Unemployment benefits in Missouri

4% of the average of your two highest base-period quarters, rounded down to the nearest dollar (RSMo §288.038). The maximum is $320. Maximum has been fixed by statute at $320/week since 2008 and is not indexed. No minimum weekly benefit was confirmed against a primary source.

Sliding scale of 13–20 weeks, tied to Missouri's own average unemployment rate (RSMo §288.060(5)): 20 weeks only when that rate is 9% or higher, down to 13 weeks below 6%. The department's own FAQ states '20 weeks' as a simplification — that is the ceiling, not necessarily the current duration.

The standard base period: your wages in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim.

$320 a week is the most Missouri 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: 4% of the average of your two highest base-period quarters, rounded down to the nearest dollar (RSMo §288.038).

This page does not model payment dates. Timing is set by Missouri'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.