Virginia Unemployment Benefits Calculator

To qualify for unemployment in Virginia, you generally must have lost your job through no fault of your own (layoff, reduction in force, or position elimination), have earned wages from a covered employer during a defined "base period" (typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters), and meet minimum-earnings thresholds. Workers fired for misconduct or who voluntarily quit without good cause are usually ineligible.

Your weekly benefit amount (WBA) is calculated from earnings in your highest-paid quarter (or sometimes top two quarters) of the base period, capped at approximately $378 per week in 2026 for Virginia. Maximum duration in Virginia is up to 26 weeks. Most states max at 26 weeks; Massachusetts uniquely allows up to 30, while a handful (FL, GA, NC, AL, MO, AR, KS, MI) cap regular benefits below 26. Extended benefits may activate during periods of high state unemployment.

To keep receiving benefits, claimants must file weekly or biweekly certifications, document active work-search activities, accept suitable work offers, and report any earnings from part-time or gig work. Severance pay, vacation payouts, and pensions can offset or delay benefits depending on state rules. Apply through the Virginia workforce agency as soon as possible after job separation — there is typically a one-week unpaid waiting period before benefits begin.

Virginia pays a maximum WBA of $378 for 2026 — modest given the state's cost of living, especially in NoVa — and the figure has not changed since 2010. The state taxable wage base is $8,000 in 2026. VEC's 2022 modernization replaced a 1985-era mainframe and added Spanish-language self-service. Maximum duration is 12–26 weeks via sliding scale; 2026's low statewide rate puts the cap at 12 weeks for new claims.