Maine Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Maine unemployment pays $113 to $649 a week for 15 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)
$113 to $649
Effective June 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
15 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Maine 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 Maine estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Maine?
The weekly benefit amount is one twenty-second of the average of your two highest base period quarters (the two quarters added together and divided by 44), rounded down to the whole dollar.
The maximum is 52 percent of the state annual average weekly wage, reset each June 1. DOL July 2026 lists $649. Maine adds $25 a week for each dependent child, up to 75 percent of your weekly amount.
The base period is the oldest four of the last five completed quarters. If your wages fall short, Maine can use the four most recent completed quarters, so enter those quarters if this estimate says you do not qualify.
Maine unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Maine also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $2,498.24 in wages (2 times the average weekly wage) in each of two base period quarters, and
- total base period wages of at least $7,494.72 (6 times the average weekly wage). Maine updates both amounts each June.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The maximum benefit is the lower of 26 times the weekly benefit amount and one-third of base period wages, rounded to the nearest dollar, plus the dependents allowance for those weeks. That gives about 15 to 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
Maine pays your weekly benefit amount less your weekly earnings above an earnings disregard. The statute set the disregard at $100 from 2018 and raises it each first Sunday of June by the Northeast CPI-W, rounded up to the dollar. DOL July 2026 lists $128, but Maine's own part-time calculator file shows $123, so we could not confirm the current figure and this calculator does not estimate partial weeks; use the Maine part-time calculator.
Are Maine unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal and Maine returns. Maine's 1099-G FAQ lets you choose to have taxes taken out of each payment: 10 percent federal and 5 percent state.
How to apply in Maine
File online through the Maine Department of Labor Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, then file a weekly claim.
Maine Department of Labor: Unemployment
When this changes: Maine resets the maximum weekly benefit, the wage tests and the part-time earnings disregard each June, so figures change from June 1, 2027. Maine resets the maximum weekly benefit, the wage tests and the part-time earnings disregard each June (the maximum applies from June 1 to May 31); recheck every June.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Maine?
Regular Maine unemployment pays between $113 and $649 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 twenty-second of the average of your two highest base period quarters (the two quarters added together and divided by 44), rounded down to the whole dollar.
How is the Maine weekly benefit amount calculated?
The weekly benefit amount is one twenty-second of the average of your two highest base period quarters (the two quarters added together and divided by 44), rounded down to the whole dollar. The maximum is 52 percent of the state annual average weekly wage, reset each June 1. DOL July 2026 lists $649. Maine adds $25 a week for each dependent child, up to 75 percent of your weekly amount.
How long can I collect unemployment in Maine?
The maximum benefit is the lower of 26 times the weekly benefit amount and one-third of base period wages, rounded to the nearest dollar, plus the dependents allowance for those weeks. That gives about 15 to 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Maine?
Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal and Maine returns. Maine's 1099-G FAQ lets you choose to have taxes taken out of each payment: 10 percent federal and 5 percent state.
Can I work part time and still get Maine unemployment?
Maine pays your weekly benefit amount less your weekly earnings above an earnings disregard. The statute set the disregard at $100 from 2018 and raises it each first Sunday of June by the Northeast CPI-W, rounded up to the dollar. DOL July 2026 lists $128, but Maine's own part-time calculator file shows $123, so we could not confirm the current figure and this calculator does not estimate partial weeks; use the Maine part-time calculator.
Does Maine pay extra for children?
Yes. Maine adds $25 a week for each unemancipated child who depends on you and is under 18, or older and unable to earn wages or a full-time student, and the extras cannot exceed 75 percent of your weekly benefit amount. There is no allowance for a spouse.
Sources for Maine
- 26 M.R.S. 1191: Payment and amounts1/22 formula, 52 percent maximum, partial benefit, maximum amount, dependents
- 26 M.R.S. 1192-A: Eligibility conditionsWage tests as multiples of the average weekly wage
- Maine DOL: Eligibility$7,494.72 and $2,498.24 for the current year; alternate base period
- Maine DOL: 1099-G and taxes FAQ (2025)Federal and state tax withholding
- 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, dependents allowance and maximum benefit are read from 26 M.R.S. 1191 on the Maine Legislature website. The two wage tests are the dollar figures on the Maine DOL eligibility page ("Amounts are updated yearly in June"). The $649 maximum is not printed on the pages we reached; it is the DOL July 2026 figure and agrees with 52 percent of the $1,249.12 average weekly wage that the $7,494.72 test implies. The statute says the dependents total is added to the maximum amount; this calculator adds the allowance for each week the base amount covers, which is our reading.