Estimate your California EDD weekly benefit amount, eligibility, and maximum claim from your base-period wages — the same formula EDD uses to set your claim.
Eligibility also requires being unemployed through no fault of your own, able and available to work, and actively seeking work — EDD verifies these separately.
California's unemployment formula is straightforward but the inputs trip people up — most claimants either don't know what their base period is or don't realize the $450 cap. This page walks through the four steps EDD uses to set your claim.
EDD looks at the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. The very most recent quarter is excluded so wages have been fully reported. For example, a claim filed in November 2026 uses July 2025 through June 2026 as its base period (Q3 2025, Q4 2025, Q1 2026, Q2 2026).
| Claim Filing Month | Base Period (12 months) |
|---|---|
| January, February, March | Oct 2 yrs prior – Sep 1 yr prior |
| April, May, June | Jan 1 yr prior – Dec 1 yr prior |
| July, August, September | Apr 1 yr prior – Mar this year |
| October, November, December | Jul 1 yr prior – Jun this year |
You need either:
If you fail the standard base-period test, EDD automatically checks an alternate base period — the four most recently completed quarters.
WBA = highest base-period quarter ÷ 26, capped between $40 and $450. So a $26,000 highest quarter yields $1,000/26 = $1,000 ÷ 26 = $1,000... wait, $26,000 ÷ 26 = $1,000, but the cap is $450. The cap kicks in at a highest quarter of $11,674.01 — anything higher is still $450/week.
| Highest Quarter Wages | Weekly Benefit Amount |
|---|---|
| $1,300 | $50 |
| $2,600 | $100 |
| $5,200 | $200 |
| $7,800 | $300 |
| $10,400 | $400 |
| $11,674+ | $450 (cap) |
Your maximum claim is the lesser of (a) 26 × WBA or (b) 50% of your total base-period wages. Most full-time workers get the full 26 weeks at their WBA. Workers with a single high-earning quarter and low total wages can be limited to fewer than 26 weeks because of the 50%-rule.
The $450 maximum has not been increased since 2005. Indexed for inflation, $450 in 2005 would be roughly $720 in 2026, and California's UI fund has been in deficit for years. Reform proposals such as SB 1434 would raise the maximum to $700 with annual cost-of-living adjustments, but no increase has become law.
You can work part-time and stay on UI. EDD disregards the larger of 25% of your WBA or $25 per week, then deducts the rest of your earnings from that week's benefit. If part-time pay exceeds your WBA, that week's payment is $0 but your claim stays open.
California unemployment is taxable federally (EDD sends a 1099-G) but exempt from California state income tax. You can elect 10% federal withholding from each payment to avoid a surprise at tax time.