Idaho Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Idaho unemployment pays $72 to $624 a week for 10 to 20 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)
$72 to $624
Effective January 4, 2026
Maximum weeks
10 to 20
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Idaho 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 Idaho estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Idaho?
Idaho pays one twenty-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, rounded down to the dollar, up to a $624 maximum for new claims in 2026. A highest quarter of $16,224 or more reaches the maximum.
The maximum is 55 percent of the state average weekly wage and is reset each January. There is no dependents allowance.
Idaho uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If your wages fall short there, Idaho uses the last four completed quarters, and it has an extended base period for a temporary total disability. This calculator uses the regular base period you enter.
Idaho unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Idaho also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $1,872 in your highest quarter (the minimum for 2026), and
- total base period wages of at least 1.25 times your highest quarter.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Idaho multiplies your weekly amount by a number of weeks from a statute table. The weeks rise with the ratio of your total base period wages to your highest quarter, from 10 weeks at low ratios, and with the state unemployment rate. The Department of Labor says benefits run 10 to 20 weeks at the current rate and recalculates the limit every three months. A ratio of about 3.56 or more earns the longest claim. If the Department uses the 3.0 to 3.9 percent rate column instead, claimants with a wage ratio above 2.21 may get one more week (up to 21); the Department decides which column applies.
Working part time while collecting
You can earn half of your weekly amount and still get the full benefit. Above that, Idaho deducts each dollar you earn: with a $300 benefit and $200 of earnings, you receive $250. Payments are rounded down to the dollar.
Are Idaho unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. The Idaho Department of Labor says unemployment benefits are taxable and reports them on a Form 1099-G. It can withhold 10 percent for federal tax but cannot withhold Idaho state tax, so set aside money for the state return.
How to apply in Idaho
File your initial claim online with the Idaho Department of Labor, then request payment every week.
Idaho Department of Labor: Unemployment benefits
When this changes: Idaho resets the maximum weekly amount and the $1,872 highest-quarter test each January, and the Department recalculates the number of weeks every three months from the unemployment rate. Maximum reset in the first full week of January (55 percent of the average weekly wage); weeks table column changes quarterly with the forecasted unemployment rate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Idaho?
Regular Idaho unemployment pays between $72 and $624 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Idaho pays one twenty-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, rounded down to the dollar, up to a $624 maximum for new claims in 2026. A highest quarter of $16,224 or more reaches the maximum.
How is the Idaho weekly benefit amount calculated?
Idaho pays one twenty-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, rounded down to the dollar, up to a $624 maximum for new claims in 2026. A highest quarter of $16,224 or more reaches the maximum. The maximum is 55 percent of the state average weekly wage and is reset each January. There is no dependents allowance.
How long can I collect unemployment in Idaho?
Idaho multiplies your weekly amount by a number of weeks from a statute table. The weeks rise with the ratio of your total base period wages to your highest quarter, from 10 weeks at low ratios, and with the state unemployment rate. The Department of Labor says benefits run 10 to 20 weeks at the current rate and recalculates the limit every three months. A ratio of about 3.56 or more earns the longest claim. If the Department uses the 3.0 to 3.9 percent rate column instead, claimants with a wage ratio above 2.21 may get one more week (up to 21); the Department decides which column applies.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Idaho?
The Idaho Department of Labor says unemployment benefits are taxable and reports them on a Form 1099-G. It can withhold 10 percent for federal tax but cannot withhold Idaho state tax, so set aside money for the state return.
Can I work part time and still get Idaho unemployment?
You can earn half of your weekly amount and still get the full benefit. Above that, Idaho deducts each dollar you earn: with a $300 benefit and $200 of earnings, you receive $250. Payments are rounded down to the dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment does Idaho pay?
Between 10 and 26 weeks under the statute table, and between 10 and 20 at the current unemployment rate according to the Department of Labor's March 2026 UI facts sheet. Claimants with a wage ratio above 2.21 may get one more week (up to 21) if the Department uses the 3.0 to 3.9 percent column; the Department decides. Your weeks come from the ratio of your total base period wages to your highest quarter, so workers with steady wages across the year get more weeks than workers with one big quarter.
Sources for Idaho
- Idaho Code 72-1367, Benefit formulaFormula, 1.25 times test, weeks table, partial rule, rounding
- Idaho DOL Administrative Order 683$624 maximum for 2026
- Idaho DOL: Unemployment insurance facts (March 2026)$1,872 test, 10 to 20 weeks, partial example, tax
- 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 Legislature site did not answer automated requests, so the statute was read from an Internet Archive copy. The statute ties the weeks to the "official forecasted, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate" for February, May, August and November. We could not find the rate the Department is using now, and its March 2026 facts sheet says the maximum is 20 weeks, which is the lowest rate column of the table, so this calculator uses that column. At a rate of 3 to 3.9 percent, which BLS data for Idaho (3.6 percent in July 2026) would suggest, the longest claim would be 21 weeks, so the estimate may be one week short for the highest wage ratios. The minimum $72 weekly amount is the formula result at the $1,872 test.