West Virginia Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular West Virginia unemployment pays $24 to $662 a week for up 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)
$24 to $662
Effective July 1, 2024
Maximum weeks
26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
West 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 West Virginia estimate.
How much does unemployment pay in West Virginia?
West Virginia puts your total base period wages into one of 404 wage classes, each $150 wide and starting at $2,200, and pays the weekly rate printed for that class. The rate works out to 55 percent of one fifty-second of the middle of the class, rounded down.
Class 1 ($2,200 to $2,349.99) pays $24 a week and base period wages of $62,650 or more pay the $662 maximum. Only total base period wages count, not the highest quarter.
West Virginia uses the first four of the last five completed quarters and, if you do not qualify, an alternative base period (the last four completed quarters) with the same $2,200 and two-quarter requirements.
West Virginia unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. West Virginia also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Base period wages of at least $2,200, with wages in more than one quarter of the base period.
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
Every wage class gets a maximum benefit of 26 times the weekly rate, so regular benefits last up to 26 weeks. A week with partial benefits uses up only that week's payment, so a balance can remain after 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
West Virginia subtracts the part of your weekly wages above $60 from your weekly benefit rate and rounds down to the dollar. For example, a $300 rate and $160 of wages pays $200. The DOL July 2026 compilation adds a footnote that part-time wages below the weekly rate are not deducted; we could not find that rule in the statute, so ask WorkForce West Virginia how it applies to you.
Are West Virginia unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. West Virginia taxes unemployment benefits. State law (21A-6-1c) says unemployment compensation is subject to federal and state income tax and lets you choose to have both withheld.
How to apply in West Virginia
File online with WorkForce West Virginia, then request benefits every week.
WorkForce West Virginia: unemployment
When this changes: West Virginia changes the benefit table by act of the Legislature; the last change took effect July 1, 2024. West Virginia sets the table in statute (last changed for claims from July 1, 2024); check the Legislature's session laws each spring for new tables.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in West Virginia?
Regular West Virginia unemployment pays between $24 and $662 a week as of October 19, 2026. Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. West Virginia puts your total base period wages into one of 404 wage classes, each $150 wide and starting at $2,200, and pays the weekly rate printed for that class. The rate works out to 55 percent of one fifty-second of the middle of the class, rounded down.
How is the West Virginia weekly benefit amount calculated?
West Virginia puts your total base period wages into one of 404 wage classes, each $150 wide and starting at $2,200, and pays the weekly rate printed for that class. The rate works out to 55 percent of one fifty-second of the middle of the class, rounded down. Class 1 ($2,200 to $2,349.99) pays $24 a week and base period wages of $62,650 or more pay the $662 maximum. Only total base period wages count, not the highest quarter.
How long can I collect unemployment in West Virginia?
Every wage class gets a maximum benefit of 26 times the weekly rate, so regular benefits last up to 26 weeks. A week with partial benefits uses up only that week's payment, so a balance can remain after 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in West Virginia?
West Virginia taxes unemployment benefits. State law (21A-6-1c) says unemployment compensation is subject to federal and state income tax and lets you choose to have both withheld.
Can I work part time and still get West Virginia unemployment?
West Virginia subtracts the part of your weekly wages above $60 from your weekly benefit rate and rounds down to the dollar. For example, a $300 rate and $160 of wages pays $200. The DOL July 2026 compilation adds a footnote that part-time wages below the weekly rate are not deducted; we could not find that rule in the statute, so ask WorkForce West Virginia how it applies to you.
Why does a small change in wages move my West Virginia benefit?
Your benefit comes from a table of wage classes $150 wide, so base period wages that cross into the next class raise the weekly rate by about $1 or $2. The weekly rate does not rise in smaller steps, and the 26-week maximum moves with it.
Sources for West Virginia
- W. Va. Code 21A-6-10, Benefit rate, total unemployment (archived copy)All 404 wage classes (every class checked in our tests), 26 times the rate, $662 top class
- W. Va. Code 21A-6-11, Partial unemployment (archived copy)$60 disregard and rounding
- W. Va. Code 21A-6-1, Eligibility (archived copy)$2,200 and two-quarter test, alternative base period
- W. Va. Code 21A-6-1c, Tax withholdingFederal and state income tax treatment
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)Cross-check of $24, $662 and 26 weeks
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: code.wvlegislature.gov blocked direct access, so the benefit table was read from an Internet Archive copy dated November 2025 (it notes the amendments take effect July 1, 2024). The printed table has typographical errors, for example class 1 is printed ending at $2,359.99 although class 2 starts at $2,350; this calculator follows the $150 class width. The tax statement comes from a search excerpt of 21A-6-1c.