In Ohio, the minimum benefit is $157 per week, and the maximum benefit is $561 per week.
Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Have Expired
Although additional money -- $300 extra per week -- was available under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, that program expired on September 6, 2021. For weeks of unemployment starting on September 6 or later, these extra benefits will no longer be paid.
A different federal program -- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance -- made benefits available temporarily to workers who were not eligible for traditional unemployment benefits, including freelancers, gig workers, and other contractors. That program also expired on September 6, 2021.
How Ohio Determines Benefit Amounts
Each state determines how much it will pay in unemployment benefits. Generally, the weekly benefit amount is some fraction or percentage of your earnings in the base period or your highest paid quarter of the base period.
To calculate your weekly benefit in Ohio, you must first figure out your average weekly wage. This is your total earnings during the base period divided by your qualifying weeks of employment (weeks during which you worked for an employer covered by the unemployment laws during the base period). Your weekly benefit is one-half of your average weekly wage.
To make sure these amounts are still current when you apply for benefits, contact the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations.