How to Figure Unemployment Benefits
- 1). Find your base-year period to determine the time frame from which you must collect income and financial data. Using the day you intend to file your unemployment claim and a calendar, count backward 15 months from the exact day. Select the first 12 months, or four calendar quarters, of this 15-month period, and use this time frame as your base-year period. For example, if you intend to file your claim on Nov. 7, 2010, your base-year period ranges from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010.
- 2). Compile income documents from all jobs you held during the base-year period determined in Step 1.
- 3). Divide your base year into four distinct quarters, or three-month periods, and add your wages earned from all jobs worked during the base-year period according to each quarter. Proceeding with the base year established in Step 1, quarter one goes from July 1, 2009, to Sept. 30, 2009; quarter two ranges from Oct. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2009; quarter three ranges from Jan. 1, 2010, to March 31, 2010; and quarter four goes from April 1, 2010, to June 30, 2010.
- 4). Using your wages from your highest-earning quarter, multiply the amount by 4 percent to figure your weekly unemployment benefit.
- 5). Multiply your weekly unemployment benefit established in Step 4 by 26, the average amount of weeks unemployment recipients receive benefits without an extension. This is the total amount of money you will receive for the duration of your unemployment cycle.
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