Unemployment Benefits Calculators South Carolina

South Carolina Unemployment Benefits Calculator

Estimate your South Carolina unemployment benefits. Max weekly: $350. Max weeks: 20. Free calculator.

Updated Oct 13, 2026 Estimate — not official figures

Use Calculator Free — No Sign-up Instant Results Updated Oct 2026

Estimate only — these are not official figures

The weekly benefit applies South Carolina's exact statutory formula, cited in the methodology and sources, so it matches the law when the wages you enter are accurate. The page is still labeled an estimate because its monthly figure (the weekly amount times 4.33) is not an amount the state pays and only the state agency can decide whether you qualify. The maximum weekly benefit ($350) and duration (20 weeks) come from published sources.

Do not rely on these amounts for budgeting or payment. For exact amounts, check the South Carolina state unemployment insurance agency (file there and use its official benefits estimator for your actual Weekly Benefit Amount determination).

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Enter Your Details

Adjust values to see instant results

Wages in the Best Quarter of Your Base Period

$1,000$60,000

Wages for the Full Base Period

$1,000$250,000

DEW's Current Maximum Weekly Benefit

$42$1,000

Pre-filled: U.S. DOL, January 2026

Estimated Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA)

$346.00

Estimated • Based on your inputs

Estimated Monthly Benefit

$1,498.00

Detailed Breakdown

Maximum Total Benefit (Whole Claim)$6,920.00

99%

Income Replacement Rate49.98%

Weeks Available20

Dependent Allowance$0.00

Cumulative Benefits

Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Results should not be considered financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.

South Carolina Quick Facts

5.21% Income Tax Rate

0.49% Property Tax Rate

$72,350 Median Income

92.7 Cost of Living

How This Calculator Works

Calculation methodology and assumptions

South Carolina first turns your best base-period quarter into an "average weekly wage" by dividing it by 13 (S.C. Code §41-27-140), then pays half of that, lowered to a whole dollar (§41-35-40(A)). The law sets only a $42 floor in dollars; the ceiling is chosen each year by the Department of Employment and Workforce, up to two-thirds of the statewide average weekly wage, and published on its site (§41-35-40(B)), so this calculator asks for it and starts from the $350 the U.S. DOL January 2026 table reports. A claim pays the lesser of 20 weekly amounts or one-third of your total base-period wages, lowered to the dollar (§41-35-50). There is no dependents' allowance. Eligibility tests (base-period wages of 1.5 times the high quarter, the dollar minimums) are not checked here.

Key State Information

South Carolina caps every claim at 20 weeks, a limit the General Assembly cut from 26 in 2011, and its maximum is an agency figure rather than a statutory dollar amount. Half of the high quarter's weekly average means a $7,800 quarter ($600 a week) pays $300; a $12,000 quarter would compute to $461 but is held to the $350 maximum.

Standard financial formulas Pre-filled with documented models and state context Estimates only — not financial advice

Data Source

S.C. Code §§41-27-140 (average weekly wage), 41-35-40 (half of it, $42 minimum, maximum set by DEW), 41-35-50 (20 weeks or 1/3 of wages)

View Original Source | Source record reviewed Oct 13, 2026 | Review target: annually

Example Calculation

Let's review the inputs that set unemployment benefits in South Carolina.

South Carolina uses its own benefit formula from state law rather than a general 50%-of-wage estimate. Enter the exact quarter/base-period wage and eligibility fields requested by the calculator; the required inputs differ by state and cannot be reconstructed safely from median household income.

Result: Published maximum weekly amount: $350. Current maximum duration: 20 weeks. These are ceilings, not a typical award; the calculator above applies South Carolina's source-backed formula to your own wage history, and only the state agency determines eligibility.

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StateCalc Team

Editorial Team

The StateCalc team builds free financial calculators using data from official government sources including the IRS, U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, and state revenue departments. All formulas are validated by an automated test suite and cross-referenced against published data.

Our editorial standards

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the weekly unemployment amount in South Carolina?

Half of your high quarter divided by 13. $7,800 in that quarter is a $600 average week, so $300 a week, between the $42 minimum and DEW's maximum ($350 in the January 2026 DOL table).

How many weeks of unemployment does South Carolina pay?

At most 20, and never more in total than one-third of base-period wages. $26,000 of base-period wages at $300 a week allows $6,000 (S.C. Code §41-35-50).

Why does this page ask for the maximum?

South Carolina law lets the Department of Employment and Workforce set the maximum each year (§41-35-40(B)), so the figure on your determination is the one that applies.