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North Carolina & South Carolina Unemployment Benefits Calculator

Uses North Carolina’s statutory maximum of $350/week over up to 12 weeks.

North Carolina, South Carolina share this page. Their rules produce the same answer to within a rounding difference, so publishing separate near-identical pages would add URLs without adding information. Every figure below applies to all 2.

North Carolina weekly benefit estimator

Uses North Carolina’s statutory maximum of $350/week over up to 12 weeks.

Your highest-earning 3-month period in the base year.

Estimated weekly benefit —
Total over the claim —
Wage replacement rate —

North Carolina at a glance

FigureNorth CarolinaSource
Maximum weekly benefit$350[5]
Maximum weeks payable12 weeks[5]
Maximum potential total$4,200[5]
State minimum wage (context)$7.25/hr[4]

[5] [4] Sources

Maximum weekly benefit — all 50 states

North Carolina highlighted. Same data as the table below, shown as a distribution so the comparison is visible at a glance.

Maximum weekly benefit — all 50 states. North Carolina is $350, ranked 42 of 50. The national median is $624, the highest is $1,152 (Washington), and the lowest is $235 (Mississippi). WA $1,152 MA $1,105 ME $1,090 RI $971 MN $948 NJ $905 OR $872 NY $869 HI $868 IL $859 CO $844 OH $842 ND $815 UT $806 CT $796 MT $767 IA $763 VT $757 KY $720 NM $674 WV $662 WY $651 OK $649 KS $637 NV $631 ID $624 PA $613 TX $605 NE $582 SD $553 MI $530 AR $451 CA $450 DE $450 AK $442 MD $430 VA $430 NH $427 IN $390 WI $370 GA $365 NC $350 SC $350 TN $325 AZ $320 MO $320 LA $282 AL $275 FL $275 MS $235

Highlighted: North Carolina, ranked 42 of 50. Median $624.

North Carolina benefit by wages and claim length

Every cell is a total payout computed with North Carolina's $350 cap and 12-week limit.

Top-quarter wages4 wks6 wks8 wks10 wks12 wks14 wks16 wks20 wks26 wks
$3,000$462$692$923$1,154$1,385$1,385$1,385$1,385$1,385
$4,000$615$923$1,231$1,538$1,846$1,846$1,846$1,846$1,846
$5,000$769$1,154$1,538$1,923$2,308$2,308$2,308$2,308$2,308
$6,000$923$1,385$1,846$2,308$2,769$2,769$2,769$2,769$2,769
$7,000$1,077$1,615$2,154$2,692$3,231$3,231$3,231$3,231$3,231
$8,000$1,231$1,846$2,462$3,077$3,692$3,692$3,692$3,692$3,692
$9,000$1,385$2,077$2,769$3,462$4,154$4,154$4,154$4,154$4,154
$10,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$11,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$12,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$13,500$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$15,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$17,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$19,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$22,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$25,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$28,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200
$32,000$1,400$2,100$2,800$3,500$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200$4,200

Worked figures for North Carolina

North Carolina values:

QuarterlyAnnualizedWbaCappedTotal
$4,000$16,000$154No$1,846
$6,000$24,000$231No$2,769
$8,000$32,000$308No$3,692
$10,000$40,000$350Yes$4,200
$12,000$48,000$350Yes$4,200
$14,000$56,000$350Yes$4,200
$16,000$64,000$350Yes$4,200
$18,000$72,000$350Yes$4,200
$20,000$80,000$350Yes$4,200
$24,000$96,000$350Yes$4,200
$28,000$112,000$350Yes$4,200
$32,000$128,000$350Yes$4,200

How North Carolina compares nationally

On maximum weekly benefit, North Carolina ranks #42 of 50 at $350 — 44% below the median of $624. The national range runs from $235 (Mississippi) to $1,152 (Washington).

RankStateMaximum weekly benefit
#40Wisconsin$370
#41Georgia$365
#42North Carolina$350
#43South Carolina$350
#44Tennessee$325

Short-duration state (under 15 weeks)s, ranked

Same rule structure as North Carolina:

StateMaximum weekly benefitvs North Carolina
Arkansas$451+28.9%
North Carolina$350—
Alabama$275-21.4%

North Carolina questions, answered with North Carolina numbers

What is the most North Carolina pays per week?▾
$350/week · rank #42/50 · needs ~$9,100 in your top quarter.
How long can a North Carolina claim run?▾
12 weeks · max total $4,200 · 14 weeks shorter than the 26-week norm.
Top-quarter wages of $15,000 — what then?▾
$350/week (capped at $350) · $4,200 over 12 weeks · replaces 30% of prior wages.
Does it cover North Carolina rent?▾
$1,517/month vs $1,410 median 2BR rent · ratio 1.1x.

Other short-duration state (under 15 weeks)s

Alabama Arkansas

Last reviewed 2026-08-26. North Carolina figures only — verify with the relevant North Carolina agency before acting. How this is calculated.