California unemployment calculator
California's maximum weekly unemployment benefit is $450. Estimate yours below from your salary or your highest-quarter wages.
Estimate your California weekly benefit
California bases the weekly amount on the wages paid in the highest-paid quarter of your base period. Enter a salary or that quarter's wages.
Estimated weekly benefit
$385a week
From $10,000 in your highest base-period quarter, taking a quarter of the salary as if it were paid evenly. California pays up to 26 weeks, but the total can be lower: it is capped at half your wages across the whole base period.
California weekly benefit by salary
Assuming pay spread evenly across the year, so the highest quarter is a quarter of the salary. From $46,696 a year the benefit is already at the $450 cap.
| Annual salary | Highest quarter | Weekly benefit |
|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | $3,750 | $145 |
| $20,000 | $5,000 | $193 |
| $25,000 | $6,250 | $241 |
| $30,000 | $7,500 | $289 |
| $35,000 | $8,750 | $337 |
| $40,000 | $10,000 | $385 |
| $45,000 | $11,250 | $433 |
| $50,000 | $12,500 | $450 |
How California calculates it
Under Unemployment Insurance Code §1280(c), the weekly benefit is 50 percent of your highest-quarter wages divided by 13 — the same as dividing by 26 — rounded up to the next whole dollar and capped at $450. Below $1,833.00 the statute uses its own table instead, starting at $40 for $900.00. Less than that in the highest quarter shows no weekly amount. This estimates a full week of unemployment only: the total award, partial weeks, and eligibility tests are set by EDD on your actual claim.
Sources: California Unemployment Insurance Code §1280(c), read 2026-09-11; EDD DE 1101BT5 — Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table (new claims from January 2, 2005), read 2026-09-11. The statute and EDD's printed table agree on every row.
| Minimum weekly benefit | $40 |
|---|---|
| Maximum weekly benefit | $450 |
| Maximum duration | 26 weeks |
How the weekly benefit is calculated
Based on the wages paid in your highest base-period quarter. From $900.00 to $1,832.99 a statutory table sets the amount, $40 to $70; above that it is half those wages divided by 13 — the same as dividing by 26 — rounded up to the next dollar, up to $450.
Sources
- California EDD — unemployment insurance, read 2026-08-23.
- California Unemployment Insurance Code §1280(c), read 2026-09-11.
- EDD DE 1101BT5 — Unemployment Insurance Benefit Table, read 2026-09-11.
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California unemployment: common questions
How much will I get from unemployment in California?
Roughly half your average weekly pay in your best quarter. California takes the wages from the highest-paid quarter of your base period, divides by 26 and rounds up to the next dollar, from $40 to $450 a week. Someone who earned $40,000 evenly across the year would get about $385 a week. Up to $1,832.99 in the highest quarter, a table in the same statute sets the amount instead of the formula.
How much do I need to earn to get the maximum $450 a week in California?
$11,674.01 or more in the highest-paid quarter of your base period. Spread evenly across a year that is about $46,696 of salary, and anything above it still pays $450.
How much is unemployment in California?
Based on the wages paid in your highest base-period quarter. From $900.00 to $1,832.99 a statutory table sets the amount, $40 to $70; above that it is half those wages divided by 13 — the same as dividing by 26 — rounded up to the next dollar, up to $450. The minimum weekly benefit is $40, and the maximum is $450.
How long do unemployment benefits last in California?
Up to 26 weeks, the standard duration most states pay.
What wages count toward my benefit?
The standard base period: your wages in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim.
What is the maximum weekly unemployment payment in California?
$450 a week is the most California pays, before any deductions you elect such as tax withholding or child support. Most claimants receive less, because the weekly amount is calculated from your own base-period wages: Based on the wages paid in your highest base-period quarter. From $900.00 to $1,832.99 a statutory table sets the amount, $40 to $70; above that it is half those wages divided by 13 — the same as dividing by 26 — rounded up to the next dollar, up to $450.
What day does unemployment pay in California?
This page does not model payment dates. Timing is set by California's own unemployment agency rather than by the benefit formula, and normally depends on when your weekly or biweekly claim is filed and processed rather than on a fixed calendar day. What this page does model is how much you are owed and for how long, both traced to the sources listed below.
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