Unemployment Compensation
Unemployment Benefits Compensation is the monetary amount that will be given based on obtaining eligibility. You will not receive payment for the first week that you submit your claim and are completely unemployed. This period is called the waiting week and is required before payments can begin.
The Department of Labor will provide payment through direct deposit or on a U.S. Bank Reliacard a few business days after a weekly certification is completed. The amount received will be determined by the Weekly Benefit Amount. While basic guidelines are provided below, the best way to determine how much you will receive is to apply.
Unemployed? We want to help.
Calculating Idaho Unemployment Benefit Amounts
Determine Your Weekly Benefit Amount
The Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) is calculated based on the actual reported amount from your previous employers. If you worked out of state, for the federal government or were in the military, it would be important to submit documentation so that you can maximize your benefits. The state of Idaho will use the wages you earned in a period of time called the Base Period, which is the first four of the last five quarters, to determine your WBA. The amount you receive is largely dependent on the wages you made during your Base Period.
Determine Your Maximum Benefit Amount
The Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) will be between a minimum of 10 weeks to a maximum of 26 weeks. The total number of weeks of full compensation is calculated based on the ratio of total base period wages compared to the highest base period quarter. To qualify for the maximum number of weeks, you would need to have consistently earned a salary throughout the entire base period. If your income was unbalanced throughout the year or there were stretches of time in which you did not earn an income, the number of full compensation weeks will be shortened.
Every person is granted 52 weeks to use their MBA. Since the highest number of weeks the MBA is allotted to is 26 weeks, you will run out of benefits before the year is over if the entire WBA is requested every week. If you only use a part of your benefit, then it could be stretched out longer.