Iowans’ Unemployment Benefits to Increase Starting July 5
Iowa Workforce Development Communications
For Immediate Release
Date: June 30, 2026
Contact: Jesse Dougherty
Telephone: 515-725-5487
Email: [email protected]
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DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Workforce Development, as part of its required annual review of unemployment insurance (UI) wages, announced that the maximum weekly benefit for unemployed Iowans will increase effective the benefit week of July 5, 2026.
Per Iowa law, IWD uses a formula each year to determine the maximum and minimum benefit amounts, taking into account the number of Iowans covered by unemployment insurance and their gross wages.
This year’s review has determined that the maximum weekly benefit for unemployed Iowans will increase to $790 in Fiscal Year 2027, up from $763 in FY2026. The full table of benefit rates for FY2027 is below.
| Number of Dependents |
Maximum Percentage of Statewide Average Weekly Wage |
Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount Effective 7-5-2026 |
Minimum Weekly Benefit Amount Effective 7-5-2026 |
Current Maximum Weekly Benefit As of 7-6-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 53 | $ 644.00 | $ 96.00 | $ 622.00 |
| 1 | 55 | $ 668.00 | $ 100.00 | $ 646.00 |
| 2 | 57 | $ 692.00 | $ 105.00 | $ 669.00 |
| 3 | 60 | $ 729.00 | $ 110.00 | $ 704.00 |
| 4 or more | 65 | $ 790.00 | $ 116.00 | $ 763.00 |
The annual review undertaken by IWD also recalculates the state’s taxable wage base, or the portion of employee wages that employers are required to pay taxes on to fund unemployment insurance (UI). Last year, Governor Reynolds signed legislation that simplified the state’s UI tax tables and significantly decreased the maximum rates that Iowa employers paid on UI taxes. The taxable wage base for Calendar Year 2027 will be $21,100, up slightly from CY 2026 but down from $39,500 in CY 2025.
Iowa’s average annual wage is also recalculated by Iowa Workforce Development every year at this time as part of determining the above numbers. The average annual wage in 2025 was $63,213.58.
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