How To Calculate Unemployment in California

How to Calculate Unemployment in California

California unemployment benefits depend on your base-period wages, not simply your last paycheck or a fixed percentage of your salary. For 2026, regular weekly benefits range from $40 to $450 for workers who meet the requirements.

The calculator above checks the basic earnings test, finds your weekly benefit amount, and estimates a payment after any weekly earnings you enter. It also shows the maximum regular claim amount, which is different from a guaranteed payout.

Start with the correct four quarters

Your standard base period contains the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim begins. A quarter is a three-month calendar period, not any three months you choose.

Gather gross wages paid by covered employers during those four quarters. Enter each total separately, oldest to newest, before taxes and payroll deductions. Include wages from all relevant jobs; enter zero when a quarter has no wages.

This calculator does not select dates or automatically switch base periods. If you need help organizing the calendar quarters, the California Unemployment Benefits Calculator includes a claim-quarter selector and five quarterly wage fields.

If standard-base-period wages are insufficient, EDD can consider the alternate base period: the last four completed quarters. It is not an option to choose simply because it would produce a larger benefit.

What the earnings check means

You meet the basic monetary test if either condition is satisfied:

• Your highest quarter contains at least $1,300 in wages.
• Your highest quarter contains at least $900, and total base-period wages are at least 1.25 times that quarter.

Passing this check does not approve your claim. EDD also considers why you stopped working, whether you are able and available to work, and whether you meet ongoing requirements.

If an illness or injury prevents you from working, a UI estimate may be the wrong starting point. The California SDI Calculator estimates Disability Insurance benefits under a different set of rules.

A worked example: $400 weekly benefit

Enter these base-period wages:

• Quarter 1: $6,000.
• Quarter 2: $8,000.
• Quarter 3: $10,400.
• Quarter 4: $7,600.

For the weekly earnings field, enter $200. Select No for full-time work.

Total base-period wages:

$6,000 + $8,000 + $10,400 + $7,600 = $32,000

Highest-quarter wages:

$10,400

The highest quarter passes the $1,300 test. In the benefit table, $10,374.01 through $10,400 corresponds to a $400 weekly benefit amount, before reductions.

You can cross-check the wage-based amount through the EDD calculator, which also links to the official benefit table.

Adjusting for this week’s earnings

With $200 of part-time earnings, 25% is disregarded:

$200 × 25% = $50

Countable earnings:

$200 − $50 = $150

Estimated UI payment:

$400 − $150 = $250

The calculator therefore shows $400 before reductions and $250 for the entered week. Leave earnings blank only when you mean zero; then this example produces $400, assuming an otherwise payable week.

How partial unemployment changes the result

For earnings of $100 or less, the first $25 is disregarded. Above $100, 25% is disregarded. The remaining earnings reduce the weekly benefit, with a zero floor; a fractional benefit payment is rounded up to the next whole dollar.

For example, a $400 weekly benefit with $100 earned becomes $325, not $350. Report gross earnings for the week you worked, even if payday comes later.

Select Yes if you worked full-time that week. This regular-UI calculator then shows no payment for that week; it does not calculate an approved Work Sharing plan.

Use the result as one part of your spending plan. If employer coverage has ended, review Health Insurance Cost in California separately and obtain a current premium quote rather than treating UI as health coverage.

Maximum claim amount is not 52 weeks of payments

For regular UI, the maximum claim amount is the smaller of:

• Weekly benefit amount × 26.
• Half of total base-period wages.

Any fractional maximum is rounded up to a whole dollar. In the example, $400 × 26 is $10,400, while half of $32,000 is $16,000. The maximum regular claim estimate is therefore $10,400.

A benefit year generally lasts 52 weeks, but this does not mean 52 full weekly payments. The calculator does not track a remaining claim balance, the unpaid waiting week, certification decisions, extensions or special claims.

If disability rather than unemployment explains your wage loss, the California Disability Benefits Calculator is a separate estimate. Do not combine its result with UI as though both are payable for the same period.

Before relying on the payment estimate

Calculate uses only your entries. Reset clears them, and changing an entry hides the previous result until you calculate again. No Social Security number or employer account details are needed.

The figures are before federal withholding and other deductions. Regular unemployment compensation is federally taxable but exempt from California income tax. For wages after returning to work, use How to Calculate California State Tax Withholding; that payroll calculation is separate from UI.

Apply through UI Online when you become unemployed or your hours are reduced, and follow your certification instructions. A calculation here neither files a claim nor verifies your wage record.

Frequently asked questions

Q1: Does a $12,000 highest quarter produce $415 per week?

A: No. Under the current table, it reaches the $450 weekly maximum, provided the other requirements are met. A flat salary-percentage shortcut is unreliable.

Q2: Can I use this for maternity leave?

A: Not as a maternity-benefit calculation. Pregnancy disability and bonding have separate rules. The California Maternity Leave Calculator helps plan leave dates, not approve UI or guarantee paid leave.

Q3: What if EDD denies my claim?

A: Read the determination and its appeal instructions. The usual written-appeal deadline is 30 days from the notice’s mailing date, not 20 days.

Q4: Where can I compare income after returning to work?

