Georgia Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Georgia unemployment pays $55 to $365 a week for 6 to 14 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)
$55 to $365
Current figures
Maximum weeks
6 to 14
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Georgia 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 Georgia estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Georgia?
The regular weekly benefit amount is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 42, with a $55 minimum and a $365 maximum.
If your two highest quarters total less than $1,134, Georgia has an alternate calculation: your highest quarter divided by 21, with the two highest quarters totaling at least 40 times that amount. The calculator flags when it may apply but does not estimate it.
Georgia uses the first four of the last five completed quarters, and an alternative base period (the last four completed quarters) if the regular one does not meet the wage requirements.
Georgia unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Georgia 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,
- at least $1,134 in your two highest quarters, and
- total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter (the alternate calculation has its own test).
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
New claims currently get at most 14 weeks. Georgia ties the maximum to the statewide unemployment rate: 14 weeks at 4.5 percent or lower, one more week for each half point above that, and 26 weeks at 10 percent or more. The rate was about 3.5 percent through 2026. The total is the lower of 14 times the weekly amount and one-quarter of base period wages, so low or uneven wages can mean as few as about 6 weeks. Claims effective from the first Sunday of July through December use the previous April rate, and claims from January through June use the previous October rate.
Working part time while collecting
You must report gross earnings every week you request payment. The DOL July 2026 compilation lists a $50 weekly earnings disregard for Georgia; the Georgia handbook says only that part-time work may still qualify you for partial benefits. This calculator does not estimate partial payments.
Are Georgia unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Georgia DOL says unemployment benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments. You can choose withholding in your MyUI account.
How to apply in Georgia
File through the MyUI Claimant Portal, then request a weekly payment and report your work search each week.
Georgia DOL: Get unemployment assistance
When this changes: Georgia updates the number of weeks twice a year, for claims effective in January and in July. Weeks change twice a year (claims effective in January and in July) with the statewide unemployment rate; $365 maximum is fixed in statute.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Georgia?
Regular Georgia unemployment pays between $55 and $365 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. The regular weekly benefit amount is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 42, with a $55 minimum and a $365 maximum.
How is the Georgia weekly benefit amount calculated?
The regular weekly benefit amount is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 42, with a $55 minimum and a $365 maximum. If your two highest quarters total less than $1,134, Georgia has an alternate calculation: your highest quarter divided by 21, with the two highest quarters totaling at least 40 times that amount. The calculator flags when it may apply but does not estimate it.
How long can I collect unemployment in Georgia?
New claims currently get at most 14 weeks. Georgia ties the maximum to the statewide unemployment rate: 14 weeks at 4.5 percent or lower, one more week for each half point above that, and 26 weeks at 10 percent or more. The rate was about 3.5 percent through 2026. The total is the lower of 14 times the weekly amount and one-quarter of base period wages, so low or uneven wages can mean as few as about 6 weeks. Claims effective from the first Sunday of July through December use the previous April rate, and claims from January through June use the previous October rate.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Georgia?
Georgia DOL says unemployment benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments. You can choose withholding in your MyUI account.
Can I work part time and still get Georgia unemployment?
You must report gross earnings every week you request payment. The DOL July 2026 compilation lists a $50 weekly earnings disregard for Georgia; the Georgia handbook says only that part-time work may still qualify you for partial benefits. This calculator does not estimate partial payments.
How many weeks of unemployment does Georgia pay?
At most 14 weeks for claims filed now. House Bill 1090 (2021) ties the maximum to the statewide unemployment rate published for April and October: 14 weeks at 4.5 percent or lower, one more week for each half point above that, and 26 weeks at 10 percent or more. Georgia has been well below 4.5 percent, so the maximum is 14. A claim can be shorter when one-quarter of your base period wages runs out first.
Sources for Georgia
- Georgia DOL: UI Claimant HandbookFormula, $55 and $365, wage tests, weeks table, taxes
- Georgia DOL: Get unemployment assistanceAdjustable 14 to 26 weeks under HB 1090
- 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 Georgia handbook does not state a rounding rule or the $50 partial-earnings disregard, so this calculator rounds down and the $50 comes from the DOL compilation. DOL July 2026 lists 6 to 26 weeks, the range the law allows; the 14-week current maximum comes from the handbook table and the BLS statewide rate.