Unemployment benefits in Montana

The greater of 1% of your total base-period wages, or 1.9% of your two highest quarters, rounded down to the nearest dollar (Mont. Code Ann. §39-51-2201). The floor and ceiling are themselves set as a percentage of Montana's own average weekly wage — 19–20% at the low end, 66.5–67.5% at the high end, depending on which contribution schedule is in effect. The minimum weekly benefit is $207, and the maximum is $698. The formula and duration mechanism are confirmed directly against statute. The dollar figures ($207 minimum / $698 maximum) are the most recent year available in the department's own published table, State Fiscal Year 2024 (ended June 30, 2024) — they match what third-party sources cite for the current year, but a newer official table could not be independently located.

Sliding scale of 8–24 weeks (Mont. Code Ann. §39-51-2204), set by the ratio of total base-period earnings to highest-quarter earnings — a ratio of 3.00 or higher draws the full 24 weeks, lower ratios draw fewer, down to a floor of 8.

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

$698 a week is the most Montana 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: The greater of 1% of your total base-period wages, or 1.9% of your two highest quarters, rounded down to the nearest dollar (Mont. Code Ann. §39-51-2201). The floor and ceiling are themselves set as a percentage of Montana's own average weekly wage — 19–20% at the low end, 66.5–67.5% at the high end, depending on which contribution schedule is in effect.

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