Nebraska Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Nebraska unemployment pays $70 to $582 a week for 10 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)
$70 to $582
Effective January 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
10 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Nebraska 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 Nebraska estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Nebraska?
Nebraska divides your wages in the highest base period quarter by 13 to get an average weekly wage, takes half, and rounds down to an even dollar amount, up to a $582 maximum for 2026.
A highest quarter of $15,132 or more reaches the maximum. Nebraska has no dependents allowance.
Nebraska uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters, and the DOL comparison lists an alternative base period of the last four completed quarters. This calculator uses the regular base period you enter; NDOL decides which applies.
Nebraska unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Nebraska also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $1,850 in one quarter and at least $800 in another quarter, and
- total base period wages of at least $5,440 (Nebraska adjusts this amount each January with the consumer price index).
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The total is the lower of 26 times your weekly amount and one-third of your base period wages, so claims can be shorter than 26 weeks when the one-third limit binds (DOL lists 10 weeks as the low end, and a very large highest quarter can give fewer). Nebraska does not index the weeks to the unemployment rate.
Working part time while collecting
Nebraska reduces your weekly benefit by the part of your weekly wages above one-fourth of the weekly amount, and rounds the payment down to the dollar.
Are Nebraska unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. The Nebraska Department of Labor handbook says unemployment benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments. You can ask for 10 percent federal and 5 percent state withholding, and NDOL sends a Form 1099-G by January 31.
How to apply in Nebraska
File your claim through NEworks, then file a weekly claim for every week you want paid.
Nebraska Department of Labor: Unemployment benefits
When this changes: Nebraska applies a new maximum and a new total-wage requirement each January 1. Maximum (half the state average weekly wage) and the total base period wage requirement reset each January 1.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Nebraska?
Regular Nebraska unemployment pays between $70 and $582 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Nebraska divides your wages in the highest base period quarter by 13 to get an average weekly wage, takes half, and rounds down to an even dollar amount, up to a $582 maximum for 2026.
How is the Nebraska weekly benefit amount calculated?
Nebraska divides your wages in the highest base period quarter by 13 to get an average weekly wage, takes half, and rounds down to an even dollar amount, up to a $582 maximum for 2026. A highest quarter of $15,132 or more reaches the maximum. Nebraska has no dependents allowance.
How long can I collect unemployment in Nebraska?
The total is the lower of 26 times your weekly amount and one-third of your base period wages, so claims can be shorter than 26 weeks when the one-third limit binds (DOL lists 10 weeks as the low end, and a very large highest quarter can give fewer). Nebraska does not index the weeks to the unemployment rate.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Nebraska?
The Nebraska Department of Labor handbook says unemployment benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments. You can ask for 10 percent federal and 5 percent state withholding, and NDOL sends a Form 1099-G by January 31.
Can I work part time and still get Nebraska unemployment?
Nebraska reduces your weekly benefit by the part of your weekly wages above one-fourth of the weekly amount, and rounds the payment down to the dollar.
When does the Nebraska maximum change?
Nebraska applies a new maximum for the calendar year after the annual state average weekly wage determination, so the $582 maximum covers claims in 2026 and the next figure starts in January 2027.
Sources for Nebraska
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-624, Weekly benefit amountFormula, even-dollar rounding, cap at half the state average weekly wage
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-625 and 48-626Partial-week rule and the 26 times or one-third limit
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-627.01, Monetary eligibility$1,850 and $800 quarter tests and the annual adjustment
- Nebraska DOL: Benefit amounts$582 maximum for 2026 and the formula
- Nebraska DOL: Handbook for unemployed workersTax treatment and 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 Legislature and Department of Labor sites did not answer automated requests, so the statutes and the Benefit Amounts page were read from Internet Archive copies. The $5,440 total wage requirement is the DOL July 2026 figure: the statute sets a base of $4,145.74 and adjusts it each January, and we did not find the current figure on an NDOL page. The tax sentence comes from a search excerpt of the NDOL handbook, which we could not open. The statute counts wages by employer and quarter for the one-third limit; this calculator applies one-third to the total.