Massachusetts Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Massachusetts unemployment pays $60 to $1,105 a week for 10 to 30 weeks. DUA resets the maximum for benefit years beginning on or after the first Sunday of October; secondary sources report $1,154 from October 4, 2026, which we could not confirm on mass.gov. 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)
$60 to $1,105
Effective October 5, 2025
Maximum weeks
10 to 30
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts pays 50 percent of your average weekly wage, rounded down to the dollar, up to the yearly maximum. The average weekly wage is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 26 (or your highest quarter divided by 13 if you were paid in no more than two quarters), raised to the next dollar.
Each dependent child adds $25 a week, never more than half the weekly rate. A spouse does not count. The maximum is 57.5 percent of the statewide average weekly wage and resets each October.
The primary base period is the last four completed quarters. DUA can use an alternate base period (the last three completed quarters plus the weeks since) when it raises your benefit or makes you eligible. The calculator does not model it.
Massachusetts unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Massachusetts also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Base period wages of at least 30 times your weekly rate, and
- at least a minimum dollar amount that moves with the state minimum wage ($6,000 for 2023 claims; DOL July 2026 lists $6,300, which we could not confirm with DUA).
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The maximum benefit is the lower of 36 percent of your base period wages and 30 times your weekly rate, plus the dependency allowance for those weeks, so claims run 10 to 30 weeks. DUA states that the maximum duration is 30 weeks. Section 30 also says the multiple drops to 26 when the unemployment rate stays at or below 5.1 percent in each of the state's ten metropolitan areas; we could not confirm whether that trigger applies, so the calculator uses DUA's 30.
Working part time while collecting
Massachusetts disregards earnings up to one third of your weekly rate and reduces the payment by the rest, rounding down. The law also limits partial benefits when the disregarded earnings plus the rate would reach your average weekly wage, so this calculator does not estimate partial payments.
Are Massachusetts unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. DUA says unemployment benefits are taxable. It does not withhold by default; you can ask for 10 percent federal and 5 percent Massachusetts withholding, and DUA mails a Form 1099-G in January.
How to apply in Massachusetts
Apply through Unemployment Services for Workers. You request benefits every week.
Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance
When this changes: Massachusetts resets the maximum on the first Sunday of every October (next: October 3, 2027) and updates the base period dollar floor with the minimum wage each January. The maximum weekly rate resets every first Sunday of October (October 4, 2026: secondary sources report $1,154, not yet confirmed on mass.gov; next reset October 3, 2027). The dollar floor for base period wages moves with the state minimum wage each January.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Massachusetts?
Regular Massachusetts unemployment pays between $60 and $1,105 a week as of October 19, 2026. DUA resets the maximum for benefit years beginning on or after the first Sunday of October; secondary sources report $1,154 from October 4, 2026, which we could not confirm on mass.gov. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Massachusetts pays 50 percent of your average weekly wage, rounded down to the dollar, up to the yearly maximum. The average weekly wage is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 26 (or your highest quarter divided by 13 if you were paid in no more than two quarters), raised to the next dollar.
How is the Massachusetts weekly benefit amount calculated?
Massachusetts pays 50 percent of your average weekly wage, rounded down to the dollar, up to the yearly maximum. The average weekly wage is your wages in the two highest base period quarters divided by 26 (or your highest quarter divided by 13 if you were paid in no more than two quarters), raised to the next dollar. Each dependent child adds $25 a week, never more than half the weekly rate. A spouse does not count. The maximum is 57.5 percent of the statewide average weekly wage and resets each October.
How long can I collect unemployment in Massachusetts?
The maximum benefit is the lower of 36 percent of your base period wages and 30 times your weekly rate, plus the dependency allowance for those weeks, so claims run 10 to 30 weeks. DUA states that the maximum duration is 30 weeks. Section 30 also says the multiple drops to 26 when the unemployment rate stays at or below 5.1 percent in each of the state's ten metropolitan areas; we could not confirm whether that trigger applies, so the calculator uses DUA's 30.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Massachusetts?
DUA says unemployment benefits are taxable. It does not withhold by default; you can ask for 10 percent federal and 5 percent Massachusetts withholding, and DUA mails a Form 1099-G in January.
Can I work part time and still get Massachusetts unemployment?
Massachusetts disregards earnings up to one third of your weekly rate and reduces the payment by the rest, rounding down. The law also limits partial benefits when the disregarded earnings plus the rate would reach your average weekly wage, so this calculator does not estimate partial payments.
Does the Massachusetts maximum change every year?
Yes. The law sets the maximum at 57.5 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, rounded down, and applies it to benefit years that start on or after the first Sunday of October. the DUA page shows $1,105 as of October 5, 2025; secondary sources report $1,154 from October 4, 2026, which we could not confirm on mass.gov. A claim keeps the maximum from the October before it started.
Sources for Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 151A, 29: Weekly benefit rates (onecle copy)50 percent, 57.5 percent maximum, partial rule, $25 per child
- M.G.L. c. 151A, 1: Definitions (onecle copy)Average weekly wage
- M.G.L. c. 151A, 24: Eligibility (onecle copy)30 times the rate, minimum dollar floor
- M.G.L. c. 151A, 30: Total benefits (onecle copy)36 percent or 30 times, 26-week alternative
- Mass.gov DUA: How unemployment insurance benefits are determined50 percent, 30 weeks, $25 per child, base periods
- Mass.gov DUA: Tax responsibilities while collecting unemployment benefitsTaxes and withholding
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)Cross-check of $60 minimum, $6,300 floor, 30 weeks
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: malegislature.gov refused connections and Mass.gov blocked direct requests, so the statute text comes from the onecle.com copy of the General Laws and the DUA page comes from an Internet Archive copy (it showed $1,105 as of October 5, 2025). The calculator uses the $1,105 maximum from that page and DOL July 2026. A $1,154 maximum for October 4, 2026 appears only on secondary sites, so recheck it on mass.gov. The dollar floor of $6,300 also comes from DOL July 2026. The statute rounds the average weekly wage up and the rate down, which the calculator follows.