Virginia Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Virginia unemployment pays $160 to $478 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)
$160 to $478
Effective July 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
12 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Not taxed by the state
Federal income tax applies in every state
Virginia 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 Virginia estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in Virginia?
Virginia does not use a percentage. It adds your wages from the two highest base period quarters and looks that total up in a benefit table in the Code of Virginia. Each $50 band adds $1 to the weekly amount.
For claims effective on or after July 1, 2026 the table pays $160 for $3,000 to $3,050 in your two highest quarters and reaches the $478 maximum at $18,900.01 or more. The January 2026 table paid $112 to $430; the 2026 act added $48 to each line.
Virginia uses the first four of the last five completed quarters. If that period does not qualify you, the DOL comparison says the commission can use the last four completed quarters. Enter whichever four quarters apply.
Virginia unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Virginia also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- At least $3,000 in your two highest base period quarters combined.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Virginia pays between 12 and 26 weeks. Your weeks come from the same table: the more your total base period wages exceed your two highest quarters, the more weeks you get, and total wages of about twice the bottom of your wage band pay the full 26 weeks. Virginia does not tie weeks to the unemployment rate.
Working part time while collecting
Virginia subtracts your weekly earnings above $100 from your weekly benefit amount, rounding the excess up to the next whole dollar. For example, $150.40 of earnings reduces the benefit by $51.
Are Virginia unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Virginia does not tax unemployment benefits: the Virginia return lets you subtract benefits that are taxable on your federal return. They remain taxable federally, and the VEC withholds 10 percent for federal tax only if you ask.
How to apply in Virginia
File a claim with the VEC online and request benefits every week. The VEC sets your weekly benefit amount and weeks from the wages employers report.
Virginia Employment Commission
When this changes: Virginia changes its benefit table by act of the General Assembly; the last two increases took effect January 1 and July 1, 2026. Virginia changes the weekly benefit table by act of the General Assembly (the last increases took effect January 1 and July 1, 2026). Check the Code of Virginia and VEC each January and July.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Virginia?
Regular Virginia unemployment pays between $160 and $478 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Virginia does not use a percentage. It adds your wages from the two highest base period quarters and looks that total up in a benefit table in the Code of Virginia. Each $50 band adds $1 to the weekly amount.
How is the Virginia weekly benefit amount calculated?
Virginia does not use a percentage. It adds your wages from the two highest base period quarters and looks that total up in a benefit table in the Code of Virginia. Each $50 band adds $1 to the weekly amount. For claims effective on or after July 1, 2026 the table pays $160 for $3,000 to $3,050 in your two highest quarters and reaches the $478 maximum at $18,900.01 or more. The January 2026 table paid $112 to $430; the 2026 act added $48 to each line.
How long can I collect unemployment in Virginia?
Virginia pays between 12 and 26 weeks. Your weeks come from the same table: the more your total base period wages exceed your two highest quarters, the more weeks you get, and total wages of about twice the bottom of your wage band pay the full 26 weeks. Virginia does not tie weeks to the unemployment rate.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Virginia?
Virginia does not tax unemployment benefits: the Virginia return lets you subtract benefits that are taxable on your federal return. They remain taxable federally, and the VEC withholds 10 percent for federal tax only if you ask.
Can I work part time and still get Virginia unemployment?
Virginia subtracts your weekly earnings above $100 from your weekly benefit amount, rounding the excess up to the next whole dollar. For example, $150.40 of earnings reduces the benefit by $51.
Did Virginia raise unemployment benefits in 2026?
Yes, twice. The weekly range rose from $60 to $378 to $112 to $430 for claims effective on or after January 1, 2026, and the 2026 General Assembly added another $48 to every line for claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, which gives $160 to $478. Claims filed earlier keep the table that applied on their effective date.
Sources for Virginia
- Va. Code 60.2-602, Weekly benefit amountTable structure and the July 1, 2026 effective date
- Virginia Code Commission: Benefit Table, Division C (January 2026 table)The 319 weekly amounts and week columns that our tests reproduce
- Va. Code 60.2-603 and 60.2-607$100 earnings disregard, 26-week ceiling
- 2026 Acts of Assembly ch. 774 (HB 1320, chaptered text)Benefit Table Division C for claims effective on or after July 1, 2026
- Virginia Tax ruling 22-152Subtraction for unemployment benefits
- VEC: Tax withholding (archived copy)10 percent federal withholding option
- U.S. DOL, Comparison of State UI Laws 2023, chapter 3Alternate base period, and the earlier $60 to $378 range
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)$160 and $478, $3,000 test, 12 to 26 weeks
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: The Code of Virginia page for claims effective on or after July 1, 2026 does not print its table ("SEE PRINTED BILL FOR TABLES"), so the table was read from the chaptered bill (2026 Acts ch. 774): each weekly amount is the January 2026 table plus $48 and the week columns are unchanged, which matches the $160 minimum and $478 maximum in the DOL July 2026 compilation. The VEC site blocked direct access, so the withholding note comes from an archived copy.