A: Use the paycheck tools on California Calculator. Compare take-home wages with your actual benefits and expenses, not just the maximum weekly UI figure.How to Calculate Unemployment in California

California unemployment benefits depend on your base-period wages, not simply your last paycheck or a fixed percentage of your salary. For 2026, regular weekly benefits range from $40 to $450 for workers who meet the requirements.

The calculator above checks the basic earnings test, finds your weekly benefit amount, and estimates a payment after any weekly earnings you enter. It also shows the maximum regular claim amount, which is different from a guaranteed payout.

Start with the correct four quarters

Your standard base period contains the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim begins. A quarter is a three-month calendar period, not any three months you choose.

Gather gross wages paid by covered employers during those four quarters. Enter each total separately, oldest to newest, before taxes and payroll deductions. Include wages from all relevant jobs; enter zero when a quarter has no wages.

This calculator does not select dates or automatically switch base periods. If you need help organizing the calendar quarters, the California Unemployment Benefits Calculator includes a claim-quarter selector and five quarterly wage fields.

If standard-base-period wages are insufficient, EDD can consider the alternate base period: the last four completed quarters. It is not an option to choose simply because it would produce a larger benefit.

What the earnings check means

You meet the basic monetary test if either condition is satisfied:

• Your highest quarter contains at least $1,300 in wages.
• Your highest quarter contains at least $900, and total base-period wages are at least 1.25 times that quarter.

Passing this check does not approve your claim. EDD also considers why you stopped working, whether you are able and available to work, and whether you meet ongoing requirements.

If an illness or injury prevents you from working, a UI estimate may be the wrong starting point. The California SDI Calculator estimates Disability Insurance benefits under a different set of rules.

A worked example: $400 weekly benefit

Enter these base-period wages:

• Quarter 1: $6,000.
• Quarter 2: $8,000.
• Quarter 3: $10,400.
• Quarter 4: $7,600.

For the weekly earnings field, enter $200. Select No for full-time work.

Total base-period wages:

$6,000 + $8,000 + $10,400 + $7,600 = $32,000

Highest-quarter wages:

$10,400

The highest quarter passes the $1,300 test. In the benefit table, $10,374.01 through $10,400 corresponds to a $400 weekly benefit amount, before reductions.

You can cross-check the wage-based amount through the EDD calculator, which also links to the official benefit table.

Adjusting for this week’s earnings

With $200 of part-time earnings, 25% is disregarded:

$200 × 25% = $50

Countable earnings:

$200 − $50 = $150

Estimated UI payment:

$400 − $150 = $250

The calculator therefore shows $400 before reductions and $250 for the entered week. Leave earnings blank only when you mean zero; then this example produces $400, assuming an otherwise payable week.

How partial unemployment changes the result

For earnings of $100 or less, the first $25 is disregarded. Above $100, 25% is disregarded. The remaining earnings reduce the weekly benefit, with a zero floor; a fractional benefit payment is rounded up to the next whole dollar.

For example, a $400 weekly benefit with $100 earned becomes $325, not $350. Report gross earnings for the week you worked, even if payday comes later.

Select Yes if you worked full-time that week. This regular-UI calculator then shows no payment for that week; it does not calculate an approved Work Sharing plan.

Use the result as one part of your spending plan. If employer coverage has ended, review Health Insurance Cost in California separately and obtain a current premium quote rather than treating UI as health coverage.

Maximum claim amount is not 52 weeks of payments

For regular UI, the maximum claim amount is the smaller of:

• Weekly benefit amount × 26.
• Half of total base-period wages.

Any fractional maximum is rounded up to a whole dollar. In the example, $400 × 26 is $10,400, while half of $32,000 is $16,000. The maximum regular claim estimate is therefore $10,400.

A benefit year generally lasts 52 weeks, but this does not mean 52 full weekly payments. The calculator does not track a remaining claim balance, the unpaid waiting week, certification decisions, extensions or special claims.

If disability rather than unemployment explains your wage loss, the California Disability Benefits Calculator is a separate estimate. Do not combine its result with UI as though both are payable for the same period.

Before relying on the payment estimate

Calculate uses only your entries. Reset clears them, and changing an entry hides the previous result until you calculate again. No Social Security number or employer account details are needed.

The figures are before federal withholding and other deductions. Regular unemployment compensation is federally taxable but exempt from California income tax. For wages after returning to work, use How to Calculate California State Tax Withholding; that payroll calculation is separate from UI.

Apply through UI Online when you become unemployed or your hours are reduced, and follow your certification instructions. A calculation here neither files a claim nor verifies your wage record.

Frequently asked questions

Q1: Does a $12,000 highest quarter produce $415 per week?

A: No. Under the current table, it reaches the $450 weekly maximum, provided the other requirements are met. A flat salary-percentage shortcut is unreliable.

Q2: Can I use this for maternity leave?

A: Not as a maternity-benefit calculation. Pregnancy disability and bonding have separate rules. The California Maternity Leave Calculator helps plan leave dates, not approve UI or guarantee paid leave.

Q3: What if EDD denies my claim?

A: Read the determination and its appeal instructions. The usual written-appeal deadline is 30 days from the notice’s mailing date, not 20 days.

Q4: Where can I compare income after returning to work?

A: Use the paycheck tools on California Calculator. Compare take-home wages with your actual benefits and expenses, not just the maximum weekly UI figure.