You don't have to wait for your first unemployment check in order to find out how much your weekly benefit amount will be. Most states follow a specific equation to calculate your employment benefit amount. You can use this same equation to estimate your benefits.
Instructions
1. Get the earnings data for your last 5 quarters of work. You can get this information from your employer or the employment security department. This is the timeframe from which unemployment benefits will be calculated.
2. Find the two highest earning quarters from the first 4 of the 5 quarters.
3. Calculate the average amount earned from those two highest earning quarters. To do this, add the earnings from the two highest quarters and then divide by 2.
4. Multiply the average earnings of the two months by 3.85% or .0385. This is your weekly benefit amount.
5. Look into unemployment insurance increases from state and government. Depending on where you live, your unemployment insurance may be eligible for weekly supplement bonuses.
