Arkansas Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Arkansas unemployment pays $81 to $451 a week for 9 to 12 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)
$81 to $451
Effective July 1, 2012
Maximum weeks
9 to 12
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Arkansas 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 Arkansas estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Arkansas?
Arkansas divides your average quarterly wage over the four base period quarters (total wages divided by 4) by 26 and rounds down to the dollar. In short, total base period wages divided by 104.
The minimum is $81 and the maximum is $451. Total base period wages of $46,904 or more reach the maximum. The Division of Workforce Services publishes the result as a table of average wages, weekly amounts and qualifying wages.
The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you cannot qualify on it, DWS can use an alternate base period of the four quarters before the quarter you file in. You cannot choose it yourself.
Arkansas unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Arkansas also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Wages in at least two base period quarters, and
- total base period wages of at least 35 times your weekly amount ($2,835 at the $81 minimum).
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Arkansas pays up to 12 weeks for claims filed after January 1, 2024. The maximum benefit is the lower of 12 times the weekly amount and one-third of your base period wages, and a total that is not a whole number of weeks is raised to the next whole week. In practice that means 12 weeks for anyone who meets the wage test.
Working part time while collecting
Arkansas lets you earn 40 percent of your weekly amount before a reduction. Earnings above that reduce the payment dollar for dollar, rounded down to the dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount allows $120, so $200 of earnings pays $220.
Are Arkansas unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. The DWS handbook says benefits are taxable by both the federal government and the state. You can have 10 percent withheld for federal tax, and DWS sends a Form 1099-G by the end of January.
How to apply in Arkansas
File through Arkansas Launch (jobseeker.launch.arkansas.gov). The first eligible week is an unpaid waiting week, and you certify weekly.
Arkansas Division of Workforce Services: Unemployment
When this changes: Arkansas has no scheduled change: the $81 and $451 limits are frozen in Act 861 of 2011 and the 12-week maximum applies to claims filed after January 1, 2024. The $81 minimum and $451 maximum are frozen by Act 861 of 2011 and have not changed since July 2012. The 12-week duration took effect for claims filed after January 1, 2024.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Arkansas?
Regular Arkansas unemployment pays between $81 and $451 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Arkansas divides your average quarterly wage over the four base period quarters (total wages divided by 4) by 26 and rounds down to the dollar. In short, total base period wages divided by 104.
How is the Arkansas weekly benefit amount calculated?
Arkansas divides your average quarterly wage over the four base period quarters (total wages divided by 4) by 26 and rounds down to the dollar. In short, total base period wages divided by 104. The minimum is $81 and the maximum is $451. Total base period wages of $46,904 or more reach the maximum. The Division of Workforce Services publishes the result as a table of average wages, weekly amounts and qualifying wages.
How long can I collect unemployment in Arkansas?
Arkansas pays up to 12 weeks for claims filed after January 1, 2024. The maximum benefit is the lower of 12 times the weekly amount and one-third of your base period wages, and a total that is not a whole number of weeks is raised to the next whole week. In practice that means 12 weeks for anyone who meets the wage test.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Arkansas?
The DWS handbook says benefits are taxable by both the federal government and the state. You can have 10 percent withheld for federal tax, and DWS sends a Form 1099-G by the end of January.
Can I work part time and still get Arkansas unemployment?
Arkansas lets you earn 40 percent of your weekly amount before a reduction. Earnings above that reduce the payment dollar for dollar, rounded down to the dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount allows $120, so $200 of earnings pays $220.
How many weeks of unemployment does Arkansas pay?
Up to 12 weeks for claims filed after January 1, 2024. Before that, Arkansas paid up to 16 weeks. The first eligible week is an unpaid waiting week that you still have to claim.
Sources for Arkansas
- Ark. Code 11-10-502, Weekly benefit amount (onecle copy)1/26 of average wages, $81 and $451, rounding down
- Ark. Code 11-10-503 and 11-10-504 (onecle copy)40 percent earnings rule, one-third of wages, rounding up to a multiple of the weekly amount
- Ark. Code 11-10-507, Qualifying wages (onecle copy)Two quarters and 35 times the weekly amount
- DWS Benefit Table and Earnings Table (DWS-ARK-500.1, rev. 7-2012)All 371 weekly amounts and the earnings table, reproduced in our tests
- DWS: Your Unemployment Insurance Information Handbook (2026)$451, 12 weeks, waiting week, taxes
- DWS: Employer Handbook (Aug. 2022)Average base period wages / 26, alternate base period, 12 times after 2024
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)Cross-check of minimum, maximum and weeks
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: dws.arkansas.gov blocked its home page but served the PDFs, and the Arkansas Legislature site refused connections, so the statute text comes from the onecle.com copy of the Arkansas Code (last modified 2016) and the 2011 act text from an Internet Archive copy. That copy still shows the old 20-week multiple in section 11-10-504; the 12-week figure comes from the 2026 DWS handbook and the employer handbook. The DWS table is dated July 2012 but its $81 and $451 limits match the 2026 handbook and DOL. DOL lists 9 weeks as the low end; our reading of the statute gives 12 for every qualifying claim, so recheck with DWS if the Monetary Determination shows fewer.