LANSING — The maximum weekly rate for unemployment benefits is scheduled to increase beginning Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, to $530, up from the current $446. The boost is part of bipartisan legislation signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2024 to provide stronger financial support for unemployed workers. The updated unemployment law that went into effect in April 2025 set annual increases in the weekly benefit rate and the amount for each dependent, while it also extended from 20 to 26 the maximum number of weeks someone can collect benefits.

Claims filed in 2026 will qualify for the $84 weekly increase. Claims filed before Jan. 1, 2026, will not see a change in the approved weekly benefit rate. Not everyone receives the maximum weekly benefit rate; how much an individual is approved for is based on their wage history.

Also increasing on Jan. 1, 2026, is the amount an unemployed worker receives for each dependent (up to a total of five). That rises to $19.33 per dependent, up from this year’s $12.66 for each dependent.

There will be no change in 2026 in the maximum 26 weeks a worker can collect benefits.

When the unemployment law changes took effect in April 2025, the maximum weekly benefit rate increased to $446 from $362, which had been the rate since 2002.

Eligibility requirements for unemployment

To qualify for unemployment benefits, a worker must be unemployed and:

• Registered for work at MiTalent.org and have visited a Michigan Works! Association (MWA) service center to begin the reemployment process.

• Available for work: Willing to accept any suitable full-time employment.

• Able to work: Physically and mentally capable of performing full-time work performed before losing a job or have been trained to do.

• Actively seeking suitable full-time work.

More changes are on the way

Minimum wage increase: Michigan’s minimum hourly wage will rise from $12.48 an hour to $13.73 an hour on Jan. 1, 2026. The minimum wage is part of the formula used to calculate an individual’s high quarter earnings for unemployment.

Tax season reminder: The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) will issue Form 1099-G tax statements by mid-January to individuals who received benefits in 2025. The information on the form includes how much was paid in benefits and withheld in taxes, if the recipient chose to have taxes taken out of their payments.

Work search requirements: Starting in July 2026, unemployed workers must record three work search activities per week, up from one.

Benefits increase again in 2027: The maximum weekly unemployment benefit rate will increase on Jan. 1, 2027, to $614, and the amount per dependent goes up to $26. Beginning in 2028, the maximum weekly benefit rate and dependent amount will be adjusted annually based on the federal Consumer Price Index.

Need help or have questions about a claim?

Ask online: UIA’s chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA can answer many questions.

Search online: FAQs, videos, toolkits, and other resources at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Available through MiWAM Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual meeting at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Talk with us: 1-866-500-0017, Monday through Friday. TTY service is available by calling 1-866-366-0004.