New Hampshire
New Hampshire Unemployment Benefits 2026: $427 Max, How to File
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 8, 2026). · 19 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
New Hampshire pays unemployment benefits of $32 to $427 a week. The amount comes from a fixed schedule in RSA 282-A:25 that ties your weekly benefit to your total earnings in the base period, and that schedule has applied since July 1, 2007. The US Department of Labor's July 2026 comparison of state programs lists the same $32 minimum and $427 maximum.
Because the schedule is written into the statute rather than indexed to wages, it changes only if the legislature amends it. Eligible claimants can draw up to 26 weeks of full benefits. New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES) runs the program.
For how unemployment insurance works nationally, see our guide to unemployment benefits by state.
Information last verified on October 6, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Jurisdiction scope: This page covers regular state unemployment insurance in New Hampshire under RSA chapter 282-A. It does not cover federal programs for federal workers and veterans (UCFE/UCX), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, extended benefits, or claims filed in other states.
Who is eligible for unemployment in New Hampshire
NHES measures your work history over a base period: the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your benefit year starts (RSA 282-A:2).
If those quarters do not qualify you, New Hampshire uses an alternate base period of the last four completed calendar quarters, if that period qualifies. Wages used in an alternate base period cannot be used again for a later benefit year.
The earnings test is in RSA 282-A:25. You need base-period earnings of at least $2,800, and you must have earned at least $1,400 in each of two calendar quarters.
You must also be able to work, available for work and looking for it, and registered with the NHES employment office (RSA 282-A:31). The work search rules are covered below.
NHES says to file in the state where you physically performed your work, regardless of where you lived.
How much unemployment pays in New Hampshire
New Hampshire does not use a percentage of your wages. RSA 282-A:25 sets out a table of 52 earnings brackets. Your total base-period earnings place you in a bracket, and the bracket fixes both your weekly benefit and the total you can draw.
Here are selected rows from the statutory schedule:
| Base-period earnings of at least | Weekly benefit | Maximum total benefits |
|---|---|---|
| $2,800 | $32 | $832 |
| $5,100 | $59 | $1,534 |
| $10,000 | $110 | $2,860 |
| $15,500 | $167 | $4,342 |
| $20,500 | $217 | $5,642 |
| $25,500 | $265 | $6,890 |
| $30,500 | $311 | $8,086 |
| $35,500 | $362 | $9,412 |
| $40,500 | $416 | $10,816 |
| $41,500 | $427 | $11,102 |
Each row applies until your earnings reach the next row in the full table. The top row is open-ended: base-period earnings of $41,500 get $427 a week, and so do earnings of $100,000. The US Department of Labor describes the schedule as working out to roughly 1% to 1.1% of annual wages.
New Hampshire pays no extra amount for dependents; RSA 282-A:25 has no dependent allowance, and the Department of Labor's table also shows none.
Everyone who files an initial claim receives a monetary determination from NHES that states the weekly benefit amount and total benefits. You can estimate your figure with our New Hampshire unemployment calculator, but the NHES determination is the one that counts.
How long unemployment lasts in New Hampshire
In every row of the RSA 282-A:25 schedule, the maximum total equals 26 times the weekly benefit. At the top, $427 times 26 is $11,102. The US Department of Labor lists New Hampshire's duration as a uniform 26 weeks.
That means an eligible claimant can draw up to 26 weeks of full benefits within the benefit year. The number of weeks does not move with the state unemployment rate.
The waiting week
RSA 282-A:31 requires a one-week waiting period for benefit years beginning on or after January 3, 2010. The waiting week must be a week of total or partial unemployment in which you are otherwise eligible.
The statute says the waiting week causes no reduction in your maximum benefit amount. It does not say the waiting week is paid later.
Quitting or being fired in New Hampshire
If you quit
Under RSA 282-A:32, you are disqualified if you left work voluntarily without good cause under the commissioner's rules. To requalify, you must earn wages in each of 5 weeks of at least 20 percent more than your weekly benefit amount after the separation, in covered work or similar work in another state.
