Wyoming Unemployment 2026: $671 Max, Eligibility, How to File

Wyoming pays a weekly unemployment benefit of $48 to $671, according to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS), which says those figures apply as of July 5, 2026. Benefits last up to 26 weeks, though many claimants qualify for fewer because of a cap tied to their base-period wages.

The weekly amount is 4% of your wages in the highest-paid quarter of your base period, and the maximum is set at 55% of the statewide weekly wage (W.S. 27-3-303(a)). The minimum and maximum are recalculated for benefit years beginning on or after July 1 each year. For how unemployment works nationally, including federal tax on benefits, 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 Wyoming under Title 27, Chapter 3 of the Wyoming Statutes. It does not cover federal programs for federal civilian employees or veterans (UCFE/UCX), Disaster Unemployment Assistance, extended benefits, or claims filed in other states.

Who is eligible for unemployment in Wyoming

You may be eligible if you are out of work, earned enough in insured work during your base period, and meet the weekly work search requirements. DWS decides every claim.

Your base period is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your benefit year begins (W.S. 27-3-102(a)(i)). DWS's claimant guidebook describes it the same way, "in most cases." Your benefit year runs 52 weeks.

Under W.S. 27-3-306(d), your base-period wages must meet two tests:

• At least 8% of the statewide average annual wage, rounded down to the nearest $50. This page does not state the current dollar amount; confirm it with DWS.
• At least 1.4 times your wages in your highest-paid quarter. In other words, wages from your other quarters must add up to at least 40% of your highest quarter.

If you received benefits in a previous benefit year, you must also have earned at least 8 times your current weekly benefit for work as an employee since that prior benefit year began (W.S. 27-3-306(d)(iv)).

How much unemployment pays in Wyoming

The statute sets your weekly benefit at 4% of your wages in the single quarter of your base period in which you earned the most, rounded down to the next lower dollar. It cannot exceed 55% of the statewide weekly wage (W.S. 27-3-303(a)). DWS says that as of July 5, 2026, the weekly benefit ranges from $48 to $671.

A high quarter of about $16,775 or more reaches the $671 maximum. Wyoming adds nothing for dependents.

Example (illustration only): If your highest quarter paid $10,000, your weekly benefit is 4% of $10,000, or $400. To pass the 1.4 test, your total base-period wages would need to be at least $14,000. You can estimate your own amount with our Wyoming unemployment calculator. Only DWS's determination is official.

How long unemployment lasts in Wyoming

The ceiling is 26 weeks. Under W.S. 27-3-304, the most you can receive in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit or 30% of your base-period wages, whichever is less, rounded up to the next multiple of your weekly benefit. Wyoming does not tie duration to its unemployment rate.

Example (illustration only): With a $400 weekly benefit and $30,000 in base-period wages, 26 times $400 is $10,400 while 30% of $30,000 is $9,000. The lesser figure, $9,000, rounds up to $9,200, which is 23 weeks at $400.

The U.S. Department of Labor's January 2026 comparison table lists Wyoming's duration range as 11 to 26 weeks.

Is there a waiting week?

Wyoming has no waiting week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws (2023), and the DWS claimant guidebook says, "Benefits begin the week you file, and claims cannot be backdated." Questions about the timing of a payment go to the DWS Claims Center.

The no-backdating rule is the practical one: file as soon as you are out of work, because you cannot claim weeks before you file.

Quitting a job

You are disqualified if you left your most recent work voluntarily "without good cause attributable directly to [your] employment" (W.S. 27-3-311(a)). Wyoming is an at-will employment state, but that governs whether your employer can let you go, not whether you can collect after leaving.

The statute lists exceptions for leaving:

• For bona fide medical reasons involving your health.
• To return to approved training that meets W.S. 27-3-307.
• Because you were forced to leave as a victim of documented domestic violence.
• Because your spouse, a member of the U.S. armed forces on qualifying active, AGR, Title 10 or National Guard Title 32 duty, was transferred and you relocated.

A quit disqualification lasts until you have worked for an employer and earned at least 8 times the weekly benefit of your current claim after the quit.

Being fired for misconduct

If you were discharged from your most recent work for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified until you have been employed again and earned at least 12 times the weekly benefit of your current claim (W.S. 27-3-311(f)).

Knowingly making a false statement to get benefits is a separate disqualification that runs 52 weeks (W.S. 27-3-311(e)).

When you leave a job, what your employer owes you in wages is a separate matter; see Wyoming final paycheck laws.

Work search and HireWYO registration

You must register for work at HireWYO within 14 days after filing your initial claim, according to the DWS claimant guidebook.

Each week, you must search for work at least twice. The DWS FAQ says, "State rules require you to contact at least two employers each week." The 2026 guidebook describes the requirement as at least two qualifying work search activities, such as applying for a job, submitting a resume, interviewing, attending a DWS job fair, meeting a DWS Workforce Specialist, or approved reemployment services. Self-employment activities do not count.

Keep a written record of each contact: the date, the business, its address or phone, the position and the outcome. DWS can ask to see it at any time.

Exceptions exist. Under W.S. 27-3-306(a) and the DWS guidebook, you may not have to register or search for work if your employer expects to recall you to full-time work within 12 weeks and paid at least 50% of your base-period wages. Your employer must confirm it, and if you are not recalled within 12 weeks you must start meeting the requirements. The guidebook says union hiring-hall members on the out-of-work list may be exempt for the first 12 weeks. If DWS selects you for reemployment services (RESEA), participation is mandatory.

