Connecticut Unemployment Calculator 2026
Connecticut pays $44–$721 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/52 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 Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL).
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 Standard Base Period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters' (handbook). (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against CTDOL 'Information on Unemployment Tax Rate for Calendar Year 2026' + 'A Guide to Collecting Benefits in Connecticut' (claimant handbook) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Connecticut disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
How dependants change the Connecticut benefit
Handbook: '$15 weekly for each child', capped at 'five dependents ($75)'; the dependency allowance cannot exceed the weekly benefit rate.
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks.
Who qualifies for benefits in Connecticut
Handbook: 'you must have a total amount of base period earnings that equals or exceeds 40 times the weekly benefit rate.' Minimum base-period earnings for calendar 2026: '$44 x 40 = $1760' (indexed annually; reverts to $600 if a fully federally funded supplement exists).
- Minimum base-period wages
- $1,760
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) ↗
Base period in Connecticut
'The Standard Base Period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters' (handbook).. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. Alternate Base Period = 'the four calendar quarters immediately preceding the quarter in which the claim is filed', used only when the standard period does not qualify; a Special Base Period exists after breaks for workers' compensation.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
Handbook (Deductions, Separation Pay): 'A severance package, pay in lieu of notice, or a continuation of pay with full benefits from an employer may affect UI benefits. Be sure to report any separation payments when you file your claim. You may be contacted by CTDOL for additional details to help determine if your separation pay is deductible from your benefit payment.'
Source: CTDOL 'Information on Unemployment Tax Rate for Calendar Year 2026' + 'A Guide to Collecting Benefits in Connecticut' (claimant handbook) (verified 2026-07-31).
Connecticut unemployment: frequently asked questions
Connecticut pays between $44 and $721 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/52 of your two highest-earning quarters combined, and only Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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