The statute lists situations where the quit rule does not apply and benefits are paid:
- You accepted unsuitable work and quit within 12 consecutive weeks, with or without good cause.
- You quit in good faith to accept better employment that begins within a reasonable period.
- You reasonably believed leaving was necessary to protect yourself or your immediate family from domestic abuse as defined in RSA 173-B:1, verified through reasonable documentation that is kept confidential.
- You could not perform some or all of your duties because of pregnancy or an illness or injury not related to work, with a written attestation from a physician.
- You left to go with a spouse to a place too far to commute from, because the spouse's job location changed.
- You left because of the illness or disability of an immediate family member, as defined by the US Department of Labor.
If you were fired
RSA 282-A:32 disqualifies you if the commissioner finds you were discharged for misconduct connected with your work. The requalification rule is the same as for a quit: 5 weeks of wages at least 20 percent above your weekly benefit amount.
The statute does not define ordinary misconduct; that comes from NHES rules and case law, which we did not review for this page.
Serious work-connected offenses carry a much heavier penalty. Under RSA 282-A:35, a discharge for arson, sabotage, a felony, assault causing bodily injury, criminal threatening, or theft totaling $250 or more means you lose all wage credits earned before the dismissal.
For when an employer may end a job, see New Hampshire at-will employment laws. For what your employer owes you when the job ends, see New Hampshire final paycheck laws.
Work search requirements
NHES states: "Looking for work each week and providing proof on your weekly unemployment claim is a basic eligibility requirement when collecting unemployment benefits." Unless you are specifically exempted, the weekly work search is required.
Under RSA 282-A:31, you must be seeking permanent full-time or part-time work, and temporary work too if permanent work is not immediately available. You must be registered with the NHES employment office and exposed to employment as a reasonably prudent person would be.
If you give NHES satisfactory evidence of a definite date to return to work within 11 weeks of your last day of work, the statute exempts you from the work search.
The NHES page we reviewed does not state a fixed number of weekly employer contacts. Ask NHES what your claim requires and keep a record of each contact.
Working part time while claiming
You are partially unemployed in a week when your wages are less than your weekly benefit amount (RSA 282-A:14). If you are looking only for part-time work, you count as partially unemployed only in a week you worked fewer than 20 hours.
RSA 282-A:14 says your weekly benefit "shall be reduced by all wages and earnings in excess of 30 percent, rounded to the nearest dollar, of the individual's weekly benefit amount." The US Department of Labor lists the same 30 percent earnings disregard.
Example. With a $300 weekly benefit, the first $90 of weekly earnings (30 percent) is not counted. If you earn $200 that week, the $110 above $90 comes off your benefit, leaving a $190 payment.
How to file for unemployment in New Hampshire
Start at NHES's file for unemployment benefits page, which links to the claim registration and login. After the initial claim, NHES says to file weekly claims reporting your hours and earnings.
The NHES unemployment hotline is (603) 271-7700, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
What documents to have ready is not listed on the NHES page we reviewed, so check with NHES before you file.
Denials and appeals
New Hampshire's appeal deadlines are counted in calendar days.
- Appeal tribunal. Your appeal must be received, or postmarked if mailed, within 14 calendar days after the determination was mailed to your last known address (RSA 282-A:48). A late appeal may be allowed if the commissioner finds sufficient grounds.
- Request for reopening. If the appeal tribunal rules against you, the next step is a written request to the commissioner to reopen the case on the basis of fraud, mistake or newly discovered evidence. It must be received, or postmarked if mailed, within 14 calendar days after the appeal tribunal's decision was mailed (RSA 282-A:60).
- Appellate board. An appeal to the appellate board must be filed, or postmarked if mailed, within 14 calendar days of the mailing of the commissioner's decision on the request for reopening (RSA 282-A:64).
