The base period is the length of time used both to determine your eligibility for unemployment benefits and to calculate the amount you will receive.
In Arkansas, the base period is the first four of the five complete calendar quarters immediately before you filed for benefits. For example, if you file for benefits on March 15, 2024, your base period will be from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. It would not include the most recent complete calendar quarter before you filed (October 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023) or the first two-and-a-half months of 2024.
If you did not earn enough to qualify for benefits during the regular base period, you may be able to use an alternate base period that counts more recent earnings. In this case, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services will consider your earnings in the last four complete quarters before you file for benefits.
If you have insufficient wages during the base period because of a workers' compensation injury, you may be entitled to an extended base period that includes quarters before you were injured. The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services will substitute any or all of the four quarters preceding the base period, on a quarter-by-quarter basis, for quarters occurring within the base period, if necessary for you to meet the earnings requirement to qualify for benefits.