while Kansas's unemployment rate is under 5%, 20 weeks from 5% to 6%, and 26 weeks above 6%. Your total is also capped at one third of your base period pay. Claims filed now get up to 16 weeks. |
| Kentucky | 16 (follows unemployment rate) | 16 to 24 weeks, set by Kentucky's unemployment rate. Claims filed since July 5, 2026 get up to 16 weeks. Your total is capped at one third of your base period pay, but never under 12 weeks. |
| Oklahoma | 16 | Up to 16 weeks. |
| Alabama | 14 * (follows unemployment rate) | 14 weeks while Alabama's unemployment rate is 6.5% or lower, rising to 20 weeks at 9.5%. Your total is also capped at one fourth of your base period pay. Claims filed now get up to 14 weeks. |
| Georgia | 14 * (follows unemployment rate) | 14 weeks while Georgia's unemployment rate is 4.5% or lower, rising to 26 weeks at 10%. Claims filed July to December use the rate from April. Your total is also capped at one fourth of your base period pay. Claims filed now get up to 14 weeks. |
| Arkansas | 12 | Up to 12 weeks. Your total is the lesser of 12 weeks of benefits or one third of your base period pay. |
| Florida | 12 (follows unemployment rate) | 12 weeks while Florida's unemployment rate is 5% or lower, plus 1 week for each half point above that, up to 23. Your total is also capped at 25% of your base period pay. Claims filed in 2026 get up to 12 weeks, so at most $3,300. |
| Louisiana | 12 (follows unemployment rate) | 12 weeks while Louisiana's unemployment rate is 5% or lower, rising to 20 weeks at 8.5%. Louisiana's chart shows 12 weeks for every month from December 2025 to December 2026. |
| North Carolina | 12 (follows unemployment rate) | 12 weeks while North Carolina's unemployment rate is 5.5% or lower, rising to 20 weeks above 9%. Claims filed July to December 2026 get up to 12 weeks. |
| Tennessee | 12 (follows unemployment rate) | 12 weeks while Tennessee's unemployment rate is 5.5% or lower, plus 1 week for each half point above that, up to 20. Claims filed now get up to 12 weeks. |
* Not yet confirmed by the state. Its page explains why.
Sources
Each state's rules come from its own agency or law, checked November 15, 2026.
- US Department of Labor, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws, effective July 2026, dated July 1, 2026
- US Department of Labor, Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws 2023, chapter 3, dated January 1, 2023