United States · unemployment insurance
Do I qualify for unemployment?
Check the base-period earnings test in 18 states using your wages for each quarter. This tests earnings only, not why you lost your job.
Earnings test only, not a claim decision
Qualifying also depends on why you separated from work, being able and available to work, and other state rules. Your agency decides. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Your base-period wages
Earnings test
How it works
Every state requires a minimum of wages or work in your base period before it will open a claim. The Department of Labor groups the methods as a multiple of high-quarter wages (often 1.5 times, so total wages must be at least 1.5 times your best quarter), a multiple of your weekly benefit amount, a flat dollar amount, or weeks or hours worked. This page checks the states whose rule uses wages alone: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.
High-quarter wages (HQW) are what you earned in your best quarter of the base period; base-period wages (BPW) are all four quarters. For example, 1.5 times HQW means a worker with $5,000 in the best quarter needs $7,500 in total, as DOL's own example describes.
| State | Earnings needed in base period (DOL, July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 1½ x HQW |
| Alaska | $2,500; wages in 2 qtrs; at least $250 outside HQ |
| California | $1,300 in HQ, or $900 in HQ with BPW = 1¼ x HQ |
| Florida | 1½ x HQW; minimum $3,400; wages in 2 qtrs |
| Illinois | $1,600; $440 outside HQ |
| Louisiana | $1,200 total BPW; wages in 2 qtrs; 1½ x HQW |
| Nebraska | $5,440 in BP, $1,850 in HQW and wages in at least one other qtr of $800 |
| Nevada | 1½ x HQW in BP and $400 in HQ; or wages in 3 of 4 qtrs in BP and $400 in HQ |
| New Hampshire | $2,800; $1,400 in each of 2 qtrs |
| New Mexico | $2,818.70 in HQW and wages in at least 1 other qtr |
| New York | 1½ x HQW; $3,500 in HQ |
| North Dakota | 1½ x HQW; wages in 2 qtrs |
| Oregon | BPW > $1,000 and BPW > 1½ x HQW; or 500 hours of employment in BP |
| South Carolina | 1½ x HQW; $4,455 minimum; $1,092 in HQ |
| Utah | $5,500 in BP and 1½ x HQW |
| Vermont | 1.4 x HQW and $3,832 in HQ |
| Virginia | $3,000 in highest 2 qtrs of BP |
| West Virginia | $2,200 and wages in 2 qtrs |
Not covered. States that test a multiple of your weekly benefit amount, hours, weeks, or statewide average wages (for example Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts and Washington) are not checked because they need more information than quarterly wages. Oregon also accepts 500 hours of employment, which this page does not test; California and Nevada alternatives are shown in the checklist.
Sources and as-of date. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026 (column Earnings/Employment Needed in Base Period to Qualify), and Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws 2023, Chapter 3 for the methods of qualifying, listed on the DOL state UI laws page, retrieved October 2026. DOL states the summary is informational, not an official interpretation of state law.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to have earned to qualify for unemployment?
It depends on the state. Many require total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest-quarter wages plus a minimum dollar amount, for example New York requires $3,500 in the high quarter, Florida a $3,400 minimum, and Virginia $3,000 in the two highest quarters (Department of Labor, July 2026).
What are high-quarter wages?
They are your gross wages in the single calendar quarter of your base period in which you earned the most. Many states test your total wages against a multiple of that number.
What if I do not meet the earnings test?
Ask your agency whether an alternative base period (the last four completed quarters) applies, which can include recent higher earnings. Some states also count hours or weeks worked. The base-period calculator on this site shows both periods.
Why are only 18 states included?
The rest test things this page cannot know from quarterly wages alone, such as a multiple of your weekly benefit, hours or weeks worked, or the statewide average wage. Those rules are in the DOL source linked below.
Does meeting the earnings test mean I will be paid?
No. It only means your wage history is enough to establish a claim. You must also have lost your job through no fault of your own in most cases, be able and available to work, and meet your state work-search rules.
Do tips, bonuses and overtime count?
Generally wages reported by employers to the state count, but definitions differ. Use the amounts your employers reported for each quarter, and check your state wage record if the figures look wrong.