Weekly benefit amount and weeks in Vermont

The weekly benefit

Weekly benefit

up to $751

Maximum: benefit years starting on or after the first week of July 2026 (the maximum is adjusted each July and cannot go down)

How it is figured

Your weekly benefit is the total wages paid in the two highest quarters of your base period divided by 45, up to the maximum of $751.

Official

Official table or notice

Law: 21 V.S.A. sec. 1338(e), (f)

The wage test

You must have been paid at least the current minimum quarterly amount in one quarter of your base period (it changes each July with the minimum wage), and wages in the other quarters equal to at least 40% of that highest quarter.

VDOL first uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim. If you do not qualify, it uses the last four completed quarters, and then the last three completed quarters plus wages in the current quarter. A special base period can apply after a Vermont workers' compensation claim.

The state's wage tests

• The minimum quarterly amount in your highest quarter, plus at least 40% of that quarter in the rest of the base period — The minimum quarterly amount is adjusted each July by the percentage increase in the state minimum wage.

Law: 21 V.S.A. sec. 1338(d), (h)

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 total of your two highest quarters ÷ 45, rounded down; at most $751

How long it lasts

Up to 26 weeks.

The most you can get in your 52-week benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit or 46% of your base-period wages, whichever is less. If you were fired for misconduct, the most is 23 times your weekly benefit.

Law: 21 V.S.A. sec. 1340

Official source: Source page

Working part time

You can get partial benefits for a week of less than full-time work. Report your hours and gross pay for the week you worked, even if not yet paid. VDOL does not count 50% of your gross wages; the other half is taken off your benefit dollar for dollar. For example, with a $400 weekly benefit and $300 in pay, $150 is deducted and you get $250. You get nothing for a week you work 35 hours or more, or if your pay is more than your weekly benefit plus the disregarded amount.

Earnings not deducted (as the data states it)

An amount equal to 50% of your earnings that week is not deducted.

Law: 21 V.S.A. secs. 1338a, 1339

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 1-877-214-3332. Legal aid and other free help in Vermont → Official sources →