Unemployment benefits in California (2026): weekly amount and how to apply
From the July 2026 table
Minimum $40. Maximum $450.
The table lists 14 to 26 weeks. The weeks column does not include extra weeks a state pays only in limited circumstances, such as high unemployment, approved training, or a workforce dislocation.
These figures are for California only. They come from the U.S. Department of Labor's Significant Provisions table, effective July 1, 2026. That publication says it is not an official interpretation of state law.
Weekly benefit amount
Minimum: $40. Maximum: $450.
How the weekly amount is calculated
1/23 to 1/26 high-quarter wages.
The table prints: 1/23 to 1/26 HQW.
What you need to qualify
$1,300 in high quarter, or $900 in high quarter with base-period wages = 1 1/4 times high quarter.
The table prints: $1,300 in HQ, or $900 in HQ with BPW = 1¼ x HQ.
Maximum weeks
The table lists 14 to 26 weeks. The weeks column does not include extra weeks a state pays only in limited circumstances, such as high unemployment, approved training, or a workforce dislocation.
The maximum benefit calculation, in plain words: Lesser of 1/2 base-period wages or 26 times weekly benefit amount.
The table prints: Lesser of 1/2 BPW or 26 x WBA.
Waiting week
Yes. Table 3-7 lists a one-week waiting period for California. Benefits are not payable for that week. The table says this week applies to total unemployment, partial unemployment, or consecutive benefit years unless a note says otherwise. The table lists a waiver during a state of war emergency, or a state of emergency, if the waiting period would prevent, hinder, or delay mitigation of that emergency, such as a natural disaster. Footnote 2 says the one-week wait is deferred if the claimant is in continued-claim status from a prior year's claim, and it must be served later if payments stop for a week. The credit may be served in the last week of the prior benefit year if that claim was exhausted.
The July 2026 table does not repeat the waiting week. It tells readers to use Chapter 3 of the 2023 Comparison.
Working part time
Part-time work can still leave a payment for that week. The July 2026 table lists what this state disregards: Greater of $25 or 1/4 wages. Earnings above that amount can reduce the weekly benefit. The table does not print a longer partial-benefit formula, so this page does not add one.
The table prints: Greater of $25 or 1/4 wages.
How to apply
File with the unemployment agency in the state where you worked. The July 2026 report says state filing information is at Unemployment.gov. Do not type a Social Security number, a password, or a bank account on this website.
California page opened on October 22, 2026: California Employment Development Department, unemployment benefits.
When the benefits run out
The unemployment weeks above are the regular state maximum in the July 2026 table. When they end, these California guides are the next places to check. Just lost your job? puts them in order.
Last checked: October 22, 2026
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026 Effective July 1, 2026. Weekly amounts, earnings disregarded, weeks payable, and the qualifying and benefit formulas come from this table.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, 2023, Chapter 3, Table 3-7 The July 2026 table points here for the waiting week. The edition is 2023. It was not reissued as a 2026 comparison.
- Unemployment.gov, find your state The July 2026 report says filing information for a state claim is at Unemployment.gov.
- Unemployment.gov, common questions Read October 22, 2026. It says claims are filed in the state where you worked. It does not print a first-payment date or a certification schedule.
- California Employment Development Department, unemployment benefits State page opened October 22, 2026.
What changed
- October 22, 2026. Published the July 2026 weekly figures and the 2023 waiting-week table. Certification frequency and a state first-payment date are left off because those sources do not print them.