Glossary
Base period
The stretch of past wages a state uses to decide whether you qualify for unemployment and how much you get.
The base period is normally the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file a claim. The most recently completed quarter — the lag quarter — is skipped because employers have not yet reported those wages to the state. Because the window moves with your filing date, filing a few weeks earlier or later can move an entire quarter of earnings into or out of the calculation. Most states offer an alternate base period using the four most recently completed quarters for people who do not qualify under the standard window.