Ky.gov (opens in a new tab)An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Benefits Calculator

Updated

Numbers only. Enter a dollar amount up to $999,999.99 per quarter.

    The Unemployment Benefits calculator is intended to be a quick reference for determining your approximate potential benefit amounts.

    The results obtained are not guaranteed to be accurate.

    The 4 quarters in your base period are the 1st 4 of the last 5 complete calendar quarters. The basic benefit calculation is easy, it is 1.1923% of your base period wages. However, below are some factors which may affect how you would expect the calculation to work:

    • Effective July 5, 2026, the minimum rate is $39 and the maximum rate is $746 per week, regardless of how high the wages are.
    • There must be at least $1500 in one of the 4 quarters or the claim will be invalid.
    • The total wages outside of the highest quarter must be at least $1,500.
    • The total of the 4 quarters must be at least 1 1/2 times the amount in the high quarter.

    If the wages in the 3rd & 4th quarters are very low compared to the 1st 2 quarters the claim may also be invalid. Once the weekly benefit amount is calculated from the wages, the total wages in the final 2 quarters must be at least 8 times this weekly amount.

    Effective July 1, 2023, eligible claimants will now receive between 16 weeks and up to a maximum 24 weeks of benefits depending on the State Average Unemployment Rate (SAUR). That rate is defined as the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate that applies to a six-month period beginning either January 1 or July 1. This page will be updated twice annually to reflect the correct amount of weeks.

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