- Reconsideration. You can ask the appellate board to reconsider within 20 days of the mailing of its decision (RSA 282-A:67).
- New Hampshire Supreme Court. A notice of appeal is due within 30 days after the board's final decision is mailed, served on the commissioner and the attorney general (RSA 282-A:67).
NHES says that while waiting for the hearing, unemployed claimants should continue to file timely weekly claims, and must still meet the eligibility requirements every week.
Overpayments and fraud
Benefits you received while you did not meet the conditions, or while disqualified, are an overpayment you must repay unless you were without fault as NHES rules define it (RSA 282-A:165). An overpayment exists only after a written determination, issued within 2 years of the weeks affected, and you can appeal it. NHES may collect through a civil action or by withholding future benefits.
Apart from that without-fault rule, the commissioner may compromise an overpaid account by written stipulation approved by the attorney general, and may waive interest, penalties, fees and costs totaling $50 or less (RSA 282-A:29).
Fraud is treated severely. For a willful false statement or failure to disclose, NHES may disqualify you for each week affected; you must then repay those benefits plus a 20 percent penalty and are ineligible for 4 to 52 consecutive weeks (RSA 282-A:164). A criminal conviction means a one-year disqualification plus restitution and the 20 percent penalty (RSA 282-A:163).
Taxes on New Hampshire unemployment benefits
New Hampshire does not tax wage or unemployment income. The General Court's table of contents lists RSA chapter 77, Taxation of Incomes, as repealed. We could not reach a Department of Revenue Administration page to quote on this point.
Benefits are still taxable federal income; see our unemployment benefits guide for how that works.
Common myths
- "Benefits are a percentage of your pay." New Hampshire uses a fixed table. Earnings of $41,500 and earnings far above it get the same $427.
- "The waiting week gets paid at the end." The statute requires the waiting week and says only that it does not reduce your maximum benefit amount; it states no catch-up payment.
Disclaimer: This page is general legal information about New Hampshire unemployment insurance, verified on October 6, 2026. It is not legal advice or a benefit determination. Only New Hampshire Employment Security decides whether you are eligible and how much you receive. If your claim is denied, consider talking to a lawyer licensed in New Hampshire or a legal aid office.
Related
- Unemployment benefits by state
- New Hampshire unemployment calculator
- New Hampshire final paycheck laws
- New Hampshire at-will employment laws
Last updated: October 7, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum unemployment benefit in New Hampshire?
$427 a week, for claimants whose base-period earnings are $41,500 or more. The schedule in RSA 282-A:25 has been in place since July 1, 2007, and the US Department of Labor's July 2026 table lists the same $427 maximum.
What is the minimum unemployment benefit in New Hampshire?
$32 a week, the lowest row of the RSA 282-A:25 schedule, for base-period earnings of $2,800.
How is New Hampshire unemployment calculated?
NHES looks up your total base-period earnings in the statutory table in RSA 282-A:25, which assigns a fixed weekly amount and a fixed total. For example, earnings of at least $20,500 but under $21,500 pay $217 a week, up to $5,642 in total.
How long does unemployment last in New Hampshire?
Up to 26 weeks of full benefits. Each total in the RSA 282-A:25 schedule equals 26 times the weekly amount, and the US Department of Labor lists New Hampshire's duration as a uniform 26 weeks.
Does New Hampshire have a waiting week?
Yes. RSA 282-A:31 requires a one-week waiting period of total or partial unemployment for benefit years beginning on or after January 3, 2010. It does not reduce your maximum benefit amount.
How much do I need to earn to qualify for unemployment in New Hampshire?
At least $2,800 in your base period, with at least $1,400 earned in each of two calendar quarters (RSA 282-A:25).
Can I get unemployment in New Hampshire if I quit my job?
Only with good cause under NHES rules or one of the exceptions in RSA 282-A:32, such as leaving for a better job, to escape domestic abuse, or because of a family member's illness. Otherwise you must earn, in each of 5 weeks, at least 20 percent more than your weekly benefit to requalify.
