Idaho Unemployment Insurance

Idaho Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary financial assistance to laid-off workers in Idaho, while they are looking for a new job.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and must have:¹

1. earned at least $1,872 during the highest-paid quarter of the base period prior to filing a claim,
2. wages in at least two quarters of the base period, and
3. total base-period wages of at least 1.25 times the amount you earned in your highest-paid quarter of that base period.

For example, if your highest paid quarter was $1,872, your total base-period earnings in at least two quarters must be at least $2,340 ($1,872 × 1.25) to qualify.

How much unemployment benefits can I get in Idaho?

Depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive up to $624 per week for claims filed in 2026, and between 10 and 26 weeks of benefits, depending on your earnings ratio and the state unemployment rate.¹

How many weeks of unemployment benefits does Idaho offer?

Idaho provides as few as 10 weeks of benefits, which is shorter than the 26 weeks available in many other states. According to the Idaho Department of Labor, the number of weeks, between 10 and 26, depends on your base-period earnings ratio and the state unemployment rate, which is recalculated every three months.¹ Payments end once the maximum has been paid or the benefit year expires.

How do I file my weekly unemployment claim in Idaho?

You may file your initial claim or weekly certification online at the Idaho Claimant Portal . Claims over the phone are currently not accepted.

Idaho Department of Labor
Unemployment Insurance Claims
(208) 332-8942