South Dakota Unemployment Calculator 2026
South Dakota pays $28–$575 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division.
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 the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the effective date of your new claim for reemployment assistance benefits' (SD DLR). (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance - Benefit Amount/Wage Requirements + RA Claimant Handbook (pam247) (effective 2026-07-05)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
South Dakota 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
Up to 26 weeks; total benefits are SD DLR: 'The maximum amount payable in your benefit year is one-third your total base period wages, but not more than 26 times your weekly benefit.'
Who qualifies for benefits in South Dakota
SD DLR: 'To qualify for benefits you must have been paid wages by an employer that pays unemployment taxes, for civilian employment with the federal government or for active duty in the military service in two or more quarters of your base period.' 'Your wages in the highest quarter of your base period must be at least $728. Also, your wages in the other three quarters of your base period must be at least 20 times your weekly benefit.'
- Minimum high-quarter wages
- $728
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division ↗
Base period in South Dakota
'The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the effective date of your new claim for reemployment assistance benefits' (SD DLR).. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. 'The alternative base period is the last four completed quarters prior to the claim being filed. There is a special base period for persons who are not monetarily eligible because they have not worked for an extended period due to a work-related injury. This base period can only be used if a claim is filed within 24 months after the injury.'
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
SD DLR RA Claimant Handbook, Deductions - Other income: 'A severance package, vacation, sick, holiday, or a continuation of pay from an employer may affect your benefits. If you receive or begin to receive any other income you must report it. You may be contacted by the agency for additional details to help determine if it is deductible.'
Source: South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance - Benefit Amount/Wage Requirements + RA Claimant Handbook (pam247) (verified 2026-07-31).
South Dakota unemployment: frequently asked questions
South Dakota pays between $28 and $575 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter, and only South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division 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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