Can I work part time and collect unemployment in New Hampshire?
Yes, if your weekly wages are below your weekly benefit amount. Under RSA 282-A:14, earnings up to 30 percent of your weekly benefit are not counted, and every dollar above that reduces the payment.
How long do I have to appeal an unemployment denial in New Hampshire?
14 calendar days after the determination was mailed; a mailed appeal must be postmarked within that time (RSA 282-A:48). If the appeal tribunal rules against you, the next step is a request for reopening to the commissioner, also due within 14 calendar days (RSA 282-A:60).
Does New Hampshire tax unemployment benefits?
New Hampshire does not tax wage or unemployment income, and the General Court lists RSA chapter 77, the old income tax chapter, as repealed. Benefits are still federally taxable.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, TITLE XXIII LABOR, CHAPTER 282-A UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
§ 282-A:25Weekly Benefit Amount for Total Unemployment and Maximum Total Amount of Benefits Payable During any Benefit Year.In force
I. The maximum weekly benefit amount and maximum benefits payable to an eligible individual, the first day of whose individual benefit year is on or after the effective date of this paragraph, shall be determined by the individual's annual earnings, of which in each of 2 calendar quarters the individual must have earned not less than $1,400, as follows: Annual Earnings of Maximum Weekly Maximum Not Less Than Benefit Amount Benefits $ 2,800 $ 32 $ 832 3,100 35 910 3,400 39 1,014 3,900 45 1,170 4,200 48 1,248 4,500 52 1,352 4,800 55 1,430 5,100 59 1,534 5,600 64 1,664 6,100 69 1,794 6,600 75 1,950 7,000 80 2,080 7,400 83 2,158 7,800 88 2,288 8,200 92 2,392 8,600 96 2,496 9,000 101 2,626 9,500 105 2,730 10,000 110 2,860 10,500 115 2,990 11,000 120 3,120 11,500 126 3,276 12,500 137 3,562 13,500 148 3,848 14,500 159 4,134 15,500 167 4,342 16,500 178 4,628 17,500 188 4,888 18,500 199 5,174 19,500 206 5,356 20,500 217 5,642 21,500 227 5,902 22,500 238 6,188 23,500 249 6,474 24,500 254 6,604 25,500 265 6,890 26,500 275 7,150 27,500 286 7,436 28,500 290 7,540 29,500 301 7,826 30,500 311 8,086 31,500 321 8,346 32,500 331 8,606 33,500 342 8,892 34,500 352 9,152 35,500 362 9,412 36,500 372…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:31Benefit Eligibility Conditions.In force
I. An unemployed individual shall be eligible to receive benefits with respect to any week only if the commissioner finds that: (a) He or she has been classified in accordance with his or her experience and abilities and so registered for employment with and by the commissioner and has reported and continues thereafter to report at an employment office in accordance with such rules as the commissioner may adopt. (b) He or she has made a claim for benefits in accordance with the provisions of RSA 282-A:43. (c) He or she is ready, willing, and able to accept and perform suitable full-time or part-time work on all the shifts and during all the hours for which there is a market for the services he or she offers and that he or she has exposed himself or herself to employment to the extent commensurate with the economic conditions and the efforts of a reasonably prudent person seeking work.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:32Disqualifications for Benefits.In force
In this section, "date" as used in "subsequent to the date" means the last calendar day on which the individual performed services for the employer. An individual shall be disqualified for benefits and no waiting period may be served: I. Until the individual has earned in each of 5 weeks wages in employment as defined in RSA 282-A:9, except RSA 282-A:9, IV(f), or wages earned in a like manner in another state, of at least 20 percent more than such individual's weekly benefit amount, subsequent to the date: (a) The individual left work voluntarily without good cause in accordance with rules of the commissioner.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:2Base Periods.In force
I. "Base period" means the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the individual's benefit year except as provided in RSA 282-A:2, II. II. "Alternate base period" means for benefit years effective on or after April 1, 2001 for any individual who does not have sufficient wages in the base period as defined in paragraph I to qualify for benefits pursuant to RSA 282-A:25, the individual's base period shall be the last 4 completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of the individual's benefit year if such period qualifies the individual for benefits under RSA 282-A:25. The commissioner shall establish rules for obtaining wage information if wage information for the most recent quarter of the alternate base period is not available to the department from regular quarterly reports of wage information that is systematically accessible. (a) Wages that fall within the base period of claims established under this paragraph are not available for reuse in qualifying for any subsequent benefit years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:14Total and Partial Unemployment.In force
