Here's the short answer, from the state's own current figures: Minnesota pays about 50 percent of your average weekly wage, up to a maximum of $948 per week, for up to 26 weeks. But "about 50 percent" hides a precise formula that decides your exact number, a duration rule that can shorten those 26 weeks, and several deductions that surprise people mid-claim. This article walks through all of it, sourced to the statute — including why so many other websites list the wrong maximum.
The current maximum — and why other sites disagree
As of this article's last review, the state maximum weekly benefit is $948 — that figure comes directly from DEED's official applicant handbook, not from a third-party calculator.
The distinction matters because the maximum is not fixed: by statute, it's pegged to two-thirds (66⅔ percent) of Minnesota's average weekly wage, and it resets every year on the last Sunday in October as state wages change. That's why a search for "Minnesota unemployment maximum" returns pages claiming $740, $762, $857, $890, and $948 — each was correct in some past year, and most were never updated. When you see a dollar figure on any website, including this one, the question to ask is as of when. Ours is current as of the October 2025 adjustment; the next reset comes in late October 2026, and the official number always lives at uimn.org.
The exact formula behind "about 50 percent"
Your weekly benefit amount is set by Minn. Stat. § 268.07, subd. 2a, and the statute actually runs two calculations, then gives you the higher result:
- The whole-base-period calculation: 50 percent of your average weekly wage across your entire base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you applied — capped at 66⅔ percent of the state's average weekly wage. That cap is where the $948 maximum comes from.
- The high-quarter calculation: 50 percent of your average weekly wage during your single highest-earning quarter, capped at a lower ceiling — 43 percent of the state's average weekly wage.
The second calculation exists to protect people whose earnings were concentrated rather than steady — a strong stretch of work followed by reduced hours, seasonal patterns, or a job that started partway through the base period. If your earnings were uneven, the high-quarter route can produce a meaningfully higher weekly benefit than averaging across lean quarters would. You don't have to choose: the state computes both and pays the better one, rounded down to the next lower whole dollar.
If you're not sure which quarters make up your base period — or whether you have enough wages to qualify at all — that's the first of the three eligibility tests covered in our companion guide, Do I Qualify for Unemployment Benefits in Minnesota?
How long benefits last
The total amount available on your benefit account is the lower of two numbers: 26 times your weekly benefit amount, or one-third of your total base-period wage credits. Minn. Stat. § 268.07. In practice: people with a steady, full base period of work generally get the full 26 weeks; people with a thinner work history get a smaller total pot, which runs out in fewer weeks. Extensions beyond 26 weeks exist only in special circumstances — typically severe economic downturns that trigger state or federal extended-benefits programs — and shouldn't be counted on.
Your benefit account also has a shelf life: it's established for a benefit year, and benefits must be requested week by week within it. Weeks you never request generally can't be paid later, which is why we tell every reader to start weekly payment requests immediately — even while an eligibility dispute is pending.
Two worked examples
Example 1 — steady earner. Maria earned $52,000 in covered wages, spread evenly across her base period. Her average weekly wage is $1,000, so the whole-base-period calculation gives her $500 per week — comfortably under the $948 cap. Her total pot is the lower of 26 × $500 ($13,000) or one-third of $52,000 ($17,333) — so $13,000, a full 26 weeks at $500.
Example 2 — uneven earner. James earned $18,000 across his base period, but $9,000 of it came in his best quarter. The whole-base-period calculation gives him about $173 per week ($18,000 ÷ 52 weeks ≈ $346 average weekly wage, halved). But the high-quarter calculation looks at $9,000 over one 13-week quarter — a $692 average weekly wage — and gives him $346 per week. He gets the higher figure: $346. His total pot is the lower of 26 × $346 ($8,996) or one-third of $18,000 ($6,000) — so $6,000, which at $346 per week lasts about 17 weeks, not 26.
These are illustrations with clean numbers, not predictions — your Determination of Benefit Account, mailed after you apply, states your actual weekly amount and total. One important caution from DEED itself: receiving that determination does not by itself mean you'll be paid — eligibility (the reason your job ended, and the weekly requirements) is decided separately.
The waiting week, and when the first payment arrives
Minnesota has a one-week unpaid waiting period: the first week you're otherwise eligible is a "nonpayable week" — you must request it like any other week, but you aren't paid for it. Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 1. Budget for that gap. After that, payments follow your weekly requests, arriving electronically; if an eligibility issue is under review, payments hold until it's resolved — and then pay out for properly requested weeks if you win. Details on timing are on DEED's first-payment page.
What shrinks the check: part-time work, severance, and taxes
Working part-time. You can work and still collect, below 32 hours a week. If your gross earnings for a week equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount, that week pays nothing; below that, 50 percent of your earnings are deducted from the benefit. Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 5. So at a $400 weekly benefit, earning $200 in a week leaves you a $300 check ($400 minus half of $200) — total income $500. The math is designed so working part-time always leaves you ahead; the trap is reporting, not working. Report gross earnings in the week you earn them, every week, exactly.
Severance and other payments. Severance, bonus pay, workers' compensation, and some pension payments can delay or reduce weeks of benefits — vacation and PTO payouts at a permanent separation, notably, do not. The full rules, including the timing math for severance, are covered in the payments section of our eligibility guide.
Taxes. Unemployment benefits are taxable income, federally and in Minnesota. You can elect withholding when you apply (or change it later — see DEED's withholdings page), and you'll receive a 1099-G at year end. Electing withholding up front spares you a tax-time surprise on top of a hard year.
Knowing your number is step one. Keeping it is the rest.
The formula sets what you're owed — but whether you're paid turns on why your job ended and how you handle the process. Chat with Eliza, our AI intake assistant, to talk through your situation, and get our free information packet on eligibility. No payment, no obligation.
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- Minn. Stat. § 268.07 (2025) — weekly unemployment benefit amount and maximum amount of benefits, available at revisor.mn.gov; Minn. Stat. § 268.085 (2025) — waiting week and deductible earnings.
- Minnesota Unemployment Insurance Program, Information Handbook: After You Apply (current maximum weekly benefit amount) and related handbook pages at uimn.org.
This article describes Minnesota law and official figures as of its last-reviewed date and is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes, rules, and dollar amounts change — the maximum weekly benefit adjusts each October. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.