Illinois Unemployment Benefits 2026: $628 Max, Eligibility, Filing

Illinois's maximum weekly unemployment benefit is $628 for benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) 2026 benefit table. With a dependents' allowance, the most you can receive rises to $748 a week with a non-working spouse or $859 a week with a dependent child. The minimum weekly benefit is $51.

Benefits last up to 26 weeks in a benefit year, but never more than your total base-period wages (820 ILCS 405/403). The maximum is reset every January: it equals 47% of the statewide average weekly wage, which IDES recomputes each year and publishes in a new table for the next calendar year.

IDES runs the program under the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act, 820 ILCS 405. This page covers Illinois's own rules: who is eligible, how the weekly amount and dependents' allowances are figured, how long benefits last, the waiting week, quitting and firing, the work search, part-time earnings, how to file and certify, and how to appeal. For how states compare, see our guide to unemployment benefits by state.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers regular state unemployment insurance in Illinois under the Unemployment Insurance Act (820 ILCS 405), administered by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. It does not cover federal programs for former federal civilian employees or ex-service members (UCFE/UCX), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, extended benefits, or claims filed in other states.

Who is eligible for unemployment in Illinois

You may be eligible if you are out of work through no fault of your own, you earned enough in insured work during your base period, you served a waiting week, and you are able to work, available for work and actively seeking work (820 ILCS 405/500). IDES decides each claim.

Your base period

Under 820 ILCS 405/237, "'Base period' means the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the benefit year." Wages already used on an earlier paid claim do not count again.

Illinois has an alternate base period, the last four completed calendar quarters before the benefit year, but it is not a choice for a bigger check. IDES's benefits booklet says "the alternate base period can only be used if you are not monetarily eligible under the" regular base period.

How much you must have earned

Section 500(E) sets a two-part wage test. You must have been paid:

1. At least $1,600 in wages for insured work during your base period, and
2. At least $440 of that in the part of the base period outside your highest-paid quarter.

There is no separate test based on weeks worked or on a multiple of your weekly benefit.

Able, available and seeking work

Each week you claim, you must be able to work, available for work and actively seeking work (Section 500(C)). IDES reduces your benefit by one-fifth of your weekly amount for each normal workday you are unable to work or unavailable. You are treated as unavailable for any week in which your main occupation is being a student, including school vacations, unless you are in approved training. If IDES refers you to reemployment services, you must take part (Section 500(F)).

How much unemployment pays in Illinois

Under 820 ILCS 405/401, your weekly benefit amount is figured in two steps:

1. Prior average weekly wage. Add the wages from the two highest-paid quarters of your base period and divide by 26, rounding to the nearest dollar.
2. Weekly benefit amount. Take 47% of that figure and round up to the next whole dollar. Section 401 says the result "cannot exceed the maximum weekly benefit amount and cannot be less than $51."

For benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, the maximum is $628, based on a statewide average weekly wage of $1,334.81 in IDES's 2026 table. The table reaches the $628 maximum when your two highest quarters total $34,697 or more.

Worked example. Suppose your two highest base-period quarters paid $10,000 and $9,000. Together that is $19,000; divided by 26, it is $730.77, which rounds to a prior average weekly wage of $731. Then 47% of $731 is $343.57, which rounds up to a weekly benefit of $344.

To estimate your own amount, use our Illinois unemployment calculator. Your official amount appears on the finding IDES sends after you file.

Dependents' allowance

Illinois adds an allowance for dependents, but you can claim only one kind. IDES's handbook states: "You cannot claim both a dependent spouse and a dependent child." Under Section 401 and the 2026 IDES table:

A dependent child generally means a child under 18 (or one unable to work because of illness or disability) whom you supported for the prior 90 days, providing more than half of the child's support, or at least one-quarter when both parents live together and together provide more than half. Have each dependent's name, Social Security number and date of birth ready when you file.

How the maximum changes each year

Section 401 sets the maximum at "47% of the statewide average weekly wage, rounded (if not already a multiple of one dollar) to the next higher dollar." IDES recomputes the statewide average weekly wage on its December 1 determination date and publishes a new table for benefit years beginning the following January. The 2027 table had not been published when this page was verified on October 7, 2026.

How long unemployment lasts in Illinois

Section 403 entitles an eligible claimant to "a maximum total amount of benefits equal to 26 times the individual's weekly benefit amount plus dependents' allowances, or to the total wages for insured work paid to such individual during the individual's base period, whichever amount is smaller." IDES describes this as "up to a maximum of 26 full weeks in a one-year period, depending on when the claim was established."

So most claimants can receive up to 26 weeks, but a claimant with low base-period wages can run out sooner, because total benefits cannot exceed those wages. Illinois's duration does not move up or down with the state unemployment rate.

