Arkansas Unemployment Calculator 2026
Arkansas pays $81–$451 per week for up to 12 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is a statutory benefit table (ADWS BENEFIT TABLE, form DWS-ARK-500.1 (Rev. 7-2012), headed "ACA § 11-10-502 Weekly Benefit Amount" - columns: "Average Base Period Wages for Insured Work / Equal or Exceed / But Not More Than", "The Weekly Benefit Amount Will Be", "To Qualify For Benefits Base Period Earnings Must Equal or Exceed".) applied to your highest-earning quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS).
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: ADWS UI Handbook 2026 glossary: "Base Period - The window of time used to determine UI benefit eligibility. At the time an initial claim is filed, the base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.".
File your claim with Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against ADWS Benefit Table DWS-ARK-500.1 (Rev. 7-2012) and Earnings Table DWS-Ark. 516 (Rev. 7-2012) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Arkansas disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: 0.4 × WBA $400.00 = $160.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $160.00 = $0.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $0.00 = $400.00
How long benefits can last
Up to 12 weeks.
Who qualifies for benefits in Arkansas
ADWS Benefit Table column "To Qualify For Benefits Base Period Earnings Must Equal or Exceed" prints 35 x the weekly benefit amount on every row (e.g. WBA 1 -> ,835.00; WBA 51 -> 5,785.00), so the qualifying floor is ,835.00 in base-period earnings at the minimum WBA.
- Minimum base-period wages
- $2,835
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) ↗
Base period in Arkansas
ADWS UI Handbook 2026 glossary: "Base Period - The window of time used to determine UI benefit eligibility. At the time an initial claim is filed, the base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.". No alternate base period is offered. No alternate base period is described in the 2026 handbook or the ADWS benefit/earnings tables opened. Benefit-year quirk (handbook): the benefit year "begins the first day of the first month of the quarter in which the claim is filed" and runs 52 weeks.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
ADWS UI Handbook 2026: "Separation Pay - Severance pay, pay in lieu of notice, or continuing to be paid by an employer may affect benefits. Be sure to report any of this pay when filing a claim for benefits."
Source: ADWS Benefit Table DWS-ARK-500.1 (Rev. 7-2012) and Earnings Table DWS-Ark. 516 (Rev. 7-2012) (verified 2026-07-31).
Arkansas unemployment: frequently asked questions
Arkansas pays between $81 and $451 per week in 2026. Your amount is a statutory benefit table (ADWS BENEFIT TABLE, form DWS-ARK-500.1 (Rev. 7-2012), headed "ACA § 11-10-502 Weekly Benefit Amount" - columns: "Average Base Period Wages for Insured Work / Equal or Exceed / But Not More Than", "The Weekly Benefit Amount Will Be", "To Qualify For Benefits Base Period Earnings Must Equal or Exceed".) applied to your highest-earning quarter, and only Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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