Weekly benefit amount and weeks in Arkansas

The weekly benefit

Weekly benefit

$81–$451

Maximum: claims since July 1, 2012 (minimum and maximum frozen at $81 and $451)

How it is figured

Your weekly benefit amount is figured from the average of your wages in the four quarters of your base period (total base-period wages divided by 4). The official Benefit Table gives $81 for an average of $708.75 to $2,131.99, and $1 more for each $26 above that, up to $451. In other words, it is 1/26 of your average quarterly wages, rounded down, between $81 and $451.

Official

Official table or notice

Law: Ark. Code Ann. sec. 11-10-502

The wage test

You must have base-period wages of at least 35 times your weekly benefit amount, paid in at least two calendar quarters of the base period. For a second claim, you also must have worked and earned at least 10 times your weekly benefit amount since filing your previous claim.

Your base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file.

The state's wage tests

• Base-period wages at least 35 times your weekly benefit amount, in at least 2 quarters — For a new claim after an earlier benefit year: at least 10 times the weekly benefit amount earned in insured work since filing the previous claim.

Law: Ark. Code Ann. sec. 11-10-507(5)(B)

Official source: Source page

Estimate your weekly benefit

Enter the gross wages (before taxes) you were paid in each quarter of your base period. We apply the state's own formula to your numbers.

The state's formula: your total base-period wages ÷ 104, rounded down; at least $81 and at most $451

How long it lasts

Up to 12 weeks.

For claims filed on or after January 1, 2024, the most you can get in a benefit year is the lower of 12 times your weekly benefit amount or one-third of your total base-period wages. So benefits last up to 12 weeks, and fewer if your total wages are lower. Your monetary determination shows your amount and number of weeks.

Law: Ark. Code Ann. sec. 11-10-504(a)(2) (Act 196 of 2023)

Official source: Source page

Waiting week

Your first eligible week is a waiting week. You must meet all eligibility rules and file a certification for it, but it is not paid. It does not reduce your maximum benefit amount.

Official source: Source page

Working part time

If you work part time, you may still get partial benefits. Report your gross earnings for the week you did the work. You can earn up to 40% of your weekly benefit amount without any effect on your benefits; earnings above that reduce your payment. If your gross earnings are 140% of your weekly benefit amount or more, you get no benefits that week. Working 40 hours a week counts as full time.

Earnings not deducted (as the data states it)

An amount equal to 40% of your weekly benefit amount is not deducted.

Law: Ark. Code Ann. sec. 11-10-503

Official source: Source page

What applies in every state

• You must have earned enough wages, or worked enough, during a period called the base period. In most states it is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file.
• It generally takes two to three weeks after you file to get your first payment. Some states require a one-week waiting period, so the second week you claim is the first week paid.
• Unemployment benefits count as income for federal income tax. You must report them on your federal tax return.

  Law: 26 U.S.C. 85(a)

Free help

Call 1-844-908-2178. Legal aid and other free help in Arkansas → Official sources →