Illinois unemployment benefits in 2026: the 47% rule and the dependents allowance
IDES pays 47% of your average weekly pay in your two best quarters, from $51 to $628 a week, and more for a dependent spouse or child.
Unemployment in Illinois
$433
a week, for up to 26 weeks · $11,258 in all
| Weekly benefit | $433 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $11,258 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $1,261 |
| 10% federal withholding, if you ask (W-4V) | $43 a week |
| State income tax on it | check your state |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $784 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 55 % before tax |
Illinois: 47% of claimant's AWW in 2 highest qtrs; $51 to $628 a week, more with dependents.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
The Illinois Department of Employment Security adds the wages of the two highest quarters of your base period, divides by 26 to get an average weekly wage and pays 47% of it. For 2026 that gives a range of $51 to $628 a week for a claimant without dependents, and up to $859 with a dependent spouse or child. The ceiling needs about $34,741 in the two quarters together. With $48,000 earned evenly, those quarters hold $24,000 and the check is $433; with $18,000 and $10,000 in the best two, the same yearly pay gives $506. A part-time worker on $26,000 gets $235. Benefits last up to 26 weeks, and the total cannot exceed your base-period wages, a limit almost nobody reaches. Qualifying is easy: $1,600 in the base period, with at least $440 outside the best quarter.
Two quarters smooth out a spike
Illinois sits between the states that use a single quarter and those that use the whole year. Taking the two strongest quarters means one unusually good quarter helps, but only half as much as it would in Texas or California. A sales representative with $18,000 in the fourth quarter and $10,000 in the third has $28,000 to work with: divided by 26, that is $1,077 a week, and 47% of it gives $506. The same yearly total spread evenly gives $433.
The rate itself, 47%, is set in the Illinois statute and reported in the Department of Labor table of July 2026. The ceiling of $628 applies once the two quarters reach about $34,741, which is roughly $69,482 a year of even pay.
Your Illinois weekly benefit
Unemployment in Illinois
$433
| Weekly benefit | $433 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $11,258 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $1,261 |
What a dependent adds
Illinois pays a dependents allowance for a non-working spouse or a dependent child, and it does not stop at the ordinary ceiling. The DOL table gives the range with the allowance as $77 to $859, so a claimant at the top of the scale with a dependent child can draw $231 more a week than the same claimant alone. The allowance is a percentage of your prior average weekly wage, so lower earners gain less in dollars. You claim it when you file, and IDES may ask for documents. The calculator leaves it out.
The full 26 weeks, with rare exceptions
The law limits a claim to the lesser of 26 weekly payments and your total base-period wages. Since the weekly amount is less than half of your weekly pay, a year of wages is always more than 26 payments, and in practice every eligible claimant has 26 weeks. At $433 a week that is $11,258; at the maximum, $16,328 before any allowance. The duration guide shows how unusual a uniform duration is.
Certifying and earning on the side
Illinois claimants certify every two weeks through IDES and keep a record of their work search. Part-time earnings are reduced by a disregard of half the weekly benefit: on a $433 benefit, earnings up to $217 in a week leave the check whole, and anything above comes off dollar for dollar. Report gross pay in the week you did the work.
The IRS taxes unemployment as ordinary income (Topic 418), and you can ask IDES for 10% federal withholding with Form W-4V. For a benefit that small, the tax guide estimates the federal bill.
Illinois unemployment rules in force in 2026
| Rule | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Earnings needed in the base period | $1,600; $440 outside HQ |
| Weekly benefit formula | 47% of claimant's AWW in 2 highest qtrs |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $51 to $628 ($77 to $859 with dependents) |
| Most you can draw in a benefit year | Lesser of 26 x WBA (plus DA) or BP wages |
| Weeks payable | 26 |
| Pay you can earn in a week without losing benefits | 1/2 WBA |