Illinois Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Illinois unemployment pays $51 to $628 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)
$51 to $628
Effective January 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Illinois 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 Illinois estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Illinois?
Illinois first finds your prior average weekly wage: the wages from your two highest base period quarters divided by 26, rounded to the nearest dollar.
The weekly benefit amount is 47 percent of that figure, rounded up to the next dollar, with a $51 minimum and a $628 maximum for 2026.
A nonworking spouse adds the greater of 9 percent of the average weekly wage or $15, and a dependent child adds the greater of 17.3 percent of it or the lesser of $50 and half the benefit. The totals are capped at $748 with a spouse and $859 with a child.
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed quarters. IDES uses the alternate base period (the four most recent completed quarters) only when you are not monetarily eligible under the standard one, and not to raise your weekly amount.
Illinois unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Illinois also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $1,600 in base period wages, and
- at least $440 in wages outside the highest quarter.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The total is 26 times the weekly amount (plus any dependent allowance), but never more than your base period wages. Illinois pays up to 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
Your earnings must be below the weekly benefit amount. Illinois subtracts the part of your earnings above 50 percent of the weekly amount, raises the result to the next dollar, and adds any dependent allowance afterward. Example from IDES: a $110 benefit and $76.50 of earnings pays $89.
Are Illinois unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. IDES says unemployment benefits are subject to both federal and Illinois income tax. You can ask for 10 percent federal and 4.95 percent Illinois withholding, and IDES issues a Form 1099-G.
How to apply in Illinois
File online through IDES. Your weekly amount is set from wages employers report.
When this changes: Illinois resets its maximums every January from the statewide average weekly wage, and the statute changes the percentages for 2027. Maximum indexed to the statewide average weekly wage every January; the statute changes the percentages for 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Illinois?
Regular Illinois unemployment pays between $51 and $628 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Illinois first finds your prior average weekly wage: the wages from your two highest base period quarters divided by 26, rounded to the nearest dollar.
How is the Illinois weekly benefit amount calculated?
Illinois first finds your prior average weekly wage: the wages from your two highest base period quarters divided by 26, rounded to the nearest dollar. The weekly benefit amount is 47 percent of that figure, rounded up to the next dollar, with a $51 minimum and a $628 maximum for 2026. A nonworking spouse adds the greater of 9 percent of the average weekly wage or $15, and a dependent child adds the greater of 17.3 percent of it or the lesser of $50 and half the benefit. The totals are capped at $748 with a spouse and $859 with a child.
How long can I collect unemployment in Illinois?
The total is 26 times the weekly amount (plus any dependent allowance), but never more than your base period wages. Illinois pays up to 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Illinois?
IDES says unemployment benefits are subject to both federal and Illinois income tax. You can ask for 10 percent federal and 4.95 percent Illinois withholding, and IDES issues a Form 1099-G.
Can I work part time and still get Illinois unemployment?
Your earnings must be below the weekly benefit amount. Illinois subtracts the part of your earnings above 50 percent of the weekly amount, raises the result to the next dollar, and adds any dependent allowance afterward. Example from IDES: a $110 benefit and $76.50 of earnings pays $89.
Does Illinois change the maximum every year?
Yes. The maximum follows the statewide average weekly wage: $628 for a single claimant for benefit years and weeks beginning on or after January 1, 2026. The statute lowers the percentages for benefit years beginning in 2027, so expect the numbers to change in January.
Sources for Illinois
- IDES: UI Benefit Handbook, Benefit DeterminationBase period, 26 weeks, partial-benefit rule and example
- IDES: Minimum qualifying wages (CLI110L)$1,600 and $440 wage tests; statewide average weekly wage
- IDES: 1099-G tax formFederal and Illinois tax treatment
- 820 ILCS 405/401, weekly benefit amountPercentages, allowances, rounding
- 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 Illinois General Assembly site refused connections from our build environment, so the percentages, allowances and the 17.3 percent child rate come from a FindLaw copy of 820 ILCS 405/401 and from the caps IDES publishes ($628, $748, $859 from a $1,334.81 statewide average weekly wage). The calculator treats a claimant with both a spouse and a child as having a child.