The 2029 reduction (moved from 2027)

The Act had scheduled a cut for benefit years beginning in 2027: weekly benefits at 40.6% of the prior average weekly wage and 23 weeks of benefits. Public Act 104-839, effective January 1, 2027, moves that change to benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2029 and before January 1, 2030, at 40.8% and 24 weeks. Under the law as amended, benefit years beginning in 2027 keep the 47% rate and 26 weeks.

The waiting week

Section 500(D) requires that you have "been unemployed for a waiting period of 1 week during such benefit year." IDES explains: "The 'waiting week' is a qualifying period required by law. Benefits are not paid for this week. It is usually the first week for which you file your claim."

Quitting a job and unemployment in Illinois

If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, Section 601(A) makes you ineligible "for the week in which the individual has left work voluntarily without good cause attributable to the employing unit and, thereafter, until the individual has become reemployed and has had earnings equal to or in excess of the individual's current weekly benefit amount in each of four calendar weeks."

Section 601(B) lists situations where a quit does not trigger that disqualification, including when you:

• Were deemed physically unable to do the work by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, and the employer could not accommodate you
• For claims dated December 28, 2025 through December 24, 2028, were deemed unable to do the work because of a mental health disability by a licensed and practicing psychiatrist, and the employer could not accommodate you (added by Public Act 104-285)
• Left to provide necessary care for a spouse, child or parent in poor physical or mental health or with a disability, and the employer could not accommodate you
• Left to accept other bona fide work, and then met the statute's follow-up test (not unemployed in each of 2 weeks, or earned at least twice your weekly benefit)
• Declined a transfer that would have displaced another employee under a collective bargaining agreement or employer plan
• Left solely because of sexual harassment by another employee that the employer knew or should have known about and failed to address
• Left because of verified domestic violence, with notice to the employer of the reason (verification can include an order of protection, a police report or criminal charges, medical documentation, or evidence from clergy, an attorney, a counselor, a social worker, a health worker or a shelter worker)
• Left to accompany a spouse whose job moved to a place too far to commute from, or a military spouse who was reassigned
• Left unsuitable work you had accepted after an earlier separation

For when an employer may end a job, see Illinois at-will employment laws.

Being fired: misconduct in Illinois

Being let go is not automatically disqualifying. Section 602(A) disqualifies you only if you were discharged for misconduct connected with your work, for the week of discharge and until you are reemployed and earn at least your weekly benefit amount in each of four calendar weeks. Being reinstated by the employer also satisfies the requirement.

The statute defines misconduct as "the deliberate and willful violation of a reasonable rule or policy of the employing unit, governing the individual's behavior in performance of his work, provided such violation has harmed the employing unit or other employees or has been repeated by the individual despite a warning or other explicit instruction from the employing unit."

Section 602(A) also names eight work-related circumstances that count as misconduct:

1. Falsifying an employment application or other documents to get a job
2. Failing to maintain licenses, registrations or certifications the job requires, unless the failure was outside your control
3. Knowingly and repeatedly violating a reasonable attendance policy (provided in writing, electronically or by workplace posting) after a written warning, unless you made a reasonable effort to fix the problem or the absences were outside your control
4. Damaging the employer's property through gross negligence
5. Refusing to obey a reasonable and lawful instruction, unless you lacked the ability to comply or the instruction would have required an unsafe act
6. Consuming alcohol, illegal or non-prescribed drugs, or other impairing substances on the premises during working hours in violation of policy
7. Reporting to work under the influence in violation of policy
8. Grossly negligent conduct that endangers your safety or the safety of others

A separate rule in Section 602(B) applies to a discharge for a felony or theft connected with the work. If you admitted it, or were convicted or placed on supervision, and the employer notified IDES in time, you lose benefit rights based on wages from any employer for work done before the day you were discharged.

Whatever the reason you left, your employer still owes your final wages; see Illinois final paycheck laws.

Work search requirements in Illinois

IDES's handbook states: "The law states that you must be actively looking for work on your own initiative. You must register with the Illinois Employment Service system at IllinoisJobLink.com, or you may register at an IDES office." IDES rules call for "a thorough, active and reasonable search for appropriate work on his or her own" (56 Ill. Adm. Code 2865.100). The sources reviewed for this page do not set a specific number of weekly contacts; ask IDES what it expects for your claim.

You must keep a work search record. IDES rules say a claimant certifying "as a telephone, internet or mail filer shall maintain a work search record for each week he or she is claiming benefits." For each week, record the employers and people you contacted, the dates, how you contacted them, the type of work you sought (including wages and hours), and the results. IDES can ask for the record in writing, for example after an employer protest, at an adjudicator interview or in a random audit.

