Louisiana Unemployment Calculator: Up to $275/Week, 12 Weeks

All four quarters determine the Louisiana weekly amount

Louisiana Revised Statute 23:1592 starts with the average of total covered wages across the four base-period quarters, divided by 25. Adding all four quarters and dividing by 100 gives the same result. The amount is rounded down to a whole dollar.

The agency currently confirms a $35 minimum and $275 maximum weekly benefit. Section 23:1474 Procedure 2 removes the historical 7% and 5% discounts from the formula. The calculator uses the current procedure and does not multiply the result by obsolete benefit increases from earlier versions of the law.

With quarters of $5,000, $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000, total covered wages are $14,000 and the weekly estimate is $140. Four equal $3,500 quarters produce the same weekly amount. The distribution of those wages still matters for monetary qualification, even though it does not change this total-wage formula.

A total of $27,500 reaches the $275 ceiling; one cent less rounds to $274. The minimum and maximum apply only after the separate wage tests are met.

Check both monetary earnings requirements

The base period must contain at least $1,200 in wages for insured work. Section 23:1600(5) also requires total covered base-period wages of at least one and one-half times the highest quarter. The high quarter therefore determines a qualification threshold even though weekly pay uses all four quarters.

With $800 in one quarter and $400 in another, the $1,200 total meets both boundaries. The weekly rate is raised from the raw $12 calculation to the $35 minimum. If the second quarter is $399.99, the record fails both monetary boundaries by one cent and the worksheet reports zero for its wage-test result.

A single $1,200 quarter meets the minimum total but fails the wage-distribution test, because $1,800 would be required for that high quarter. Two paid quarters are consequently needed for the ordinary route modeled here. Enter covered wages from the agency-selected base period; confirmed zero quarters are zero, while blank quarters remain unknown.

The ordinary base period generally consists of the four completed calendar quarters that precede the most recent one. Wage corrections, special covered-service rules and the eligibility of particular employers require Louisiana Works review. Passing the numeric wage tests does not decide separation eligibility, availability or work-search compliance.

The 2026 agency schedule confirms twelve weeks

Louisiana's maximum duration changed from the old 26-week rule to 12–20 weeks for new claims beginning in 2025. Section 23:1595 ties duration to the state's published seasonally adjusted unemployment rate schedule. The count is established for the initial claim and remains fixed for that benefit year.

The current Louisiana Works instruction memo lists 12 weeks for every month from January through December 2026. It also explains that Act 184 of the 2026 legislative session moved updates to January and July. The current published table, rather than an independently guessed unemployment rate, supplies this worksheet's duration.

For a $140 weekly amount, twelve full benefits total $1,680, and ten modeled weeks total $1,400. At the $275 ceiling, the regular modeled balance is $3,300. At the $35 minimum, it is $420. The model does not substitute an older 26-week account or an annual-wage percentage cap.

The waiting week must be claimed when applicable but is not a paid benefit week. Partial unemployment, wages earned during the claim, severance, training benefits and extensions can affect actual payments or duration; those adjustments are outside this full-week worksheet. No payment beyond the verified initial balance is assumed.

Use the monetary determination to resolve differences

Louisiana Works sends a monetary determination showing covered wages, weekly pay and the maximum amount available. If that notice differs from this calculation, review the listed employers, paid quarters, filing date and any offsets with the agency. The agency-award worksheet lets you budget from the actual notice.

Optional withholding uses the percentage you enter and leaves the gross balance unchanged. For example, a 10% withholding selection reduces a modeled $140 weekly payment to $126. This is a cash-flow scenario and does not calculate the tax ultimately owed.

Louisiana calculation sources

• Louisiana Works claimant FAQ: current $35 minimum and $275 maximum
• Current agency duration memo: all twelve 2026 filing months and semiannual updates
• R.S.23:1592: four-quarter wage formula and rounding
• R.S.23:1474: applicable benefit computation procedures
• R.S.23:1600(5): 1.5-times-high-quarter monetary test
• R.S.23:1595: duration and claim-specific adjustments
• Act184 of2026: enacted duration publication changes

Verified October 1, 2026. See methodology and source coverage.

Supported claim periods and annual handoff

The Louisiana wage-estimate calendar supports 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31. Source dates describe when evidence was checked; they do not create a legal expiration. A blank claim date uses the current local date. After a finite schedule ends, the form shows an explicit official-award worksheet. Enter the weekly award, maximum account and authorized weeks from the determination. An unverified successor rate is never copied from the previous annual table.