Employer calculator
Unemployment claim cost calculator for employers
This estimates what an awarded unemployment claim can cost the business through UI account charges and a three-year SUTA rate increase. It is not a worker benefits estimator and not a tax filing tool.
Texas planning figures: $9,000 taxable wage base, $605 max weekly benefit, up to 26 weeks. Use the SUTA rate on your state notice.
Yes — the employer pays. In Texas, 1 awarded claim illustrate about $4,312 charged to the UI account. If that raises your SUTA rate by 0.34 points, extra tax is about $1,530 per year, or $4,590 over three years.
- Illustrated charge to UI account
- $4,312
- Weekly benefit used
- $308 × 14 weeks
- Taxable payroll
- $450,000
- Illustrated rate increase
- 0.34 points
- Extra SUTA per year
- $1,530
- Extra SUTA over 3 years
- $4,590
FUTA on this headcount is about $2,100 per year ($42 per employee for most compliant employers). One awarded claim does not, by itself, change FUTA.
Planning estimate only. Experience-rating formulas differ by state. Do not add the UI account charge on top of the three-year tax increase for a typical experience-rated employer — the charge is what drives the rate. Confirm figures with your state UI agency and accountant. Source: Equifax Weekly Benefit and Taxable Wage Guide (state sources as of July 8, 2026); duration from 2026 state UI program summaries.
How much does an unemployment claim cost an employer?
Does an unemployment claim cost the employer? Yes. The former employee does not write a check for the weekly benefit. You fund unemployment insurance through payroll tax, and an awarded claim can raise that tax for years.
There is no national sticker price. The cost has two layers. First, benefits paid to the claimant are charged to your state UI account. Second, those charges can increase your experience-rated SUTApercentage, which applies to every employee's taxable wages for about three years. That second layer is usually the larger bill for a restaurant or hospitality operator.
Read the full explanation, including contesting rules and documentation that changes outcomes, in How much does an unemployment claim cost an employer?
2026 state planning table
Wage bases and weekly maximums below are planning figures from Equifax Weekly Benefit and Taxable Wage Guide (state sources as of July 8, 2026); duration from 2026 state UI program summaries.. Typical duration is the regular UI maximum, not extended benefits.
| State | Wage base | Max weekly benefit | Max weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $8,000 | $275 | 26 |
| Alaska | $54,200 | $442 | 26 |
| Arizona | $8,000 | $320 | 24 |
| Arkansas | $7,000 | $451 | 12 |
| California | $7,000 | $450 | 26 |
| Colorado | $30,600 | $884 | 26 |
| Connecticut | $27,000 | $796 | 26 |
| District of Columbia | $9,000 | $444 | 26 |
| Delaware | $12,500 | $450 | 26 |
| Florida | $7,000 | $275 | 16 |
| Georgia | $9,500 | $365 | 16 |
| Hawaii | $64,500 | $868 | 26 |
| Idaho | $58,300 | $624 | 20 |
| Illinois | $14,250 | $857 | 26 |
| Indiana | $9,500 | $390 | 26 |
| Iowa | $20,400 | $790 | 26 |
| Kansas | $15,100 | $663 | 16 |
| Kentucky | $12,000 | $746 | 26 |
| Louisiana | $7,000 | $275 | 26 |
| Maine | $12,000 | $649 | 26 |
| Maryland | $8,500 | $430 | 26 |
| Massachusetts | $15,000 | $1,105 | 30 |
| Michigan | $9,000 | $446 | 20 |
| Minnesota | $44,000 | $914 | 26 |
| Mississippi | $14,000 | $235 | 26 |
| Missouri | $9,000 | $320 | 20 |
| Montana | $47,300 | $805 | 28 |
| Nebraska | $9,000 | $582 | 26 |
| Nevada | $43,700 | $631 | 26 |
| New Hampshire | $14,000 | $427 | 26 |
| New Jersey | $44,800 | $905 | 26 |
| New Mexico | $34,800 | $624 | 26 |
| New York | $17,600 | $869 | 26 |
| North Carolina | $34,200 | $350 | 12 |
| North Dakota | $46,600 | $800 | 26 |
| Ohio | $9,000 | $842 | 26 |
| Oklahoma | $25,000 | $541 | 18 |
| Oregon | $56,700 | $902 | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | $10,000 | $613 | 26 |
| Rhode Island | $30,800 | $745 | 26 |
| South Carolina | $14,000 | $326 | 20 |
| South Dakota | $15,000 | $575 | 26 |
| Tennessee | $7,000 | $275 | 26 |
| Texas | $9,000 | $605 | 26 |
| Utah | $50,700 | $801 | 26 |
| Vermont | $15,400 | $751 | 26 |
| Virginia | $8,000 | $478 | 26 |
| Washington | $78,200 | $1,208 | 26 |
| West Virginia | $9,500 | $662 | 26 |
| Wisconsin | $14,000 | $370 | 26 |
| Wyoming | $33,800 | $671 | 26 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an unemployment claim cost the employer?
Yes. In most states the worker does not pay for the weekly check. Employers fund unemployment insurance through federal FUTA tax and state SUTA tax. An awarded claim is charged to the employer's UI account and can raise the experience-rated SUTA rate for about three years.
How much does an unemployment claim cost an employer?
There is no single national price. Direct benefits charged to the account often land in the low thousands to low tens of thousands depending on the state's weekly maximum and how many weeks are collected. The larger bill is usually the SUTA rate increase multiplied across taxable payroll for two to three years.
What is the unemployment claim cost to employer besides the weekly benefit?
Experience rating. Benefits charged reduce the employer's reserve ratio (or equivalent), which can increase the SUTA percentage applied to every employee's taxable wages—not just the former employee. Manager time, hearing prep, and legal review sit on top of that tax cost.
Do employees pay unemployment tax?
Almost never. Only Alaska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania collect a small employee share. In every other state, unemployment insurance is an employer tax.
Is this calculator official?
No. It is a planning model using published 2026 wage bases and weekly maximums. Your assigned SUTA rate, chargeability rules, and duration come from your state unemployment agency. Confirm with that agency and your accountant before budgeting or contesting a claim.