Missouri unemployment in 2026: $320 a week, for as few as 8 or as many as 20 weeks
Missouri pays 4% of the average of your two best quarters, from $35 to $320 a week, and lets the jobless rate decide how many weeks.
Unemployment in Missouri
$240
a week, for up to 20 weeks · $4,800 in all
| Weekly benefit | $240 |
| Weeks (8 to 20 by state jobless rate) | 20 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $4,800 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $347 |
| 10% federal withholding, if you ask (W-4V) | $24 a week |
| State income tax on it | check your state |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $411 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 58 % before tax |
Missouri: 4% of the avg of the 2 HQWs; $35 to $320 a week.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
Missouri's Division of Employment Security averages the wages of your two highest base-period quarters and pays 4% of that average each week, with a 2026 floor of $35 and a ceiling of $320. The ceiling needs an average of only $8,000 a quarter, about $32,000 a year of steady pay, so most full-time workers receive it: $45,000 gives $320, while $24,000 gives $240. Missouri's duration is one of the most variable in the country. The Department of Labor table of July 2026 gives a range of 8 to 20 weeks tied to the state unemployment rate, and a maximum benefit of the lesser of 20 weekly payments and a third of base-period wages. The calculator shows 20 weeks, the top of the range, so $6,400 at the ceiling; at the bottom of the range the same claim would pay $2,560. Qualifying needs at least $1,500 in one quarter and base-period wages of one and a half times the best quarter.
Plan for the short end
A Missouri claim can be worth more than twice as much in one year as in another, for the same worker. The law sets the number of weeks from the state's average unemployment rate, and the federal summary of July 2026 lists the possible range as 8 to 20 weeks. Since the calculator cannot read the rate in force when you file, it shows the most a claim can pay. Treat that as the best case. At $240 a week, 20 weeks is $4,800 and 8 weeks is $1,920; the Division's monetary determination will say which applies.
The practical consequence is that a Missouri claimant should start the job search on day one rather than count on months of support.
Your Missouri benefit
Unemployment in Missouri
$240
| Weekly benefit | $240 |
| Weeks (8 to 20 by state jobless rate) | 20 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $4,800 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $347 |
Four percent of a two-quarter average
Missouri writes its rate as a percentage. Two best quarters of $7,000 and $5,000 average $6,000, and 4% of that is $240. With the ceiling at $320, the formula matters mainly for part-time and lower-wage workers. Averaging two quarters smooths a seasonal peak: a single $12,000 quarter beside a $4,000 one gives the same $320 as two $8,000 quarters.
The one-third cap rarely changes anything. With steady pay, 20 weekly payments add up to about 20 % of the base period's wages, well below a third. It can bite only when nearly all of the year's earnings fell in two quarters.
Who qualifies
Missouri looks for at least $1,500 in one quarter of the base period and total base-period wages of at least one and a half times the best quarter. A second route accepts wages in two quarters adding up to one and a half times the maximum taxable wage base. Beyond the money, the job must have ended through no fault of yours, and you must be able to work, available for it and looking each week. The base period guide shows which months count.
Weekly requests and earnings
Claimants request payment each week online and report work search contacts. Earnings up to the greater of $20 or 20% of the weekly benefit are not counted; the rest comes off the check. With $240 a week, the first $48 of earnings is protected. The partial unemployment guide compares states.
Unemployment is federal taxable income (IRS Topic 418), and 10% withholding is available on request through Form W-4V. The duration guide sets Missouri beside the other states that index their weeks.
Missouri unemployment rules in force in 2026
| Rule | Missouri |
|---|---|
| Earnings needed in the base period | 1½ x HQW; $1,500 in 1 qtr; or wages in 2 qtrs of BP = 1½ maximum TWB |
| Weekly benefit formula | 4% of the avg of the 2 HQWs |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $35 to $320 |
| Most you can draw in a benefit year | Lesser of 1/3 BPW or 20 x WBA |
| Weeks payable | 8 to 20 |
| Pay you can earn in a week without losing benefits | Greater of 20% WBA or $20 |