South Carolina Unemployment Calculator 2026
South Carolina pays $42–$350 per week for up to 20 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW).
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 calculated using the earnings from the first four quarters out of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim' (DEW Claimant Handbook). (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against SC Department of Employment and Workforce, 'Weekly Benefit Amount' + DEW Claimant Handbook: A Reference for Unemployment Insurance Benefits (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
South Carolina disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: 0.25 × WBA $400.00 = $100.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $100.00 = $50.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $50.00 = $350.00
How long benefits can last
Up to 20 weeks; total benefits are DEW Claimant Handbook: 'Your maximum total benefit amount for this benefit year is the lesser of: Twenty (20) times your weekly benefit amount, or One-third (1/3rd) of your total base period wages. Please note that under this calculation method, your final payment may be less than the full weekly benefit amount.'
Who qualifies for benefits in South Carolina
DEW Claimant Handbook - three requirements under the law: 'You must have been paid wages of at least $1,092 in covered employment during the high quarter of your base period'; 'You must have been paid a minimum of $4,455 in covered employment during your base period'; and 'Your total base period wages must equal or exceed one and one-half times the total of your high quarter wages.' You must also have worked in at least two of the quarters of the base period.
- Minimum base-period wages
- $4,455
- Minimum high-quarter wages
- $1,092
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) ↗
Base period in South Carolina
'The Standard Base Period is calculated using the earnings from the first four quarters out of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim' (DEW Claimant Handbook).. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. 'The Alternate Base Period is used when the claimant does not have enough wages in the Standard Base Period. In that case, the quarter just prior to the quarter in which the claim is filed, also known as the lag quarter, can be used to calculate an individual's benefits.'
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
DEW Claimant Handbook, Deductions: 'Be sure to report any separation payments when you file your weekly claim. You may be contacted by the agency for additional details to help determine if your separation pay is deductible.'
Source: SC Department of Employment and Workforce, 'Weekly Benefit Amount' + DEW Claimant Handbook: A Reference for Unemployment Insurance Benefits (verified 2026-07-31).
South Carolina unemployment: frequently asked questions
South Carolina pays between $42 and $350 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter, and only South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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