US  New Hampshire Unemployment Benefits — Updated October 2026

New Hampshire Unemployment Benefits 2026: $427 Max Since 2007, 26 Weeks and the Bracket Table

⚠️ Informational only, not legal advice. New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES) makes the official determination on every claim. Figures below are taken from RSA 282-A, NHES, U.S. Department of Labor; anything we calculated ourselves is labeled “Computed by RemoteLaws.”

By the RemoteLaws Editorial Team · Updated October 27, 2026 · Sources: RSA 282-A, NHES, U.S. Department of Labor

New Hampshire Unemployment at a Glance (2026)

How the New Hampshire Benefit Table Works

RSA 282-A:25 lists annual-earnings thresholds with a weekly benefit and a maximum benefit for each. You must also have earned at least $1,400 in each of two calendar quarters (RSA 282-A:25, I). Every maximum in the table equals 26 times the weekly amount. Up to $11,500 the brackets are $300 to $500 wide; from $11,500 to $41,500 every bracket is $1,000.

The replacement rate drifts down from about 59% at the bottom to 52% to 54% in the upper rows, then falls quickly once you pass $41,500: at $60,000 a year, $427 replaces 37% of weekly pay.

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

Enter your four base-period quarters: the calculator finds your row in the RSA 282-A:25 table, checks the two-quarter test and shows how far you are from the next bracket. The second tab tests a part-time week.

The Bracket Effect: $1 More Can Mean $286 More

Because the table moves in steps, a small difference in earnings can change the claim. At $27,499 you get $275 a week; at $27,500, $286: $11 a week, or $286 over 26 weeks, for one extra dollar of base-period wages. The steps are not even. Most $1,000 brackets add $10 or $11 a week, but four add much less:

If your earnings sit just under a threshold, a late paycheck that lands in the base period can matter. If you do not qualify on the regular base period, NHES must use the alternate base period (last four completed quarters) when it qualifies you (RSA 282-A:2, II).

Part-Time Work: 30% Allowance, Then a Cliff

Your weekly benefit is reduced by all earnings above 30% of it, rounded to the nearest dollar (RSA 282-A:14, III(a)). You only count as partially unemployed in a week when your pay, rounded to the nearest dollar, is less than your weekly benefit amount (RSA 282-A:14, II). NHES says you cannot work full time and still collect (NHES).

Between $128 and $426 of pay, total income stays at $555. At $427, the benefit stops and total income falls to $427, $128 less than a week at $426. If you only look for part-time work, you are partially unemployed only in weeks with fewer than 20 hours (RSA 282-A:14, I(b)).

Waiting Week, Work Search and Appeals

• Waiting week: you must serve one week of total or partial unemployment, and the law says there is no corresponding reduction in your maximum benefit amount, so you keep all 26 weeks (RSA 282-A:31, I(h)-(i)).
• Work search: NHES requires a weekly work search, explained at the orientation workshop (NHES). If you have a definite return-to-work date within 11 weeks, you are exempt (RSA 282-A:31, I(d)(5)).
• Availability: you must be ready to work all shifts and hours for which there is a market for your services (RSA 282-A:31, I(c)).
• Appeals: file within 14 calendar days of the mailing date of the determination (NHES Appeals).

New Hampshire vs Maine and Massachusetts

Both neighbors index their maximum to wages; New Hampshire does not. A claimant at the top of the scale receives $222 a week less than in Maine and $727 less than in Massachusetts (DOL, July 2026). See the Maine and Massachusetts guides.

Taxes on New Hampshire Unemployment

Unemployment benefits are federal taxable income: you receive Form 1099-G and can choose federal withholding (IRS Topic 418). Set aside about 10% if you do not elect withholding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a New Hampshire unemployment calculator?

Yes. The calculator above looks up your annual earnings in the RSA 282-A:25 table, checks the $1,400 two-quarter test, shows your 26-week maximum and how far you are from the next bracket, and estimates a part-time week under RSA 282-A:14.

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in New Hampshire in 2026?

$427 a week, reached with $41,500 or more in annual earnings, for up to 26 weeks: $11,102 in total. The table behind it has been in force since July 1, 2007.

How is my New Hampshire weekly benefit calculated?

NHES totals your base-period earnings and finds the matching row of the RSA 282-A:25 table. For example, $25,000 falls in the $24,500 row: $254 a week and $6,604 in maximum benefits.

How many weeks of unemployment do you get in New Hampshire?

26 weeks for every eligible claimant: the maximum benefits in the table are always 26 times the weekly amount, and the waiting week does not reduce them.

How much can I earn part-time in New Hampshire and still collect?

You keep pay up to 30% of your weekly benefit amount. Pay above that reduces the benefit dollar for dollar, and once your pay reaches your weekly benefit amount you are not partially unemployed and get nothing that week.

What are the eligibility wage requirements in New Hampshire?

At least $1,400 in each of two calendar quarters and $2,800 in total in the base period. If the regular base period does not qualify you, NHES uses the alternate base period, the last four completed quarters.

How long do I have to appeal an NHES decision?

14 calendar days from the mailing date of the determination.

What We Verified & Correction Log

• Verified on October 27, 2026 against: RSA 282-A:25 (benefit table); RSA 282-A:14 (partial unemployment); RSA 282-A:31 (eligibility); RSA 282-A:2 (base period); NHES, guidance on returning to work; NHES Appeals; IRS Topic 418; U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions, July 2026.
• Update log: page rebuilt around the RSA 282-A:25 table. Corrected the neighbor comparison (Massachusetts maximum is now $1,154, not $1,015). Added the bracket effect, the two-quarter test, the 30% allowance cliff and the waiting-week rule. The previous claim of a fixed 10% withholding option was removed (not confirmed on an NHES page). Next review: if the legislature amends RSA 282-A:25.

Related Pages

• All State Unemployment Guides
• Maine Unemployment Benefits
• Massachusetts Unemployment Benefits