Delaware Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Delaware unemployment pays $20 to $450 a week for 18 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)
$20 to $450
Effective April 2, 2023
Maximum weeks
18 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Delaware 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 Delaware estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Delaware?
The weekly benefit amount is one forty-sixth of your wages in the two highest base period quarters, rounded down to the whole dollar. Delaware sets it between $20 and $450 for claims from April 2, 2023.
Wages of $20,700 or more in your two highest quarters reach the $450 maximum.
The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you earned too little in those quarters to be eligible, Delaware uses the four most recent completed quarters instead, so enter those quarters if this estimate says you do not qualify.
Delaware unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Delaware 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 36 times your weekly benefit amount, which means at least $720 in total even at the $20 minimum.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The maximum benefit is the lower of 26 times the weekly benefit amount and one-half of base period wages, rounded down to a whole dollar. That is 26 weeks for most workers and about 23 weeks when all wages fall in two quarters, and as few as 18 weeks for the lowest earners, whose $20 minimum weekly amount is large compared with their wages.
Working part time while collecting
Delaware subtracts the part of your weekly wages above the greater of $10 or half your weekly benefit amount, and rounds the payment down to a whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $200 of wages leaves $150 disregarded, so the payment is $250.
Are Delaware unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return. The Delaware Department of Labor says you need your Form 1099-G to file your taxes, and Delaware income tax starts from federal income, so benefits generally count for Delaware too; confirm with the Division of Revenue.
How to apply in Delaware
File a new claim online (WebBenefits) or by phone (TeleBenefits) through the Division of Unemployment Insurance, then claim benefits each week.
Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance
When this changes: The $450 maximum is written into statute and has not changed since April 2, 2023; the statute has an advisory council review the maximum at least every two years. The $450 maximum is fixed in statute for claims since April 2, 2023; recheck when the General Assembly or the Unemployment Compensation Advisory Council (which meets at least every two years) proposes a change.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Delaware?
Regular Delaware unemployment pays between $20 and $450 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. The weekly benefit amount is one forty-sixth of your wages in the two highest base period quarters, rounded down to the whole dollar. Delaware sets it between $20 and $450 for claims from April 2, 2023.
How is the Delaware weekly benefit amount calculated?
The weekly benefit amount is one forty-sixth of your wages in the two highest base period quarters, rounded down to the whole dollar. Delaware sets it between $20 and $450 for claims from April 2, 2023. Wages of $20,700 or more in your two highest quarters reach the $450 maximum.
How long can I collect unemployment in Delaware?
The maximum benefit is the lower of 26 times the weekly benefit amount and one-half of base period wages, rounded down to a whole dollar. That is 26 weeks for most workers and about 23 weeks when all wages fall in two quarters, and as few as 18 weeks for the lowest earners, whose $20 minimum weekly amount is large compared with their wages.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Delaware?
Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return. The Delaware Department of Labor says you need your Form 1099-G to file your taxes, and Delaware income tax starts from federal income, so benefits generally count for Delaware too; confirm with the Division of Revenue.
Can I work part time and still get Delaware unemployment?
Delaware subtracts the part of your weekly wages above the greater of $10 or half your weekly benefit amount, and rounds the payment down to a whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $200 of wages leaves $150 disregarded, so the payment is $250.
Why can a Delaware claim pay fewer than 26 weeks?
The total is capped at the lower of 26 times your weekly amount and one-half of your base period wages. If most of your wages fall in two quarters, half of your wages runs out near 23 weeks, and at the $20 minimum it can run out in 18.
Sources for Delaware
- 19 Del. C. 3313, Weekly benefit amount (Delaware Code Online)1/46 formula, $20 and $450 limits, partial-week rule, maximum total (also 3315(6) wage test)
- 19 Del. C. 3302, Definitions (Delaware Code Online)Base period and alternate base period
- Delaware DOL: Division of Unemployment InsuranceWhere to file a claim
- Delaware DOL: Income Tax 1099-G informationTax reporting of benefits
- 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: Formula, limits, wage test and partial rule come from the Delaware Code Online text as read in October 2026. The 18-week low end (about 23 weeks above the minimum) is our arithmetic from the statute; DOL July 2026 lists 24. The Delaware Division of Revenue was not read, so the state tax statement rests on the labor department's 1099-G page and the federal starting point of the Delaware return.