Colorado Unemployment Calculator 2026
Colorado pays $25–$884 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/43.3333 of your two highest-earning quarters combined. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
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 base period is four of the last five calendar quarters before the start date of your claim' - the first four of the last five completed quarters (CDLE Claimant Guide, Eligibility chapter, with worked chart). (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against CDLE Unemployment FAQs + CDLE UI Claimant Guide; formula and minimum from C.R.S. 8-73-102/8-73-104 (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, leg.colorado.gov) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Colorado disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: 0.5 × WBA $400.00 = $200.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $200.00 = $0.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $0.00 = $400.00
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks; total benefits are C.R.S. 8-73-104(1): total benefits equal 'twenty-six times his weekly benefit amount or one-third of his wage credits for insured work paid during his base period, whichever is the lesser.'
Who qualifies for benefits in Colorado
CDLE Claimant Guide: 'You must have earned at least $2,500 in wages during your base period.'
- Minimum base-period wages
- $2,500
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) ↗
Base period in Colorado
'The base period is four of the last five calendar quarters before the start date of your claim' - the first four of the last five completed quarters (CDLE Claimant Guide, Eligibility chapter, with worked chart).. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. CDLE Claimant Guide: 'If you did not earn at least $2,500 during the standard base period, you may be eligible to use an alternate base period ... (the most recent four completed calendar quarters).' C.R.S. 8-73-102(1)(b) provides the alternative-base-period option.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
CDLE Claimant Guide (Amount of Benefits, Deductions): 'A severance package may affect UI benefits. Be sure to report any severance payments when you file your weekly payment request. We may contact you for additional details to help determine if your severance pay is deductible.' Severance IS 'any payment that is designated by your employer as a severance allowance'; it is NOT the last paycheck or compensation for hours worked.
Source: CDLE Unemployment FAQs + CDLE UI Claimant Guide; formula and minimum from C.R.S. 8-73-102/8-73-104 (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, leg.colorado.gov) (verified 2026-07-31).
Colorado unemployment: frequently asked questions
Colorado pays between $25 and $884 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/43.3333 of your two highest-earning quarters combined, and only Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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