Arizona Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Arizona unemployment pays $236 to $320 a week for 8 to 24 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)
$236 to $320
Effective January 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
8 to 24
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Arizona 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 Arizona estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Arizona?
Arizona pays 1/25 of your wages in the highest base period quarter, up to a $320 maximum. The result is rounded to the nearest dollar, with a half dollar rounded up.
There is no statutory minimum. The lowest amount in practice is about $236, because you need at least 390 times the $15.15 state minimum wage ($5,908.50) in one quarter to qualify.
Arizona uses the first four of the last five completed quarters. The statute (23-605) moves the period forward only when a new benefit year overlaps the last one, and the extended period for a work injury is described in 23-771(B). We found no alternate base period of the last four quarters.
Arizona unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Arizona also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Base period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter, with at least 390 times the minimum wage ($5,908.50 at $15.15) in one quarter, or
- wages in at least two quarters, one quarter high enough to pay the $320 maximum ($7,987.50) and total base period wages of at least $8,000.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Arizona pays 24 times the weekly amount while the prior calendar quarter's average unemployment rate is under 5 percent, and 26 times if it is 5 percent or more, but never more than one-third of base period wages. The state rate was between 4.5 and 4.9 percent from January through August 2026 (BLS), so new claims get 24 weeks, though a later quarter could move it to 26.
Working part time while collecting
Arizona subtracts the part of your weekly wages above $160 from your weekly benefit amount and rounds to the nearest dollar, with an even half dollar rounded up. For example, a $300 benefit and $200 of earnings pays $260.
Are Arizona unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Arizona taxes unemployment benefits as income. DES lets you choose to withhold federal income tax (10 percent of your gross weekly benefit) and state income tax (1 percent), and issues a Form 1099-G.
How to apply in Arizona
File through the DES unemployment portal, then file a weekly claim and report your earnings each week.
Arizona DES: unemployment insurance
When this changes: Arizona's weeks move between 24 and 26 with the average unemployment rate for the prior calendar quarter, and the high-quarter test changes with the state minimum wage each January 1. Weeks switch between 24 and 26 with the prior calendar quarter's average unemployment rate (5 percent line); the high-quarter test follows the Arizona minimum wage each January 1 ($15.15 in 2026).
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Arizona?
Regular Arizona unemployment pays between $236 and $320 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Arizona pays 1/25 of your wages in the highest base period quarter, up to a $320 maximum. The result is rounded to the nearest dollar, with a half dollar rounded up.
How is the Arizona weekly benefit amount calculated?
Arizona pays 1/25 of your wages in the highest base period quarter, up to a $320 maximum. The result is rounded to the nearest dollar, with a half dollar rounded up. There is no statutory minimum. The lowest amount in practice is about $236, because you need at least 390 times the $15.15 state minimum wage ($5,908.50) in one quarter to qualify.
How long can I collect unemployment in Arizona?
Arizona pays 24 times the weekly amount while the prior calendar quarter's average unemployment rate is under 5 percent, and 26 times if it is 5 percent or more, but never more than one-third of base period wages. The state rate was between 4.5 and 4.9 percent from January through August 2026 (BLS), so new claims get 24 weeks, though a later quarter could move it to 26.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Arizona?
Arizona taxes unemployment benefits as income. DES lets you choose to withhold federal income tax (10 percent of your gross weekly benefit) and state income tax (1 percent), and issues a Form 1099-G.
Can I work part time and still get Arizona unemployment?
Arizona subtracts the part of your weekly wages above $160 from your weekly benefit amount and rounds to the nearest dollar, with an even half dollar rounded up. For example, a $300 benefit and $200 of earnings pays $260.
Does Arizona pay 24 or 26 weeks of unemployment?
It depends on the state unemployment rate. A.R.S. 23-780 pays 26 weeks when the average seasonally adjusted rate for the most recently published calendar quarter is 5 percent or more, and 24 weeks when it is below 5 percent. Arizona's rate was between 4.5 and 4.9 percent from January through August 2026, so new claims currently get 24 weeks. Total benefits can also be lower if one-third of your base period wages is less than 24 times your weekly amount.
Sources for Arizona
- A.R.S. 23-779, Amount of benefits1/25 formula, $320 maximum, rounding, $160 partial-week disregard
- A.R.S. 23-780, Duration and amount of benefits24 or 26 weeks by unemployment rate, one-third of base period wages
- A.R.S. 23-771, Eligibility for benefits1.5 times and 390 times minimum wage tests, alternate wage test
- Arizona DES: Income tax information for unemployment benefits (archived copy)Federal and state withholding
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: ArizonaSeasonally adjusted state unemployment rate for 2026
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)$236 minimum, $320 maximum, 8 to 24 weeks
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: The $15.15 minimum wage for 2026 comes from secondary reports of the Industrial Commission of Arizona notice; it reproduces the DOL July 2026 minimum of $236. The unemployment-rate lookup uses BLS data for the three months of a calendar quarter, whereas the statute names the rate published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, so check your claim's weeks. The statute gives no rounding rule for the one-third total; the calculator rounds down. The DES pages were read from Internet Archive copies.