Minnesota unemployment in 2026: half your wage, up to $948 a week
Minnesota's DEED pays half of your weekly wage, measured two ways, and keeps the better result, between $37 and $948 a week in 2026.
Unemployment in Minnesota
$769
a week, for up to 26 weeks · $19,994 in all
| Weekly benefit | $769 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $19,994 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $2,399 |
| 10% federal withholding, if you ask (W-4V) | $77 a week |
| State income tax on it | check your state |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $1,245 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 62 % before tax |
Minnesota: Higher of 50% of 1/13 HQW up to 43% of State AWW or 50% of 1/52 BPW up to 66⅔% of State AWW; $37 to $948 a week.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
Minnesota pays unemployment at 50% of your weekly wage, and the Department of Employment and Economic Development measures that wage two ways. One uses the best quarter of your base period divided by 13, with the benefit capped at $611; the other uses the whole base period divided by 52, capped at $948, the state maximum. You receive the higher of the two. With steady pay the two methods agree until the quarterly cap: $60,000 gives $576 a week either way. Past about $63,544 a year, only the whole-year method keeps rising, so $80,000 gives $769 and $100,000 reaches $948. With uneven pay the best-quarter method usually wins, up to its cap. Benefits run for up to 26 weeks, but the total cannot pass a third of base-period wages. Part-time earnings cut the check by 50 cents per dollar. The minimum is $37.
Steady pay: the two methods give the same answer
Half of a best quarter divided by 13 and half of a year divided by 52 are the same number when every quarter is equal. That is why a Minnesotan with steady wages does not need to think about the two methods until pay gets high. The difference is in the caps. The best-quarter route stops at $611, 43% of the state average weekly wage; the whole-year route stops at $948, two thirds of it, as reported in the Department of Labor table of July 2026. So above roughly $63,544 of base-period wages, the whole-year method takes over and climbs until about $98,592.
Your Minnesota benefit
Unemployment in Minnesota
$769
| Weekly benefit | $769 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $19,994 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $2,399 |
Uneven pay: the best quarter usually helps
When one quarter stands out, the quarterly method gives more, at least up to its own cap. A claimant who earned $40,000, with $15,000 in the best quarter, gets $576 through that route, against $385 from the yearly route. The price is duration: the total is capped at a third of base-period wages, $13,333 here, which pays about 23.1 weeks rather than 26. The DOL table puts Minnesota's range at 9 to 26 weeks for that reason.
Eligibility is a single wage test, total base-period wages of at least 5.3% of the state's average annual wage, plus the usual conditions on why the job ended. The base period guide shows which quarters are used.
Part-time work at half the cost
Minnesota does not have a flat disregard. Every dollar you earn in a week reduces the benefit by 50 cents. On a $576 benefit, $300 of earnings leaves a payment of $426, so the week brings in $726 in all. Payments stop for the week once earnings reach twice the benefit. The partial unemployment guide compares this with other states.
Requests and taxes
Claimants request benefits every week, online or by phone, and must be available for and looking for suitable work. Payments are federal taxable income (IRS Topic 418); asking for withholding of 10% avoids a single bill at filing time. A leave for your own health or a new child falls under Minnesota Paid Leave instead.
Minnesota unemployment rules in force in 2026
| Rule | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Earnings needed in the base period | 5.3% of State AAW |
| Weekly benefit formula | Higher of 50% of 1/13 HQW up to 43% of State AWW or 50% of 1/52 BPW up to 66⅔% of State AWW |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $37 to $948 |
| Most you can draw in a benefit year | Lesser of 1/3 BPW or 26 x WBA |
| Weeks payable | 9 to 26 |
| Pay you can earn in a week without losing benefits | WBA reduced by 50 cents for every $1 earned |