Unemployment benefits in Tennessee

Reported as 1/26 of the average of your two highest base-period quarters over a 12-month base period — not independently confirmed on tn.gov. The minimum weekly benefit is $55, and the maximum is $325. Maximum and duration rule primary-confirmed. Minimum (per Public Chapter 560, effective 2023-12-01) and the formula description are secondary-sourced only.

12 weeks when the state unemployment rate is 5.5% or below, increasing by one week per 0.5-point rise above that.

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

$325 a week is the most Tennessee 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: Reported as 1/26 of the average of your two highest base-period quarters over a 12-month base period — not independently confirmed on tn.gov.

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