Monetary Eligibility

Table of Contents

After submitting your unemployment application, you will receive a monetary record. This is not a guarantee of benefits and does not mean you've been approved; you must meet additional requirements to qualify. It's your responsibility to check the status of your claim. You can view open issues and payment details in your claimant portal. 

Monetary Record

The monetary record includes: 

  • Effective date of claim 
  • Number of dependents claimed 
  • Work search requirements 
  • Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) 
  • Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) 
  • Employers you worked for during the base period 
  • Wages earned each quarter during the base period 
  • Last employer listed on your application 

Carefully review all the information. If anything is incorrect, contact us immediately or send a letter appealing the monetary record. Include copies of any check stubs, W-2 forms, or other proof of earnings, if available. 

Benefit Year

The benefit year is a one-year period starting from your claim effective date. You can reactivate your claim as many times as needed during this period. Benefits are paid until the maximum benefit amount is used up or the benefit year ends, whichever comes first. The claim expires at the end of the benefit year, even if there are still funds remaining. If the maximum benefit amount is used up before the year ends, you must wait until the end of the benefit year to file a new claim.  

Base Period

The chart shows the base pay period for unemployment insurance benefits.

The base period is a one-year (four-quarter) timeframe that uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters when you file an initial unemployment claim. Your weekly and maximum benefit amounts are based on your earnings during this base period. Earnings from the most recently completed quarter are not used to determine eligibility. 

Example: If a new claim is filed in April, May, or June (second quarter) of this year, the base period is January 1 through December 31 of last year.  

Alternate Base Period 

If you don’t qualify monetarily using the regular base period, you may be able to use an Alternate Base Period (ABP). To check if you qualify and to request an ABP, contact us at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or 1-866-239-0843. 

Wage Requirements

To be eligible, you must have: 

  • Been paid wages by covered employers in at least two quarters of the base period 
  • Earn at least 1.25 times the wages earned in your highest base period quarter 
  • Have wages of at least $2,070 in one quarter and at least $1,030 in a different quarter

Dependents

The number of dependents affects your weekly benefit amount and maximum benefit amount. Adding dependents can increase these amounts. A dependent is anyone claimed on your previous year’s income tax return. You can claim a maximum of four dependents, and they can only be added within 10 days of filing your initial claim. A spouse may count as a dependent if they earned $120 or less in wages (not including self-employment) during the week before your claim's effective date. 

Dependents cannot be: 

  • Yourself 
  • Any person already listed on another active claim 
  • A spouse who listed you on their active claim 

Incorrectly claimed dependents may result in an overpayment and could be investigated for fraud. 

Weekly Benefit Amount

The weekly benefit amount (WBA) is based on your highest earnings quarter in the base period and the number of dependents on your claim. To calculate the WBA, divide the wages from your highest quarter by:  

  • 23 for zero dependents (maximum of $602) 
  • 22 for one dependent (maximum of $625) 
  • 21 for two dependents (maximum of $648) 
  • 20 for three dependents (maximum of $682) 
  • 19 for four dependents (maximum of $739)

Maximum Benefit Amount

The maximum benefit amount (MBA) is 16 times your weekly benefit amount (WBA) or one-third of your total base period wages, whichever is less. If your last employer permanently closed, your MBA may increase to 26 times the WBA or half your total base period wages, whichever is less. The business closing WBA stays the same. 

The minimum and maximum WBAs and MBAs change each year for new claims filed after the first Sunday in July. 

Second Benefit Year

To qualify for a second claim year, you must earn at least eight times your weekly benefit amount since your last claim. You can still file a second claim even if you haven't earned this amount yet. Once you've earned eight times the weekly benefit amount, contact us at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or call 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Example: If your last claim paid $450 per week, you need to show $3,600 ($450 x 8) in earnings since your last claim.