Weekly benefit amount and weeks in Maryland

The weekly benefit

Weekly benefit

$50–$430

Maximum: set by the schedule of benefits in Maryland law; $430 for claims filed in 2026

How it is figured

Your weekly benefit amount comes from the schedule of benefits in Maryland law, based on your highest-quarter wages. It goes up $1 for each $24 of highest-quarter wages, from $50 to $430. If your wages in two quarters do not reach the qualifying amount for your line, you get the amount for a lower line you do qualify for (up to 6 lines lower).

Dependents

$8 a week for each child, adopted child or stepchild under 16 whom you wholly or partly support on the first day of your benefit year, for up to 5 children. Your weekly benefit plus the allowance cannot be more than $430. Only one parent can claim a child, and only when you file your claim.

Official

Official table or notice

Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. secs. 8-803, 8-804

The wage test

You must have been paid at least $1,176.01 in the quarter of your base period with your highest wages, and wages in at least two quarters that together add up to at least 1.5 times the top of your line in the state's benefit schedule (at least $1,800).

Your base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. If you do not qualify with it, MD Labor checks the alternate base period: the last four completed calendar quarters.

The state's wage tests

• At least $1,176.01 in your highest quarter, and wages in two quarters combined of at least 1.5 times the top of your line in the schedule (at least $1,800) — The two-quarter total must reach column (C) 'minimum qualifying wages' for your line in the schedule (see qualifying_wages_table). If it does not, you can get the amount from one of the next 6 lower lines you do qualify for.

Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. secs. 8-802, 8-803(a)

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 table and formula to your numbers.

How long it lasts

Up to 26 weeks.

You can get up to 26 weeks of benefits in your one-year benefit year. If you get partial payments because you work part time, they can stretch past 26 weeks, but you cannot get more than 26 times your weekly benefit amount in total.

Extra weeks and training

If you lost your job because of a permanent cut in operations or in a declining industry and are in approved training for an in-demand job, you may get up to 26 more weeks of Additional Training Benefits after your regular benefits run out.

Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. sec. 8-803

Official source: Source page

Waiting week

Maryland does not have an unpaid waiting week. You can be paid for your first eligible week.

Official source: Source page

Working part time

You can work part time and still get partial benefits. The first $50 you earn in a week does not reduce your check; after that, each dollar you earn is taken off your weekly benefit (plus any dependents' allowance). If your earnings equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount, you are not unemployed that week. You must work all the hours your employer offers.

Earnings not deducted (as the data states it)

The first $50 you earn in a week is not deducted.

Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. secs. 8-801(b), 8-803(d)

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 667-207-6520. Legal aid and other free help in Maryland → Official sources →