US  Illinois Unemployment Benefits — October 2026 Update

Illinois Unemployment Benefits 2026: $51 to $628 a Week, Up to $859 With a Child, for 26 Weeks

⚠️ Informational only — not legal or tax advice. RemoteLaws is not a law firm. This page compiles and synthesizes official government sources for informational purposes.

By The RemoteLaws Research Team
First published: July 5, 2026
Last updated: October 26, 2026 — rebuilt against IDES benefit table BEN 548 (11/2025), IDES claimant guidance and the U.S. Department of Labor July 2026 survey

Illinois Unemployment at a Glance (2026)

TL;DR: Illinois pays 47% of your average weekly wage in your two best base-period quarters, from $51 to $628 a week in 2026, plus an allowance for a non-working spouse (up to $748 in total) or a dependent child (up to $859). Every eligible claimant gets the same 26 weeks, so a full claim is worth up to $16,328, or $22,334 with a child. The maximum is reached at about $69,400 a year of steady pay. Illinois ranks 23rd of 51 for its individual maximum, but only eight states pay more than its $859 child-allowance maximum.

47% of Your Two Best Quarters

IDES adds the wages of your two highest base-period quarters and divides by 26 to get your average weekly wage; your weekly benefit amount is 47% of it, between $51 and $628. The amounts are printed in IDES Table 1 of Weekly Benefit Amounts, BEN 548, which applies to benefit years and weeks beginning on or after January 1, 2026 and lists a statewide average weekly wage of $1,334.81 (IDES BEN 548). The $628 maximum is 47% of that statewide figure. In the table rows we checked, the average weekly wage is rounded to the nearest dollar and 47% of it is rounded up: $22,000 in two quarters gives $846 a week and a $398 benefit. The table below assumes equal pay in every quarter; computed by RemoteLaws.

Illinois replaces 47% of pay up to about $69,400 a year, a much higher threshold than in Missouri, Indiana or Wisconsin, whose maximums are $320 to $390. Because the figures follow the statewide average weekly wage, IDES publishes a new table each January; this page uses the 2026 table.

Dependents: $748 or $859

The 2026 table adds 9% of your average weekly wage for a non-working spouse, with a $15 minimum, or an allowance for a dependent child; a claimant receives one allowance or the other. With the allowance, the maximums are $748 and $859 (IDES BEN 548). The child allowance follows 17.3% of the average weekly wage only from about $290 a week up. Below that the table pays more: about half of the weekly benefit amount up to an average weekly wage of $208, then a flat $50 from $209 to $289 (computed by RemoteLaws from all rows of the table). At the top of the scale the child allowance is worth $231 a week, or $6,006 over 26 weeks. Computed by RemoteLaws from the table maximums.

Rows from BEN 548. At an average weekly wage of $198, the $47 child allowance is half the benefit, not 17.3% ($35). Claims whose benefit year began in 2025 use Table 2 of the same document for weeks in 2026, with a 17.2% child rate and an $857 maximum with a child.

Illinois Unemployment Calculator: Estimate Your Benefit or a Part-Time Week

Enter your gross wages for each base-period quarter and choose a dependents allowance if one applies. The calculator labels the quarters from today’s date, applies the $1,600 and $440 tests, computes your average weekly wage from your two best quarters, applies 47% within the $51 to $628 range plus the allowance, and limits the total to 26 weeks or your base-period wages. The second tab applies the half-benefit allowance for a part-time week.

Qualifying: $1,600 and $440

You need at least $1,600 in base-period wages, of which at least $440 must have been paid outside your highest quarter (U.S. DOL, July 2026). The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. These thresholds are low: a worker with $1,160 in one quarter and $440 in another qualifies, and receives the $51 minimum, since 47% of a $62 average weekly wage is only $29. Beyond wages, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own and actively seek work each week (IDES benefit rights information).

26 Weeks for Everyone

Illinois pays a uniform 26 weeks: the Department of Labor lists it, with Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, as a state where duration does not depend on your wage history (U.S. DOL, July 2026). Your maximum benefit amount is still the lesser of 26 times your weekly amount, allowance included, or your total base-period wages, so only very low earners hit the second limit. Florida pays 12 weeks and Alabama and Georgia 14, so a maximum Illinois claim of $16,328 is more than four times Florida’s $3,300. Computed by RemoteLaws.