Who does not have to register with IllinoisJobLink

Registration is not required if, among the exemptions IDES lists, you are:

• Out of work because of a labor dispute
• On a temporary layoff of up to 10 weeks
• A member of a labor union whose placement service IDES has certified
• Partially employed because your hours were reduced while you remain attached to your job
• A seasonal worker between seasons
• An academic or school-support worker between terms
• A construction worker seeking construction work
• Enrolled and participating in training, whether or not it is approved
• A resident of a bordering state who filed in Illinois
• A claimant for whom labor-market information shows registration would not help

Approved training under Section 500(C) also means you are not treated as unavailable or failing to seek work while you attend.

Working part-time while collecting unemployment

You can collect a partial benefit in a week you work, as long as your earnings for the week are less than your weekly benefit amount (not counting any dependents' allowance). IDES's booklet puts it this way: "Your earnings for the week must be less than the weekly benefit amount (not including the dependent allowance) you would receive if you were totally unemployed for the week."

Under Section 402, your payment is your weekly benefit amount "less that part of wages (if any) payable to him with respect to such week which is in excess of 50% of his weekly benefit amount." The result is rounded up to the next whole dollar, and any dependents' allowance is added after the deduction.

Example. With a weekly benefit of $400, the first $200 of earnings (50%) is not deducted. If you earn $300 in a week, the $100 above $200 is subtracted, for a payment of $300. If you earn $400 or more, you are not unemployed for that week and receive nothing.

Holiday pay and vacation pay allocated to a week are deducted in full.

How to file for unemployment in Illinois

IDES advises: "File your claim for unemployment insurance benefits during the first week after you have become unemployed." Do not hold off because you expect to be recalled.

• Online: start at IDES's file-a-claim page; claims are filed at benefits.ides.illinois.gov with an ILogin account. IDES calls online filing the fastest way to file.
• By phone: IDES Claimant Services at (800) 244-5631.
• In person: at an IDES office.

What to have ready

IDES lists:

• Your Social Security number and your name exactly as it appears on the card
• Your driver license or State ID
• Names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth of any dependents you are claiming
• For every employer in the last 18 months: name, address, phone number, dates of work and the reason you separated
• Wage records, plus your gross wages for the current week
• Records of any pension payments
• Alien registration information if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Form DD-214 if you are a veteran, or forms SF-8 and SF-50 if you were a federal civilian employee

Certifying every two weeks

IDES says: "You must certify every two weeks for the weeks just ended. IDES permits you to file bi-weekly certifications online or by Tele-Serve." Certify on your assigned day; Thursday and Friday are make-up days. Tele-Serve is (312) 338-4337, available 3:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

IDES no longer mails paper checks. Its notice states: "As of July 8, 2026, IDES will no longer send benefit payments via paper check. You may select direct deposit or debit card as your method for receiving benefit payments."

Denials and appeals in Illinois

If IDES denies your claim, you have 30 calendar days after the claims adjudicator's finding or determination is delivered to you, or mailed to your last known address, to file an appeal (820 ILCS 405/800). IDES's procedure is to send a written appeal or Request for Reconsideration form to your local IDES office within 30 days of the mailing date. If reconsideration is denied, the appeal goes automatically to the Appeals Division.

The appeal levels are:

1. Referee hearing. An IDES administrative law judge (called a referee) holds a telephone hearing.
2. Board of Review. The referee's decision is final unless, "within 30 calendar days after the date of mailing of such decision, further appeal to the Board of Review is initiated," in the words of the Act. IDES describes the Board as a five-person body appointed by the governor that decides on the record.
3. Circuit court. IDES says: "If you are dissatisfied with the Board of Review Decision, you can appeal the Decision to the county Circuit Court within 35 days." Under the Administrative Review Law (735 ILCS 5/3-103), you file a complaint and have summons issued within 35 days after the Board's decision is served on you. The case goes to the circuit court for the county where you live, or Cook County if you live out of state.

Keep certifying. IDES's handbook says: "Continue to certify every two weeks if your appeal is pending but only if you remain unemployed." IDES rules also require you to keep your work search record for the weeks you expect to be paid if you win.

Overpayments and fraud penalties

IDES's overpayment page states: "Unless you are eligible for a waiver of overpayment, you are required to pay back any overpayments."

Fraud. If IDES finds you knowingly made a false statement or concealed information to get benefits (820 ILCS 405/900, 901, 901.1):

• The overpayment can be repaid in cash or recouped from benefits at any time
• You are ineligible for the week you are notified and 6 more weeks for a first offense, plus 2 weeks for each later offense (each week of overpayment counts as a separate offense), limited to 26 weeks or 2 years after the notice, whichever comes first
• You must pay a penalty "in an amount equal to 15% of such sum"
• IDES notes fraud can also bring criminal penalties, including jail and fines

Overpayments that were not your fault. IDES can sue to recover non-fraud overpayments, or recoup them from benefits payable to you within 5 years of the finding. Recoupment does not begin until the appeal window has closed or a referee has affirmed the overpayment. If you received the money without fault and recovery would be "against equity and good conscience" (for example, financial hardship or reliance on the payment), you can ask IDES to waive recoupment (56 Ill. Adm. Code 2835.30). IDES must include written notice of your waiver rights with the recoupment notice.

