North Dakota Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular North Dakota unemployment pays $43 to $800 a week for 12 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)
$43 to $800
Effective July 5, 2026
Maximum weeks
12 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
North Dakota 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 North Dakota estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in North Dakota?
The weekly benefit amount is one sixty-fifth of the wages in your two highest base period quarters plus one-half of your third highest quarter, rounded down to the whole dollar.
The minimum is $43, and a lower result means you are monetarily ineligible. The maximum is a share of the state average weekly wage: the Job Service North Dakota chart for July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027 tops out at $800, reached at $52,000 in the two highest quarters plus half the third.
North Dakota defines the base period as the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. The sections we read do not describe an alternate base period.
North Dakota unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. North Dakota also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Wages in at least two base period quarters,
- total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter, and
- a weekly benefit amount of at least $43.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
North Dakota pays 12 to 26 times the weekly amount, set by the ratio of total base period wages to your highest quarter: 12 weeks for 1.50 to 2.29, 14 for 2.30, 16 for 2.45, 18 for 2.60, 20 for 2.75, 22 for 2.90, 24 for 3.05, and 26 weeks for 3.20 or more. Wages spread evenly over four quarters give 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
North Dakota subtracts the part of your weekly wages above 60 percent of your weekly benefit amount, and rounds the payment up to the next whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount disregards $180, so $230 of wages pays $300 - $50 = $250. A week with wages equal to or above your weekly amount is not partial unemployment under N.D.C.C. 52-01-01 and pays nothing.
Are North Dakota unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return. North Dakota's return starts from federal taxable income, so benefits generally count for North Dakota too; we did not read a Tax Commissioner page, so confirm before you file.
How to apply in North Dakota
File online with Job Service North Dakota, then request benefits each week.
Job Service North Dakota: Unemployment Insurance
When this changes: Job Service North Dakota publishes a new benefit chart each July; the current one runs until July 3, 2027. Job Service North Dakota publishes a new benefit chart each July (current chart 7/5/2026 to 7/3/2027); recheck every July.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in North Dakota?
Regular North Dakota unemployment pays between $43 and $800 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 sixty-fifth of the wages in your two highest base period quarters plus one-half of your third highest quarter, rounded down to the whole dollar.
How is the North Dakota weekly benefit amount calculated?
The weekly benefit amount is one sixty-fifth of the wages in your two highest base period quarters plus one-half of your third highest quarter, rounded down to the whole dollar. The minimum is $43, and a lower result means you are monetarily ineligible. The maximum is a share of the state average weekly wage: the Job Service North Dakota chart for July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027 tops out at $800, reached at $52,000 in the two highest quarters plus half the third.
How long can I collect unemployment in North Dakota?
North Dakota pays 12 to 26 times the weekly amount, set by the ratio of total base period wages to your highest quarter: 12 weeks for 1.50 to 2.29, 14 for 2.30, 16 for 2.45, 18 for 2.60, 20 for 2.75, 22 for 2.90, 24 for 3.05, and 26 weeks for 3.20 or more. Wages spread evenly over four quarters give 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in North Dakota?
Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return. North Dakota's return starts from federal taxable income, so benefits generally count for North Dakota too; we did not read a Tax Commissioner page, so confirm before you file.
Can I work part time and still get North Dakota unemployment?
North Dakota subtracts the part of your weekly wages above 60 percent of your weekly benefit amount, and rounds the payment up to the next whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount disregards $180, so $230 of wages pays $300 - $50 = $250. A week with wages equal to or above your weekly amount is not partial unemployment under N.D.C.C. 52-01-01 and pays nothing.
Why do some North Dakota claims pay only 12 weeks?
North Dakota compares your total base period wages with your highest quarter. If most of your pay came in one quarter, the ratio is low and the claim pays fewer than 26 times your weekly amount. A ratio of 3.20 or more, which wages spread over four quarters always reach, pays 26 weeks.
Sources for North Dakota
- N.D.C.C. chapter 52-06 (archived copy of ndlegis.gov, May 19, 2026)Formula, $43 minimum, maximum rule, wage test, weeks table, partial-week rule
- N.D.C.C. chapter 52-01 (archived copy of ndlegis.gov, July 4, 2025)Base period definition
- Job Service North Dakota: Unemployment Benefit Chart, 7/5/2026 to 7/3/2027$43 to $800 weekly benefit schedule and the weeks table
- Job Service North DakotaWhere to file a claim
- 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: ndlegis.gov refused connections from our build environment, so the statute text comes from Internet Archive copies of chapter 52-06 (May 19, 2026) and chapter 52-01 (July 4, 2025). The $43 minimum, the $800 maximum, the $65 wage bands and the weeks table are checked against the Job Service North Dakota Unemployment Benefit Chart for claims from July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027. The DOL July 2026 table still shows $815, the 2025-26 maximum. The calculator truncates the wages ratio to two decimals because the statute table leaves gaps between rows (for example 2.29 and 2.30).