Part-Time Work: Half Your Benefit Is Free

If your gross wages in a week are less than your weekly benefit amount, you may still receive part of your payment (IDES); earnings above half of your weekly benefit amount are deducted (U.S. DOL, July 2026). The table uses a $628 weekly amount; computed by RemoteLaws, with cents shown because IDES does not state its rounding.

A $628 claimant can earn $314 a week with no reduction. Between $314 and $942, every extra dollar earned costs a dollar of benefits.

Waiting Week and Certifying

You must serve one unpaid waiting week in each benefit year, usually the first eligible week of your claim. You certify every two weeks on your assigned day (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday), report your earnings, and must actively seek work and provide your work search when IDES asks (IDES benefit rights information).

How Illinois Compares

Using the maximum weekly benefits without dependents’ allowances in the U.S. Department of Labor July 2026 survey (with Washington at $1,208, Minnesota at $983 for accounts from October 25, 2026, Colorado at $884, Kentucky at $746 and Iowa at $644), Illinois’s $628 ranks 23rd of the 50 states and D.C. With a child allowance, its $859 is exceeded by the individual maximum of only eight states: Washington, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Colorado, New York and Hawaii. Computed by RemoteLaws.

Highest possible claim is the maximum weekly benefit times the maximum weeks, computed by RemoteLaws; Kentucky and Wisconsin reach their longest durations only under specific conditions. Among its neighbors, only Kentucky and Iowa pay a higher weekly maximum than Illinois, and only Kentucky can pay a larger total.

Taxes

Illinois unemployment insurance is subject to state and federal income taxes. You can choose withholding at preset levels of 10% for federal and 4.95% for Illinois tax (IDES; IRS).

Appeals: 30 Days

To challenge a claims adjudicator’s determination, request reconsideration within 30 days of the mailing date on the document, by letter or form, to your local IDES office. A Referee’s decision can be appealed to the Board of Review within 30 days of its issue date (IDES appeals).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much unemployment will I get in Illinois?

47% of your average weekly wage in your two best base-period quarters (their total divided by 26), from $51 to $628 a week in 2026, plus up to $120 for a non-working spouse or $231 for a dependent child. The Illinois unemployment calculator on this page applies the 2026 IDES table to your own wages.

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in Illinois in 2026?

$628 a week with no dependents, $748 with a non-working spouse and $859 with a dependent child, for benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

How many weeks of unemployment can you get in Illinois?

26 weeks for every eligible claimant. Your total is the lesser of 26 times your weekly amount or your base-period wages.

How much do I need to earn to qualify in Illinois?

At least $1,600 in the base period, including at least $440 outside your highest quarter.

Can I work part-time and collect unemployment in Illinois?

Yes. Earnings up to half of your weekly benefit amount are not deducted; above that, each dollar reduces your benefit.

Is Illinois unemployment taxable?

Yes, by both the federal government and Illinois. You can have 10% federal and 4.95% state tax withheld.

How long do I have to appeal in Illinois?

30 days from the mailing date to request reconsideration of a determination, and 30 days from a Referee’s decision to appeal to the Board of Review.

What We Verified & Correction Log

For this update we reviewed IDES Table 1 of Weekly Benefit Amounts, BEN 548 (11/2025), the IDES benefit rights information and appeals pages, the BLS state unemployment table of October 20, 2026 and the U.S. Department of Labor Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026), all accessed October 26, 2026. Replacement rates, totals, part-time payments and rankings were computed by RemoteLaws. The Illinois statutes on ilga.gov (820 ILCS 405/401, 500 and 800) could not be retrieved for this update, but the full BEN 548 document (Tables 1 and 2) was parsed by RemoteLaws, and all rows of Table 1 are built into the calculator.

Correction log. October 26, 2026: page and calculator rebuilt. National ranking updated from the January to the July 2026 survey: Illinois is 23rd (previously 20th), and eight states, not six, pay an individual maximum above $859. We removed unverified statements about an alternate base period, the number of states with dependents’ allowances and state employment service registration. Added the BEN 548 rounding analysis, the dependents table with the low-wage child allowance pattern, the uniform-duration comparison, the half-benefit part-time rule, certification days, the Board of Review deadline and a neighbor comparison. July 5, 2026: page first published.

Related Pages

Illinois: Minimum wage · Overtime laws · Paid leave · Termination laws · State income tax

Neighboring states: Indiana · Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · All 50 states

Federal guides: How to file for unemployment · WARN Act · Final paycheck laws by state