Unemployment Compensation

In North Carolina, you can receive up to 13 weeks of unemployment compensation benefits in a claim year. This is one of the lowest amounts of unemployment compensation benefit weeks in the nation, with only Florida dipping lower at 12 maximum weeks. North Carolina’s 13 weeks is half of the suggested national rate of 26 weeks.

Your unemployment compensation is distributed once a week, typically on a Friday (though this changes if Friday falls on a holiday) and is paid to you by the Division of Employment Services (DES). It can be distributed to a free debit card or deposited directly into your bank account. Calculating your potential benefits requires just a little math.

Calculating North Carolina Unemployment Benefit Amounts

Determine Your Weekly Benefit Amount

Weekly Benefit Amounts (WBA) are gauged in North Carolina according to this formula:

• Add up your wages in the last two quarters of the base period
• Divide that amount by 52 (52 weeks in the year)

EXAMPLE: If your wages in the last two quarters (a quarter is a three-month period) were $20,000, you would divide $20,000 by 52 to come up with $384. Because the Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount in North Carolina is $350, you will not receive $384, but instead you will receive the maximum of $350 each claim week.

NOTE: If your Weekly Benefit Amount is under $15, you will receive no benefits.

Determine Your Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA)

To determine your Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA), multiply your Weekly Benefit Amount by 13 (maximum claim weeks in a claim year for North Carolina claimants). Currently, the maximum anyone can receive in North Carolina during a claim year is $4,550.

EXAMPLE: If your Weekly Benefit Amount is $250, multiply that by 13 to come up with $3,750. If your Weekly Benefit Amount was $365, you would multiply that by 13 to come up with $4,748. Because the Maximum Benefit Amount in a claim year is $4,550, you will not receive up to $4,748 in a claim year, but instead, you would receive the max of $4,550.