South Dakota Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular South Dakota unemployment pays $28 to $575 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)
$28 to $575
Current figures
Maximum weeks
15 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Not taxed by the state
Federal income tax applies in every state
South 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 South Dakota estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in South Dakota?
The weekly benefit amount is one twenty-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, lowered to the next whole dollar.
It cannot exceed 50 percent of the state average weekly wage. DOL July 2026 lists a $575 maximum, which a highest quarter of $14,950 or more reaches. A highest quarter of $728, the least that qualifies, gives the $28 minimum.
The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. The sections and pages we read do not describe an alternate base period, so ask the Department of Labor and Regulation if your standard base period falls short.
South Dakota unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. South Dakota also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $728 in your highest base period quarter, and
- at least 20 times your weekly benefit amount in base period wages outside the highest quarter.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The maximum benefit is the lower of one-third of your total base period wages and 26 times the weekly benefit amount, lowered to a whole dollar. That gives about 15 to 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
South Dakota reduces your benefit by 75 percent of the wages or earnings you have above $25 in the week, and pays nothing when earnings equal or exceed your weekly amount. The payment is lowered to a whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $100 of earnings pays $300 - $56.25 = $243.
Are South Dakota unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. South Dakota has no state income tax on individuals, so benefits are taxable only on your federal return. DLR mails a Form 1099-G in January and lets you choose 10 percent federal withholding.
How to apply in South Dakota
File online through the Reemployment Assistance Benefits Portal, then request payment each week. The first eligible week of a claim is an unpaid waiting week.
South Dakota Reemployment Assistance: file a claim
When this changes: South Dakota recomputes the maximum each fiscal year from the average weekly wage of the previous calendar year, so the $575 figure can change from July 1. The maximum is recomputed for each fiscal year (starting July 1) from the previous calendar year average weekly wage; recheck each July.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in South Dakota?
Regular South Dakota unemployment pays between $28 and $575 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-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, lowered to the next whole dollar.
How is the South Dakota weekly benefit amount calculated?
The weekly benefit amount is one twenty-sixth of your wages in the highest base period quarter, lowered to the next whole dollar. It cannot exceed 50 percent of the state average weekly wage. DOL July 2026 lists a $575 maximum, which a highest quarter of $14,950 or more reaches. A highest quarter of $728, the least that qualifies, gives the $28 minimum.
How long can I collect unemployment in South Dakota?
The maximum benefit is the lower of one-third of your total base period wages and 26 times the weekly benefit amount, lowered to a whole dollar. That gives about 15 to 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in South Dakota?
South Dakota has no state income tax on individuals, so benefits are taxable only on your federal return. DLR mails a Form 1099-G in January and lets you choose 10 percent federal withholding.
Can I work part time and still get South Dakota unemployment?
South Dakota reduces your benefit by 75 percent of the wages or earnings you have above $25 in the week, and pays nothing when earnings equal or exceed your weekly amount. The payment is lowered to a whole dollar. Example: a $300 weekly amount and $100 of earnings pays $300 - $56.25 = $243.
What is South Dakota calling unemployment now?
The Department of Labor and Regulation calls unemployment insurance "reemployment assistance". It is the same program: a weekly benefit based on your highest base period quarter, paid for up to 26 weeks, with benefits not based on financial need.
Sources for South Dakota
- SDCL 61-6-2: Computation of weekly benefit amount1/26 of the highest quarter, 50 percent of the average weekly wage cap, rounding
- SDCL 61-6-4: Minimum base period and highest quarter wages$728 and 20 times the weekly amount
- SDCL 61-6-5: Reduction for wages earnedPartial-week rule
- SDCL 61-6-8: Maximum benefit amountOne-third of base period wages and 26 times the weekly amount
- South Dakota DLR: Reemployment Assistance FAQWaiting week, 1099-G and withholding
- South Dakota DLR: Reemployment Assistance Advisory Council meetingsAugust 13, 2026 minutes: maximum rises from $553 to $575 for new claims filed on or after July 5, 2026
- 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, wage tests, partial rule and maximum total come from the statute text on sdlegislature.gov. The $575 maximum matches DOL July 2026 and the DLR Reemployment Assistance Advisory Council minutes of August 13, 2026 (an increase from $553 to $575 for new claims filed on or after July 5, 2026); the statute makes it 50 percent of the prior calendar year average weekly wage. We did not read a South Dakota Department of Revenue page for the no-income-tax statement.