QUICK GUIDE TO CALCULATE YOUR BENEFIT AMOUNT
You may compute approximately how much you will receive by using the following formula:
- Determine the base period for the claim you are filing using the chart under Base Period.
- Determine the amount of wages you were paid in covered employment during the base period by calendar quarters.
- Determine which of the two quarters you were paid the highest wages. Divide the wages paid you in those two quarters by 46 to calculate approximately how much you will receive per week. A maximum weekly benefit amount is established by law. (see Weekly Benefit Amount Estimation Calculator)
| CALENDAR QUARTERS (3 month periods) |
|
|
Beginning |
Ending |
|
January 1 |
March 31 |
|
April 1 |
June30 |
|
July 1 |
September30 |
|
October 1 |
December 31 |
Your Monetary Eligibility
To be eligible for benefits, a covered employer must have paid you at least 36 times your weekly benefit amount in your base period. The amount of your benefit will be 1/46 of your wages in the two highest wage quarters in the base period. However, no one who is eligible for benefits will receive less than $20 or more than $330 a week, if eligible. See Base Period.
NUMBER OF WEEKS YOU MAY RECEIVE BENEFITS
The number of weeks you may receive benefits depends upon your total wages during your entire base period. A worker is entitled to receive a total amount of benefits equal to 50% of his base period wages or twenty-six times his weekly benefit amount, whichever is less.
BENEFIT YEAR
You may receive the amount of benefits due you over the course of your benefit year. The benefit year begins on the Sunday of the first week in which you file a claim, which is found to be monetarily eligible. It continues for a period of one year. If you draw all of your benefits from this state, you cannot receive any more payments within that benefit year.
After your benefit year has ended, you may receive more benefits based on wages received during the new base period. Benefits cannot be paid in a second benefit year unless you have had new employment and earned at least 10 times your new weekly benefit amount since the beginning of your preceding benefit year. See Frequently Asked Questions.
EARNINGS ALLOWANCE
Beginning with compensable week ending July 5.1997. you are allowed to earn 50% of your weekly benefit amount without any deduction. Anything over 50% is deducted dollar for dollar. For example; If your benefit amount is $100.00, you are allowed to earn $50 gross (wages before deductions] with no deduction of your unemployment insurance benefit; anything over $50 is deducted dollar for dollar.
| GUIDE TO CALCULATE YOUR EARNINGS ALLOWANCE | |
| Weekly Benefit Amount | 100.00 |
| Multiply by .50 | x.50 |
| Earnings Allowance before deduction | 50.00 |
|
Example |
|
| Weekly Benefit Amount | $100.00 |
| Gross Income | $ 60.00 |
| Gross income minus earnings allowance
(see above chart) amount deducted from weekly benefit |
$60.00
-$50.00 $10.00 |
| Adjusted check amount | $90.00 |
Please note: Your maximum check amount is limited to your weekly benefit amount.
REDUCED WORK HOURS
If your regular hours of work are reduced you may be eligible to receive partial payments. See Earnings Allowance on the previous page. See also Return to Work.
SEASONAL CLAIMS
Seasonal Employment is defined as the first processing of agricultural or seafood products. You will be considered a seasonal employee if you are employed with an identified seasonal employer, even if you do not work directly with that seasonal product. If 75% or more of your base period wages were from seasonal employment, as defined by Delaware law, you will only be eligible to receive benefits for those months in which you were employed in your base period. For example, if you worked from May through September in the base period with a seasonal employer, you would only be eligible to draw benefits for the work done during those months.
Go to: Weekly Benefit Amount
