Arizona Unemployment Calculator 2026
Arizona pays $0–$320 per week for up to 24 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/25 of your highest-earning base-period quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES).
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Enter your gross wages for each quarter of the base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Your state's exact window is shown with the result.
Base period: 'The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year' (ARS 23-605)..
File your claim with Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against Arizona Revised Statutes 23-779 (Amount of benefits), with ARS 23-605, 23-621, 23-771, 23-780 (Arizona State Legislature) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Arizona disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: flat $160.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $160.00 = $0.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $0.00 = $400.00
How long benefits can last
Currently up to 24 weeks — this state ties duration to its unemployment rate: ARS 23-780: total benefits = 26x WBA 'if the unemployment rate in the prior calendar quarter is five percent or more', 24x WBA 'if the unemployment rate in the prior calendar quarter is less than five percent'; and never 'more than one-third of the individual's base period earnings in a benefit year.' Current figure 24 weeks per the Arizona Legislature's HB2450 House Summary (May 2025; bill vetoed - the two-tier law stands), which records the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (Nov 2024) at 3.7% and current-law duration of 24 weeks below the 5% trigger. The applicable count is redetermined from Office of Economic Opportunity quarterly data - re-verify quarterly.
Who qualifies for benefits in Arizona
ARS 23-771(A)(6): EITHER base-period wages of at least 1.5x the high quarter AND high-quarter wages of at least 390x the minimum wage prescribed by ARS 23-363 in effect when the claim is filed; OR wages in at least two base-period quarters with one quarter sufficient to qualify for the maximum WBA and total base-period wages at or above the ARS 23-622(B) taxable limit.
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) ↗
Base period in Arizona
'The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year' (ARS 23-605).. No alternate base period is offered. ARS 23-605 (full text reviewed) has no shortage-of-wages alternate base period; the only exceptions are the overlapping-benefit-year rule in 23-605 and the temporary-total-disability base period in ARS 23-771(B).
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
ARS 23-621(C): 'An individual shall not be deemed "unemployed" if the individual is receiving wages in lieu of notice or severance pay.' The pay is allocated per a written contract in effect at separation, or otherwise to the period after the last day worked, 'continuing for the number of work days that the pay would cover at the regular wage or salary rate.' 23-621(D) defines severance pay broadly (exit incentives, RIF payments, release consideration); employer-paid health benefits are excluded.
Source: Arizona Revised Statutes 23-779 (Amount of benefits), with ARS 23-605, 23-621, 23-771, 23-780 (Arizona State Legislature) (verified 2026-07-31).
Arizona unemployment: frequently asked questions
Arizona pays between $0 and $320 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/25 of your highest-earning base-period quarter, and only Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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