New Jersey Unemployment Calculator (2026)
New Jersey replaces a bigger share of your paycheck than most states — 60% of your average weekly wage, up to $905 per week in 2026. Benefits last up to 26 weeks, and there's a small boost for claimants with dependents.
How New Jersey calculates it
New Jersey pays 60% of your average weekly wage, plus a dependency allowance if you qualify. If you averaged $1,200 per week before your layoff, your benefit would be about $720 per week. That 60% replacement rate is higher than what most states offer.
For 2026, the weekly benefit runs from a minimum of $186 ($213 with dependents) up to a maximum of $905. The max applies no matter how high your wages were — if 60% of your average weekly wage is more than $905, you get $905. Your total payout equals your weekly benefit times the number of weeks you worked in your base year, up to 26 weeks, so 26 weeks at the max is $23,530 ($905 x 26).
One note on our estimate: we approximate your average weekly wage as your annual pay divided by 52. New Jersey uses its own definition based on your base year earnings, so your actual amount may differ somewhat from our number.
Do you qualify in New Jersey?
To qualify on wages, you need either 20 weeks of work in your base year earning at least 20 times the state's hourly minimum wage each week, or total base year earnings of at least 1,000 times the state hourly minimum wage. In short: steady work for about five months of the past year, or solid total earnings, usually gets you there.
You also need to meet the usual non-monetary rules: you lost your job through no fault of your own (a layoff counts), you're able to work, you're available for work, and you're actively looking for a job each week you claim.
Maximum total benefit: Number of weeks worked in base year, up to 26, x WBA.