California Unemployment Calculator 2026
California pays $40–$450 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is a statutory benefit table (EDD DE 1275A (Rev. 49, served at the EDD publication URL 2026-07-31), 'Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table For New Claims With a Beginning Date of January 2, 2005, or After' (booklet pp. 7-9); all 410 printed brackets plus the '$11,674.01 and over -> $450' top row transcribed programmatically from the fetched PDF) applied to your highest-earning quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against California Employment Development Department (EDD).
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Enter your gross wages for each quarter of the base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Your state's exact window is shown with the result.
Base period: 'The Standard Base Period is the FIRST four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the beginning date of the UI claim' (DE 1275A). (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with California Employment Development Department (EDD) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against EDD 'A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services' (DE 1275A) - Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only California Employment Development Department (EDD) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: California Employment Development Department (EDD) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
California disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks; total benefits are DE 1275A: 'The maximum award is 26 times the weekly benefit amount or one-half of the total base period wages, whichever is less.'
Who qualifies for benefits in California
DE 1275A: 'To establish a monetarily valid claim, you must have earned at least (1) $1,300 in one quarter of your base period, or (2) at least $900 in your highest quarter and total base period earnings of 1.25 times your high quarter earnings.'
- Minimum high-quarter wages
- $900
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: California Employment Development Department (EDD) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with California Employment Development Department (EDD) ↗
Base period in California
'The Standard Base Period is the FIRST four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the beginning date of the UI claim' (DE 1275A).. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. 'The Alternate Base Period is the LAST four completed calendar quarters prior to the beginning date of the claim', usable ONLY when there are not enough wages in the Standard Base Period to file a monetarily valid claim.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
DE 1275A requires reporting all payments received, listing 'Severance Pay' among the pay types that must be reported (with vacation pay, in-lieu-of-notice pay, holiday pay, etc.); the EDD determines the effect on the weekly payment.
Source: EDD 'A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services' (DE 1275A) - Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table (verified 2026-07-31).
California unemployment: frequently asked questions
California pays between $40 and $450 per week in 2026. Your amount is a statutory benefit table (EDD DE 1275A (Rev. 49, served at the EDD publication URL 2026-07-31), 'Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table For New Claims With a Beginning Date of January 2, 2005, or After' (booklet pp. 7-9); all 410 printed brackets plus the '$11,674.01 and over -> $450' top row transcribed programmatically from the fetched PDF) applied to your highest-earning quarter, and only California Employment Development Department (EDD) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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