Alaska Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Alaska unemployment pays $56 to $370 a week for 16 to 26 weeks. Enter your wages for the four quarters of your base period to estimate your weekly benefit, your maximum total benefit and which rule capped it.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Formulas and sources checked October 19, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Weekly benefit range (October 19, 2026)
$56 to $370
Current figures
Maximum weeks
16 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Not taxed by the state
Federal income tax applies in every state
Alaska unemployment benefit calculator
Which months are my four quarters?
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. The quarter you file in, and the one just before it, are left out. Enter the quarters in order, oldest first. Each quarter is three calendar months: January to March, April to June, July to September, October to December.
| If you file in | Your base period is |
|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | October 2024 to September 2025 |
| April to June 2026 | January to December 2025 |
| July to September 2026 | April 2025 to March 2026 |
| October to December 2026 | July 2025 to June 2026 |
Use gross wages (before taxes) from every covered job, in the quarter they were earned. If your wages are too low under this period, many states test an alternate base period made of the last four completed quarters.
Enter your wages above to see your Alaska estimate.
The state also runs its own estimator: Alaska DOLWD UI benefits calculator.
How much does unemployment pay in Alaska?
Alaska does not use a percentage. DOLWD looks up your total base period wages in its benefits table: $2,500 to $2,749.99 pays $56 a week, each further $250 of wages adds $2, and $41,750 or more pays the $370 maximum.
If 90 percent or more of your base period wages were paid in one quarter, DOLWD instead subtracts that quarter from your total, multiplies the rest by 10 and looks that figure up in the table.
Dependent children add $24 a week each, for up to three children, on top of the weekly amount.
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you do not qualify with it, DOLWD uses the last four completed quarters. The DOLWD calculator tests both, so if this estimate says you are not eligible, enter the last four completed quarters.
Alaska unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Alaska also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Total base period wages of at least $2,500,
- wages in at least two base period quarters, and
- at least $250 in wages outside your highest quarter.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Alaska sets weeks from the ratio of total base period wages to your highest quarter: under 1.5 pays 16 weeks, then 18 weeks from 1.5, 20 from 2.0, 22 from 2.5, 24 from 3.0 and 26 weeks from 3.5. The maximum total is those weeks times your weekly amount plus any dependents allowance, which is how the DOLWD calculator figures it. Wages spread evenly over the four quarters give 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
Your benefit payment is reduced by 75 cents for each dollar of gross wages over $50 in the week. You get nothing for a week when wages reach 1 1/3 times your weekly benefit amount plus $50. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $150 of wages pays $225. The handbook gives no rounding rule, so the calculator rounds the reduction up to the cent. The estimate applies to the weekly amount without the dependents allowance.
Are Alaska unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Alaska has no state income tax. Benefits are taxable on your federal return, DOLWD mails a Form 1099-G by January 31, and you can ask for 10 percent to be withheld.
How to apply in Alaska
File online through myAlaska (View Your Services, then Unemployment Insurance Benefits), or call a UI claim center. The first eligible week of a new claim is an unpaid waiting week.
Apply for unemployment benefits at myAlaska
When this changes: Alaska has no scheduled yearly change to the table or the $370 maximum that we found; recheck the DOLWD calculator for updates. No scheduled yearly change found; the benefits table and $370 maximum are stable, but recheck the DOLWD calculator, which showed an August 2026 update.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Alaska?
Regular Alaska unemployment pays between $56 and $370 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Alaska does not use a percentage. DOLWD looks up your total base period wages in its benefits table: $2,500 to $2,749.99 pays $56 a week, each further $250 of wages adds $2, and $41,750 or more pays the $370 maximum.
How is the Alaska weekly benefit amount calculated?
Alaska does not use a percentage. DOLWD looks up your total base period wages in its benefits table: $2,500 to $2,749.99 pays $56 a week, each further $250 of wages adds $2, and $41,750 or more pays the $370 maximum. If 90 percent or more of your base period wages were paid in one quarter, DOLWD instead subtracts that quarter from your total, multiplies the rest by 10 and looks that figure up in the table. Dependent children add $24 a week each, for up to three children, on top of the weekly amount.
How long can I collect unemployment in Alaska?
Alaska sets weeks from the ratio of total base period wages to your highest quarter: under 1.5 pays 16 weeks, then 18 weeks from 1.5, 20 from 2.0, 22 from 2.5, 24 from 3.0 and 26 weeks from 3.5. The maximum total is those weeks times your weekly amount plus any dependents allowance, which is how the DOLWD calculator figures it. Wages spread evenly over the four quarters give 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Alaska?
Alaska has no state income tax. Benefits are taxable on your federal return, DOLWD mails a Form 1099-G by January 31, and you can ask for 10 percent to be withheld.
Can I work part time and still get Alaska unemployment?
Your benefit payment is reduced by 75 cents for each dollar of gross wages over $50 in the week. You get nothing for a week when wages reach 1 1/3 times your weekly benefit amount plus $50. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $150 of wages pays $225. The handbook gives no rounding rule, so the calculator rounds the reduction up to the cent. The estimate applies to the weekly amount without the dependents allowance.
Does Alaska pay extra for children or a spouse?
For children, yes. Alaska adds $24 a week per dependent for up to three dependents. A dependent is your unmarried natural child, stepchild, legally adopted child or court-appointed ward, under 18 unless permanently disabled, who lives with you or whom you support. There is no allowance for a spouse.
Sources for Alaska
- Alaska DOLWD: Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook$56 minimum, $370 maximum, 16 to 26 weeks, dependents, partial-week reduction, taxes
- Alaska DOLWD: Calculating your weekly benefit amount and duration (07-210-802)Benefits table, 90 percent rule and duration table
- Alaska DOLWD: UI benefits calculatorEligibility tests and the full table, read from its script
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)Cross-check of minimum, maximum, weeks and the partial-benefit disregard
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: The Alaska statute and regulations were not read. The formula comes from DOLWD's published benefit worksheet (Rev. 2/2011) and was checked row by row against the table in the script of DOLWD's current online calculator (script updated June 2026, page dated August 12, 2026); all 159 table rows match $56 plus $2 for every $250 up to $370. The eligibility tests ($2,500, two quarters, $250 outside the highest quarter) and the duration rule also come from that calculator script.