Louisiana Unemployment Calculator 2026
Louisiana pays $35–$282 per week for up to 12 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1% of your total base-period wages. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration.
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 four of the last five completed calendar quarters: wages from the current quarter and the 'lag' quarter are not used; the four quarters before the lag quarter are. BRI example: a claim filed in December 2025 uses wages from July 2024 through June 2025..
File your claim with Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against LWC 'Unemployment Benefits Rights and Information' (Rev. 08/2026) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Louisiana disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
How long benefits can last
Currently up to 12 weeks — this state ties duration to its unemployment rate: R.S. 23:1595(B) / LWC BRI schedule keyed to the average of the three most recently published seasonally adjusted state unemployment rates preceding the filing month: 5.0% or less = 12 weeks; >5.0% and <5.5% = 13; 5.5% to <6.0% = 14; 6.0% to <6.5% = 15; 6.5% to <7.0% = 16; 7.0% to <7.5% = 17; 7.5% to <8.0% = 18; 8.0% to <8.5% = 19; 8.5% or more = 20 weeks. LWC's monthly 'Maximum Duration of Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits' report (laworks.net) lists 12 weeks for claims filed in July and August 2026 (average rate 4.4%); the duration fixed at filing holds for the entire benefit year.
Who qualifies for benefits in Louisiana
BRI (Rev. 08/2026): the monetary determination must show base-period wages of at least $1,200 in total, and total wages at least 1.5 times the highest quarter. Agency example: 'If your high quarter was $3,000, your total wages must be $4,500 or more.'
- Minimum base-period wages
- $1,200
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration ↗
Base period in Louisiana
First four of the last five completed calendar quarters: wages from the current quarter and the 'lag' quarter are not used; the four quarters before the lag quarter are. BRI example: a claim filed in December 2025 uses wages from July 2024 through June 2025.. No alternate base period is offered. No alternate base period appears in the LWC Benefit Rights Information or claimant FAQ opened 2026-07-31.
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
R.S. 23:1595(A): 'if a base period employer has provided severance pay, which when prorated weekly is an amount which equals or exceeds the claimant's weekly benefit amount, the claimant's benefit entitlement ... shall be reduced by one week for each week of severance pay, provided that no claimant's entitlement shall be reduced to less than one week.' BRI lists severance among payments that can make a week ineligible and requires reporting all such payments.
Source: LWC 'Unemployment Benefits Rights and Information' (Rev. 08/2026) (verified 2026-07-31).
Louisiana unemployment: frequently asked questions
Louisiana pays between $35 and $282 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1% of your total base-period wages, and only Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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