Working part time while claiming

Under W.S. 27-3-303(c), DWS pays your weekly benefit minus any earnings for the week that exceed 50% of your weekly benefit. In plain terms, you can earn up to half your weekly benefit without a reduction.

You receive nothing for a week in which your earnings equal or exceed your weekly benefit, or in which you work 35 hours or more, according to DWS. Severance, sick pay, earned vacation and employer-funded pension payments received for a claimed week are also deducted (W.S. 27-3-313).

Example (illustration only): With a $400 weekly benefit, half is $200. If you earn $300 in a week, the $100 above $200 is subtracted, so the payment would be $300.

How to apply and file weekly claims

File online at wyui.wyo.gov, which accepts claims at any time. You can also file by phone with the DWS Claims Center at (307) 473-3789, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, or 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

What to expect:

1. Create a WYUI account and file your initial claim. Have your Social Security number and employer details ready. Non-citizens send a copy of their alien registration card.
2. Verify your identity through ID.me (DWS also lists Login.gov).
3. Register on HireWYO within 14 days.
4. File a weekly claim online. Each claim week ends on Saturday, and DWS says to file within 14 days after the week ends.

DWS pays by direct deposit or a U.S. Bank ReliaCard.

Denials and appeals

You can appeal an initial determination within 28 calendar days from the date the notice was mailed to your last known address (W.S. 27-3-402). DWS says hearings are mostly held by phone before a hearing officer.

The appeal levels are:

1. Appeal tribunal (a DWS hearing officer).
2. Unemployment Insurance Commission. You can seek review within 28 days after notice of the hearing officer's decision is mailed or delivered (W.S. 27-3-404). The guidebook says the deadline is printed on the decision.
3. District court, by petition for judicial review under the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act (W.S. 27-3-407), and then the Wyoming Supreme Court. Check the Commission's decision for the filing deadline.

The DWS guidebook says to "continue filing your weekly claims while your appeal is pending if you want to receive benefits for those weeks."

Overpayments

If you received benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them. DWS can recover the money from future benefits (within 5 years of the claim's effective date if no fraud was involved, with no limit for fraud), through a repayment plan, a civil action or a federal tax refund offset (W.S. 27-3-409).

DWS must waive recovery when you were without fault and recovery would defeat the purpose of the law or be against equity and good conscience. Waivers are not available when fraud is involved.

A fraudulent overpayment carries a penalty of 20% of the overpayment, plus an additional 5% on the remaining unpaid balance at the end of every six months (W.S. 27-3-409(d)).

Wyoming income tax on unemployment

Wyoming has no individual income tax. The Wyoming Legislature's June 2025 tax-structure report lists the individual income tax rate as 0%, citing Article 15, Section 18 of the Wyoming Constitution. Unemployment benefits are still taxable federally, and DWS can withhold 10% for federal tax if you ask. For more on federal treatment, see our unemployment benefits by state guide.

Recent changes

DWS raised the weekly range to $48 to $671 as of July 5, 2026. The U.S. Department of Labor's January 2026 table had listed $47 to $651 before that reset. The next reset applies to benefit years beginning on or after July 1, 2027; DWS had not published those figures when this page was verified.

Common myths

• "Wyoming averages your two best quarters." The statute uses 4% of your single highest quarter.
• "The maximum is $651." That was the earlier figure. DWS lists $671 as of July 5, 2026.
• "Everyone gets 26 weeks." Your total is the lesser of 26 times your weekly benefit or 30% of your base-period wages.
• "You can stop filing weekly claims while you appeal." DWS says to keep filing them if you want to be paid for those weeks.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Wyoming unemployment insurance, not legal advice or a benefit determination. Only the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services decides whether you are eligible and how much you receive. Information verified on October 6, 2026. If your claim has been denied, consider consulting a lawyer licensed in Wyoming or a legal aid office.

Related

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

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in Wyoming in 2026?

$671 a week, according to DWS, as of July 5, 2026. The minimum is $48. The figures are reset each July under W.S. 27-3-303(a).

How is Wyoming unemployment calculated?

Your weekly benefit is 4% of the wages paid in the single highest quarter of your base period, rounded down to the dollar and capped at 55% of the statewide weekly wage. It is not an average of two quarters.

How long does unemployment last in Wyoming?

Up to 26 weeks. Under W.S. 27-3-304, your total cannot exceed 26 times your weekly benefit or 30% of your base-period wages, whichever is less.

Does Wyoming have a waiting week for unemployment?

No. The U.S. Department of Labor's Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws lists Wyoming as having no waiting period, and the DWS guidebook says benefits begin the week you file.

How many job contacts do I need for Wyoming unemployment?

At least two each week. The DWS FAQ says to contact at least two employers, and the DWS guidebook describes two qualifying work search activities. Keep a written record.

Can I get unemployment in Wyoming if I quit?

Only if you left with good cause attributable directly to your employment or under an exception such as a bona fide medical reason or documented domestic violence. Otherwise you must earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit in a new job first.

Can I work part time and collect unemployment in Wyoming?

Yes. DWS subtracts the part of your weekly earnings that exceeds half your weekly benefit. You get nothing for a week in which you earn your full weekly benefit or work 35 hours or more.

How long do I have to appeal a Wyoming unemployment decision?

28 calendar days from the date the notice was mailed, under W.S. 27-3-402. Keep filing weekly claims while the appeal is pending.

Is unemployment taxed in Wyoming?

Wyoming has no individual income tax, according to the Legislature's 2025 tax report. Benefits are still federally taxable, and DWS can withhold 10% for federal tax.