Hawaii Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Hawaii unemployment pays $5 to $868 a week for up 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)
$5 to $868
Effective January 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Hawaii 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 Hawaii estimate.
The state also runs its own estimator: Hawaii UI benefit estimator.
How much does unemployment pay in Hawaii?
The weekly benefit amount is your wages in the highest base period quarter divided by 21. The minimum is $5 a week and DLIR sets the maximum each calendar year: $868 for 2026.
A highest quarter of $18,207.01 or more reaches the $868 maximum. HRS 383-22 rounds the result up to the next whole dollar.
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you do not qualify with it, DLIR uses the last four completed quarters, so enter those quarters if this estimate says you do not qualify. Wages from other states may also count.
Hawaii unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Hawaii 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 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Your claim is active for one year, and you can be paid up to 26 times your weekly benefit amount, which is 26 weeks of full benefits. Hawaii has an unpaid waiting week, usually the first week of the benefit year.
Working part time while collecting
Hawaii pays your weekly benefit amount less the part of your weekly wages above $150, rounded up to the next whole dollar (HRS 383-23). Example: a $300 weekly amount and $200 of wages pays $250. The DLIR FAQ says a week with wages above your weekly amount pays nothing.
Are Hawaii unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return, and DLIR mails a Form 1099-G for federal, state and personal tax needs. Hawaii legislative bill text describes Hawaii as treating benefits as taxable income, but we did not find a Department of Taxation page, so check before you file.
How to apply in Hawaii
File online through the DLIR Unemployment Insurance Division, then file a claim for each week you want paid. DLIR also publishes its own benefit estimator.
Hawaii DLIR Unemployment Insurance
When this changes: DLIR resets the maximum weekly benefit amount each calendar year, so the 2027 figure will replace $868. DLIR resets the maximum weekly benefit amount each January; check the Tax Rate Schedule and Weekly Benefit Amount page for the 2027 figure.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Hawaii?
Regular Hawaii unemployment pays between $5 and $868 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 your wages in the highest base period quarter divided by 21. The minimum is $5 a week and DLIR sets the maximum each calendar year: $868 for 2026.
How is the Hawaii weekly benefit amount calculated?
The weekly benefit amount is your wages in the highest base period quarter divided by 21. The minimum is $5 a week and DLIR sets the maximum each calendar year: $868 for 2026. A highest quarter of $18,207.01 or more reaches the $868 maximum. HRS 383-22 rounds the result up to the next whole dollar.
How long can I collect unemployment in Hawaii?
Your claim is active for one year, and you can be paid up to 26 times your weekly benefit amount, which is 26 weeks of full benefits. Hawaii has an unpaid waiting week, usually the first week of the benefit year.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Hawaii?
Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return, and DLIR mails a Form 1099-G for federal, state and personal tax needs. Hawaii legislative bill text describes Hawaii as treating benefits as taxable income, but we did not find a Department of Taxation page, so check before you file.
Can I work part time and still get Hawaii unemployment?
Hawaii pays your weekly benefit amount less the part of your weekly wages above $150, rounded up to the next whole dollar (HRS 383-23). Example: a $300 weekly amount and $200 of wages pays $250. The DLIR FAQ says a week with wages above your weekly amount pays nothing.
How much has the Hawaii maximum changed?
DLIR lists the maximum weekly benefit amount by calendar year: $868 for 2026, $835 for 2025, $796 for 2024 and $763 for 2023. The state resets it each year.
Sources for Hawaii
- Hawaii DLIR: Tax Rate Schedule and Weekly Benefit Amount$868 maximum for 2026 and earlier years
- Hawaii DLIR: Unemployment Insurance FAQHighest quarter divided by 21, $5 minimum, two-quarter and 26-times tests, 26 weeks, $150 earnings allowance
- Hawaii DLIR: Tax informationForm 1099-G
- 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 formula, $5 minimum, round-up rule (HRS 383-22(b)) and partial-week rule (HRS 383-23) were read from an Internet Archive copy of capitol.hawaii.gov, which blocks direct automated access. The two-quarter and 26-times wage tests are from the DLIR FAQ and the $868 maximum from the DLIR rate schedule page. The state tax statement rests on legislative bill text and the 1099-G wording, not a Department of Taxation page.