Does Illinois tax unemployment benefits?

Yes. The Illinois Department of Revenue states: "Unemployment compensation included in your federal adjusted gross income, except railroad unemployment, is fully taxable to Illinois." IDES lets you choose voluntary withholding: "10% for federal income tax and 4.95% for state income tax." IDES issues Form 1099-G each year. For federal tax on benefits, see our unemployment benefits by state hub.

Recent and upcoming changes

• January 1, 2026: the new benefit table took effect for benefit years beginning in 2026: $628 maximum, $748 with a spouse, $859 with a child.
• January 1, 2026: Public Act 104-285 added the mental health disability quit exception for claims dated December 28, 2025 through December 24, 2028.
• July 8, 2026: IDES stopped issuing paper benefit checks; payments go by direct deposit or debit card.
• December 1, 2026: IDES's annual determination of the statewide average weekly wage sets the maximum for benefit years beginning in 2027; the new table was not yet published as of October 7, 2026.
• January 1, 2027: Public Act 104-839 takes effect, moving the scheduled reduction (40.8% and 24 weeks) to benefit years beginning in 2029.

Common myths about Illinois unemployment

"Benefits drop to 40.6% and 23 weeks in 2027." That schedule was in the Act, but Public Act 104-839, effective January 1, 2027, moves a reduction to benefit years beginning in 2029, at 40.8% and 24 weeks.

"You can claim both a spouse and a child." IDES allows only one type of dependents' allowance.

"You certify every week." Regular Illinois claims are certified every two weeks.

"The first week gets paid later." It is an unpaid waiting week.

"Illinois doesn't tax unemployment." It does, except railroad unemployment benefits.

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information about Illinois unemployment insurance, not legal advice or a benefit determination. Only the Illinois Department of Employment Security decides whether you are eligible and how much you receive. The information was verified on October 7, 2026. If your claim was denied or you face an overpayment, consult a lawyer licensed in Illinois or a legal aid office.

Related

• Unemployment benefits by state
• Illinois unemployment calculator
• Illinois at-will employment laws
• Illinois final paycheck laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in Illinois in 2026?

$628 a week for benefit years beginning in 2026, per IDES's benefit table. With a dependents' allowance, the most is $748 with a non-working spouse or $859 with a dependent child.

How is Illinois unemployment calculated?

IDES adds your two highest base-period quarters, divides by 26 to get your prior average weekly wage, and pays 47% of that, rounded up, between $51 and $628 for 2026 (820 ILCS 405/401).

How much do I need to earn to qualify for unemployment in Illinois?

At least $1,600 in base-period wages for insured work, with at least $440 of it paid outside your highest quarter (Section 500(E)).

How long does unemployment last in Illinois?

Up to 26 weeks. Section 403 caps total benefits at 26 times your weekly amount plus dependents' allowances, or your total base-period wages if that is smaller.

Is the first week of unemployment paid in Illinois?

No. Section 500(D) requires a one-week waiting period, and IDES says benefits are not paid for it. It is usually the first week you file for.

Can I claim dependents on Illinois unemployment?

Yes, either a non-working spouse or dependent children, but not both. For 2026 the totals top out at $748 a week with a spouse and $859 with a child.

Can I get unemployment in Illinois if I quit?

Only with good cause attributable to the employer or under a Section 601(B) exception, such as verified domestic violence, a spouse's job relocation or caring for a sick family member. Otherwise you must earn your weekly benefit amount in each of four weeks of new work first.

How many job contacts do I need for Illinois unemployment?

IDES requires an active search on your own initiative and a written record for every week you claim. The sources reviewed for this page do not set a fixed weekly number, so ask IDES what it expects.

How often do I certify for Illinois unemployment?

Every two weeks, online or by Tele-Serve at (312) 338-4337, on your assigned day. Thursday and Friday are make-up days.

How much can I earn part-time on Illinois unemployment?

Earnings up to 50% of your weekly benefit are not deducted; earnings above that reduce your payment dollar for dollar (Section 402). If you earn your full weekly benefit amount or more, you get nothing for that week.

How long do I have to appeal an Illinois unemployment denial?

30 calendar days after the determination is mailed or delivered (820 ILCS 405/800). You then have 30 days to appeal a referee's decision to the Board of Review and 35 days to go to circuit court.

Does Illinois tax unemployment benefits?

Yes. The Illinois Department of Revenue says unemployment compensation in federal AGI is fully taxable to Illinois, except railroad unemployment. You can elect 4.95% state withholding.