Weekly benefit amount and weeks in Connecticut

The weekly benefit

Weekly benefit

$44–$721

Maximum: new claims effective on or after October 1, 2023; by law the maximum stays at $721 until the first Sunday of October 2028

How it is figured

CTDOL adds your wages in the two highest-paid quarters of your base period, averages them, and divides by 26. The result, rounded down to the dollar, is your weekly benefit rate, from $44 (2026 minimum) up to $721. Construction workers are figured on their single highest quarter divided by 26.

Dependents

$15 a week for each child you wholly or mainly support (under 18, under 21 and a full-time student, or disabled at any age), for up to five dependents ($75). The total allowance can never be more than your weekly benefit rate. In some cases you can also claim a spouse who lives with you and is unemployed.

Official

Official table or notice

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 31-231a(a), (b)

The wage test

Your total base-period wages must be at least 40 times your weekly benefit rate. For 2026 the smallest amount that can qualify is $1,760 ($44 x 40).

Your base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim. If you do not qualify that way, CTDOL uses the last four completed quarters. A special base period can apply if you were out of work on workers' compensation or on sick or disability leave.

The state's wage tests

• Base-period wages at least 40 times your weekly benefit rate — The $1,760 minimum is for claims in 2026 and changes each January.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. secs. 31-230, 31-235(a)(3)

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: the average of your two highest quarters ÷ 26, rounded down; at least $44 and at most $721

How long it lasts

Up to 26 weeks.

The most you can get in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit rate, so most claims last up to 26 weeks. If you get partial benefits or a pension reduces your check, your benefits can stretch over more than 26 weeks, but the total stays the same.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 31-231b

Official source: Source page

Waiting week

Connecticut does not have an unpaid waiting week. You can be paid starting with your first eligible week.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 567

Official source: Source page

Working part time

You can get partial benefits for a week of less than full-time work if your gross pay is less than 1.5 times your weekly benefit rate. CTDOL subtracts two-thirds of your gross pay (rounded) from your weekly benefit rate, so one-third of what you earn is not counted. Report your gross pay for the week you did the work, even if you have not been paid yet. Working 35 to 40 hours a week usually counts as full time.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 31-229

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 1-800-956-3294. Legal aid and other free help in Connecticut → Official sources →