Ohio Unemployment Calculator 2026
Ohio pays $0–$842 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 50% of your average weekly wage. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations.
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: Ohio Unemployment Program Policy: 'Regular Base Period. The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately before the first day of an applicant's benefit year. Only wages earned or paid to individuals in covered employment in the base period can be used in determining benefit rights. The base period never includes more than four quarters.' (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-08-01 against Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 'How UI Benefits are Calculated' (2026 dependency-class maximums, 2026 minimum average weekly wage, deductible income and the 20% earnings exemption) + Ohio Unemployment Program Policy 'Qualifying Week, Average Weekly Wage, and Weekly Benefit Amount' and 'Valid Applications' (eff. 6/16/2025) (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
Ohio disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
- Disregard: 0.2 × WBA $400.00 = $80.00
- Countable earnings: $150.00 − $80.00 = $70.00
- Payable: WBA $400.00 − $70.00 = $330.00
How dependants change the Ohio benefit
Ohio pays no per-dependent allowance; dependents instead raise the CAP on the weekly benefit amount. ODJFS, 'The 2026 maximums for each dependency classification': 0 qualifying dependents - maximum weekly benefit amount $624 (minimum average weekly wage to reach it $1,248); 1-2 dependents - $757 ($1,514); 3 or more dependents - $842 ($1,684). ODJFS worked example: '$1300 average weekly wage X 1/2 = $650 ... if you have no dependents, the weekly benefit amount would be the maximum weekly payment for 0 dependents of $624. However, if you have 1 or 2 dependents or 3 or more dependents, the weekly benefit amount would be $650 (because 50 percent of the average weekly wage is less than the maximum payable).' This estimate applies the Class A cap of $624; claimants with dependents may be paid up to $757 or $842.
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks; total benefits are Ohio Unemployment Program Policy, Total Benefits Payable: 'The total benefits payable is calculated by multiplying the weekly benefit amount by the number of qualifying weeks worked in the claimant's base period. A claimant is only entitled to the maximum 26 weeks of benefits if they worked 26 weeks or more during the base period.'
Who qualifies for benefits in Ohio
ODJFS: 'You must have worked (full-time or part-time) at least 20 weeks during the base period for any number of employers who pay unemployment contributions. A "week" may be established with any calendar week in which you earned or were paid wages, or with allocated payments such as vacation pay, severance pay, and holiday pay.' And: 'If you file your application during 2026, you must have an average weekly wage of at least $352 before taxes or other deductions. The average weekly wage is determined by dividing your total wages earned during the base period, from any employer who pays unemployment contributions, by the total number of weeks worked during the same base period for the same employer.' The $352 figure is the statutory 27.5% of the statewide average weekly wage, which 'is calculated annually by the director' (Ohio Unemployment Program Policy).
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations ↗
Base period in Ohio
Ohio Unemployment Program Policy: 'Regular Base Period. The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately before the first day of an applicant's benefit year. Only wages earned or paid to individuals in covered employment in the base period can be used in determining benefit rights. The base period never includes more than four quarters.'. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. 'Alternate Base Period. The four most recently completed calendar quarters preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year. The alternate base period is ONLY used if the individual does not have sufficient qualifying weeks and wages in the regular base period to qualify for benefit rights.' ODJFS adds: 'If you worked 20 weeks, but the weeks do not fall within the base period or your average weekly wage was less than the established minimum within the regular base period, you may still be able to establish a right to benefits if the weeks fall within the alternate base period.'
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
ODJFS lists severance pay first among deductible income, with the footnote: 'Severance pay allocated by the employer to a week(s) following the date of separation is deductible from unemployment benefits.' Vacation pay, pensions, company buy-out plans and workers' compensation are also deductible; Social Security, supplemental unemployment benefits (S.U.B.), National Guard/reserve pay for scheduled drills, interest dividends and rental income are not. 'If the income is to be deducted, but less than your weekly benefit amount, your weekly payment will be reduced by the amount of income for the week.'
Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 'How UI Benefits are Calculated' (2026 dependency-class maximums, 2026 minimum average weekly wage, deductible income and the 20% earnings exemption) + Ohio Unemployment Program Policy 'Qualifying Week, Average Weekly Wage, and Weekly Benefit Amount' and 'Valid Applications' (eff. 6/16/2025) (verified 2026-08-01).
Ohio unemployment: frequently asked questions
Ohio pays between $0 and $624 per week in 2026 (up to $842 with a dependents allowance). Your amount is 50% of your average weekly wage, and only Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-08-01.
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