I. (a) An individual shall be deemed "totally unemployed" in any week with respect to which no wages are payable to him and during which he performs no services. An individual who is not entitled to vacation pay from his employer shall be deemed to be in "total unemployment" during the entire period of any general closing of his employer's place of business for vacation purposes, notwithstanding his prior assent, direct or indirect, to the establishment of such vacation period by his employer. (b) An individual who is seeking only part-time work shall be deemed to be partially unemployed only in any week during which the individual was employed fewer than 20 hours. II. An individual shall be deemed to be "partially unemployed" in any week of less than full-time work if the wages computed to the nearest dollar payable to him with respect to such week fail to equal his weekly benefit amount. III.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:35Gross Misconduct.In force
An unemployed individual who has been discharged for arson, sabotage, felony, assault which causes bodily injury, criminal threatening, or a single theft or multiple thefts in the aggregate of an amount equal to or greater than $250, where such conduct is connected with his or her work, shall suffer the loss of all wage credits earned prior to the date of such dismissal.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:48Appealing Determination.In force
Any interested party may appeal from a certifying officer's determination by filing an appeal to an appeal tribunal which must be received or, if filed by mail, postmarked within 14 calendar days after the determination was mailed to his last known address; provided that, if the commissioner finds sufficient grounds to justify or excuse a delay in filing an appeal, he may extend the time for filing the appeal.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
§ 282-A:165Overpayments.In force
I. Any person who has received any benefits under this chapter while any conditions for the receipt of benefits imposed by this chapter were not fulfilled or while the person was disqualified from receiving benefits shall be liable to repay to the commissioner such benefits all of which shall be considered to be overpayments. II. Liability shall not exist where the person receiving benefits is without fault in causing the overpayment as defined by the rules of the commissioner. III. No such overpayment shall exist unless a determination has been made by the commissioner or an authorized representative setting forth the facts causing the creation of the overpayment and notice of such determination has been sent to the claimant who may appeal in the manner set forth in RSA 282-A:42-68. Such determination shall be made within 2 years of the weeks affected thereby and shall include notice of the compromise process under RSA 282-A:29. IV.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at gc.nh.gov
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Sources and References
- RSA 282-A:25, Weekly benefit amount and maximum benefits (schedule)(gc.nh.gov).gov
- US Department of Labor, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws, July 2026(oui.doleta.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Employment Security, File for Unemployment Benefits(www.nhes.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:2, Base period(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:31, Eligibility conditions and waiting period(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:14, Unemployment; partial benefits(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:32, Disqualification (voluntary quit, misconduct)(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:35, Discharge for certain crimes connected with work(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:48, Appeal of determination(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:64, Appeal to appellate board(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:67, Reconsideration and appeal to the Supreme Court(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:165, Overpayments(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:29, Compromise and waiver(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:164, False statements; disqualification and penalty(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:163, Disqualification after conviction(gc.nh.gov).gov
- NH General Court, RSA chapter 77 (Taxation of Incomes) table of contents(gc.nh.gov).gov
- RSA 282-A:60, Reopening of appeal tribunal decision(gc.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Employment Security, More Information About Appeals(www.nhes.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Employment Security, Unemployment Eligibility(www.nhes.nh.gov).gov