Base period

The base period is the roughly 12-month window of past wages a state examines to decide whether an unemployment claimant qualifies and how much the weekly benefit will be. Most states use the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the claim is filed.

The base period is set by the claim's filing date, so timing a claim can change which quarters count. Many states offer an alternate base period using more recent wages when the standard one falls short.