Ohio Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Ohio unemployment pays $176 to $624 a week for 20 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)
$176 to $624
Effective January 4, 2026
Maximum weeks
20 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Ohio 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 Ohio estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Ohio?
Ohio pays one-half of your average weekly wage in the base period: total base period wages divided by the weeks you worked, rounded down to the dollar, then halved.
The weekly amount cannot pass a cap that depends on your dependency class: $624 with no dependents, $757 with one or two and $842 with three or more. Ohio does not add a separate dependents allowance; the class only raises the cap.
If you fall short on weeks or wages in the regular base period, Ohio tests an alternate base period made of the last four completed quarters. This calculator uses the regular base period you enter.
Ohio unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Ohio also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least 20 qualifying weeks (calendar weeks with wages) in the base period,
- an average weekly wage of at least 27.5 percent of the statewide average weekly wage (about $352 for 2026), and wages in at least two quarters.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Ohio pays 1 week for each qualifying week you worked in the base period, up to 26. With 20 qualifying weeks you get 20 weeks of benefits, and 26 or more qualifying weeks get the full 26.
Working part time while collecting
Ohio exempts 20 percent of your weekly benefit amount and deducts the rest of your weekly earnings from your benefit. With a $400 benefit and $200 of earnings, the deduction is $120 and you receive $280. No benefit is paid when earnings equal or exceed the weekly amount. Ohio Revised Code 4141.30(C) rounds the payment down to the next lower dollar.
Are Ohio unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. The Ohio Department of Taxation says unemployment benefits are taxable under federal and Ohio law. ODJFS sends a Form 1099-G so you can report them, and Ohio Revised Code 4141.321 lets you choose to have tax withheld.
How to apply in Ohio
Apply online with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, then request benefits every week.
When this changes: Ohio re-indexes the class maximums to the statewide average weekly wage each January; the next reset applies to applications filed from the week that includes January 1, 2027. House Bill 376 would cut the weeks to 20 (pending in the sources we read). Class maximums and the minimum average weekly wage are indexed to the statewide average weekly wage and reset each January (applications filed from the week with January 1).
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Ohio?
Regular Ohio unemployment pays between $176 and $624 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Ohio pays one-half of your average weekly wage in the base period: total base period wages divided by the weeks you worked, rounded down to the dollar, then halved.
How is the Ohio weekly benefit amount calculated?
Ohio pays one-half of your average weekly wage in the base period: total base period wages divided by the weeks you worked, rounded down to the dollar, then halved. The weekly amount cannot pass a cap that depends on your dependency class: $624 with no dependents, $757 with one or two and $842 with three or more. Ohio does not add a separate dependents allowance; the class only raises the cap.
How long can I collect unemployment in Ohio?
Ohio pays 1 week for each qualifying week you worked in the base period, up to 26. With 20 qualifying weeks you get 20 weeks of benefits, and 26 or more qualifying weeks get the full 26.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Ohio?
The Ohio Department of Taxation says unemployment benefits are taxable under federal and Ohio law. ODJFS sends a Form 1099-G so you can report them, and Ohio Revised Code 4141.321 lets you choose to have tax withheld.
Can I work part time and still get Ohio unemployment?
Ohio exempts 20 percent of your weekly benefit amount and deducts the rest of your weekly earnings from your benefit. With a $400 benefit and $200 of earnings, the deduction is $120 and you receive $280. No benefit is paid when earnings equal or exceed the weekly amount. Ohio Revised Code 4141.30(C) rounds the payment down to the next lower dollar.
What counts as a qualifying week in Ohio?
Any calendar week in your base period in which you earned or were paid wages from a covered employer. Paid vacation or severance allocated to a week can also count. If you worked for two employers in the same week it is still one week. Ohio divides your total base period wages by this number to get your average weekly wage.
Sources for Ohio
- ODJFS policy: Qualifying week, average weekly wage and weekly benefit amount20 qualifying weeks, average weekly wage, rounding, total benefits
- ODJFS policy: Dependency statusDependency classes A, B and C and who counts
- ODJFS: How Ohio UC benefit amounts are calculatedOne-half formula and the 20 percent earnings exemption (2023 edition)
- Ohio Department of Taxation: 1099-G and unemploymentTax treatment
- 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 ODJFS "How benefits are calculated" PDF still prints the 2023 caps ($561, $680 and $757), so the 2026 caps come from the DOL July 2026 compilation ($624 and $842) and from secondary sources for the one-or-two-dependents cap ($757), which we could not confirm on an ODJFS page. The $352 minimum average weekly wage is twice the DOL $176 minimum benefit. Ohio Revised Code 4141.30 was read from an Internet Archive copy (captured May 12, 2026) because codes.ohio.gov would not load; it confirms the one-half formula, the class maximums indexed each January, the round-down rules and the 20 percent earnings exemption, but its printed table still shows the 1980s base amounts of $147, $223 and $233 (the withholding option comes from a search excerpt of section 4141.321). DOL writes the formula as one-half of the average weekly wage plus a dependents allowance of $1 to $218; ODJFS describes it as a dependency-class cap, which is what this calculator uses.