Glossary
Weekly benefit amount (WBA)
The gross unemployment payment for one full week of total unemployment, before any deductions.
Each state computes the weekly benefit amount from base-period wages using its own statutory formula — commonly a fraction of the highest-earning quarter, a percentage of the two highest quarters, or a published benefit table — then clamps the result between a state minimum and maximum. Some states add a dependents allowance on top, sometimes with a higher ceiling. The WBA is a gross figure: unemployment compensation is taxable federally, and states differ on whether they tax it too.