How California Unemployment Benefits Are Calculated (EDD)
The EDD looks at one number above all: your wages in your best quarter. Here is how it gets from there to your weekly check.
Your weekly unemployment benefit is roughly your highest-earning quarter in the base period ÷ 26, from $40 up to a maximum of $450 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Anyone who earned about $11,700 or more in their best quarter gets the maximum.
Step 1: your base period
The EDD looks at a 12-month base period. The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts. If you file in October, for example, it's April of last year through March of this year. The most recent quarter is skipped because the wage data isn't in yet.
If you don't qualify with the standard base period, the EDD automatically checks the alternate base period: the four most recently completed quarters.
Step 2: do you qualify?
You need at least $900 in wages in your highest quarter, and total base-period wages of at least 1.25 times that quarter. You must also have lost work through no fault of your own and be able, available and looking for work each week.
Step 3: the weekly benefit amount
The EDD takes the wages from your highest quarter and uses a benefit table that works out to about that amount ÷ 26. For example, $9,100 in your best quarter gives roughly $350 a week.
The weekly amount is between $40 and $450. The $450 maximum has not changed since 2005, so anyone who earned about $11,700 or more in a quarter (roughly $46,800 a year) gets the same $450, which is well below half of a typical California paycheck at that level.
How long benefits last
Regular state benefits last up to 26 weeks within a one-year benefit year. Federal extensions only exist during periods of high unemployment or special federal programs.
Working part-time while on unemployment
You can work part-time and still collect a partial benefit. You report your gross earnings each week, and the EDD ignores the first $25 or 25% of them, whichever is more. The rest is subtracted from your weekly benefit. If you earn $200 in a week, $50 is ignored and $150 is deducted, so a $350 benefit becomes $200.
Taxes on your benefits
Unemployment benefits are taxable on your federal return but not taxed by California. You can ask the EDD to withhold 10% for federal tax when you file.
Estimate your benefit
Enter your highest-quarter wages in the EDD Unemployment Benefit Calculator to see your weekly and total benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much unemployment will I get in California?
About your highest base-period quarter's wages divided by 26, between $40 and $450 a week. If you earned $11,700 or more in your best quarter, you get the $450 maximum.
What is the maximum unemployment benefit in California?
$450 a week for up to 26 weeks of regular state benefits. The maximum has been $450 since 2005.
What is the base period for California unemployment?
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts. If you don't qualify under it, the EDD checks the alternate base period, the last four completed quarters.
Can I work part-time and collect unemployment in California?
Yes. Report your gross earnings each week. The EDD disregards the first $25 or 25% of your earnings, whichever is more, and subtracts the rest from your weekly benefit.
Are unemployment benefits taxed in California?
Not by California. They are taxable on your federal return, and you can choose to have 10% withheld for federal income tax.
This article is for general information only. The EDD determines eligibility and benefit amounts from your wage records. Contact the EDD about your claim.