Illinois Unemployment Calculator 2026
Illinois pays $51–$857 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 47% of your average weekly wage (your two highest quarters ÷ 26). Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
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: First 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against IDES Table of Weekly Benefit Amounts, BEN 548 (11/2025), benefit years beginning on or after 1/1/2026 (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Illinois 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 dependants change the Illinois benefit
Nonworking spouse: the greater of 9% of prior average weekly wage or $15, with total weekly payment capped at 56% of the statewide average weekly wage ($748 maximum total for 2026). Dependent child(ren): 17.3% allowance rate for 2026 (IDES table BEN 548), total capped at 64.2% of the statewide average weekly wage ($857 maximum total for 2026). A dependent spouse and a dependent child cannot both be claimed (820 ILCS 405/401; IDES Benefits Handbook).
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks.
Who qualifies for benefits in Illinois
IDES: 'you must have earned at least $1,600 during a recent 12-month period (known as the base period) and you must have earned at least $440 outside of the base period quarter in which your earnings were the highest.'
- Minimum base-period wages
- $1,600
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) ↗
Base period in Illinois
First 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. IDES Benefits Handbook: the alternate base period is the 4 most recent completed quarters; it can be used only if you are not monetarily eligible under the standard base period and never to increase the weekly benefit amount.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
IDES instructs claimants who receive severance payments after filing an initial claim to report those payments during certification or by contacting IDES (800-244-5631). The handbook's deduction provisions cover vacation pay, wages in lieu of notice, and back pay; vacation and holiday pay are deducted in full.
Source: IDES Table of Weekly Benefit Amounts, BEN 548 (11/2025), benefit years beginning on or after 1/1/2026 (verified 2026-07-31).
Illinois unemployment: frequently asked questions
Illinois pays between $51 and $628 per week in 2026 (up to $857 with a dependents allowance). Your amount is 47% of your average weekly wage (your two highest quarters ÷ 26), and only Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
More unemployment tools
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