UI Benefit Handbook - Benefit Determination

This section covers:

• How Your Benefits Are Determined
• Your Base Period
• Total Weekly Benefits
• Total Yearly Benefits
• Partial Benefits–Part-Time Work
• Figuring Partial Benefits

How Your Benefits Are Determined

The effective date of your first valid claim starts your benefit year. This is usually the Sunday of the week in which you first file your claim. Your benefit year is the full year that begins on that date. For example, if the date of your valid claim is March 15th, your benefit year will continue through March 14th of the following year.

Your weekly benefits and the total amount of benefits that can be paid to you during your benefit year depend on the amount of wages for insured work paid to you during your base period.

Your Base Period

The standard or regular base period consists of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the beginning of your benefit year. There are four calendar quarters: January–March,
April–June, July–September, and October–December.

Using the table above: If your benefit year begins in December of 2020, your base period is the four calendar quarters from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. You can file a valid claim and start your benefit year in December only if, during your base period of July 1 through June 30, you were paid wages of at least $1,600 for insured work, and outside your highest quarter of earnings you were paid at least $440 for insured work. If you meet these base period wage requirements and start your benefit year in December, your weekly benefits and the total amount of benefits that can be paid to you during your benefit year depend on the amount of wages for insured work paid to you during your base period (July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020). If you have been awarded temporary total disability under a workers’ compensation act or other similar acts, your base period may be determined differently.

Unemployed individuals who lack sufficient wages to qualify for benefits using the standard base period may be eligible under an alternate base period. The alternate base period is the four most recent completed quarters. It is important to note that the alternate base period can only be used if you are not monetarily eligible under the standard base period and not to increase your weekly benefit amount. Contact IDES Claimant Services at (800) 244-5631 for more information. 

Unemployed individuals who lack sufficient wages to qualify for benefits using the standard base period may be eligible under an alternate base period. The alternate base period is the four most recent completed quarters. It is important to note that the alternate base period can only be used if you are not monetarily eligible under the standard base period and not to increase your weekly benefit amount. Contact IDES Claimant Services at (800) 244-5631 for more information.

Total Weekly Benefits

Your weekly benefit amount is the amount of benefits you will be paid for any week in your benefit year if you are unemployed and meet all of the eligibility requirements (unless you have already exhausted all your benefits). The size of your weekly benefit amount depends on the amount of wages for insured work paid to you during the two calendar quarters of your base period in which your wages were highest.

In addition to your weekly benefit amount, if you have a dependent child or nonworking spouse you will receive an additional allowance for the dependent. A dependent allowance, if any, plus your weekly benefit amount equal the total amount payable for the week.

Regardless of how much you were paid in your two highest quarters, the total amount payable to you for a week cannot exceed a legislatively set maximum amount.

To confirm the calculation of your benefits, review the WBA table.

Total Yearly Benefits

The total amount of benefits that can be paid to you during your benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit amount plus an allowance for dependents if applicable.

Partial Benefits–Part-Time Work

You may claim some benefits for a week if you work less than full-time because of lack of work. Your earnings for the week must be less than the weekly benefit amount (not including the dependent allowance) you would receive if you were totally unemployed for the week.

You must report all your earnings from part-time work.

Figuring Partial Benefits

Partial benefits equal the difference between the part of your earnings that exceed 50 percent of your weekly benefit amount and your weekly benefit amount for total unemployment. If the partial benefit amount does not come to an even dollar, it is raised to the next higher dollar, provided it does not exceed your weekly benefit amount.

For example:

Note: The full amount of holiday or vacation pay will be deducted from your weekly benefit amount. Also, remember that any spouse or dependent child allowance will be added to your WBA after the earnings deductions.