Maximum Unemployment Benefit

• In Massachusetts, unemployed workers may draw up to 30 weeks of benefits. The state calculates a maximum unemployment benefit for each worker depending on their wages before the unemployment began. The maximum unemployment benefit set by law is $18,750; over a period of 30 weeks that amounts to $625 a week. Many workers, however, do not qualify for the full 30-week period, and draw benefits for a shorter period of time.
  
  

Extended Benefits

• After you have collected 26 weeks of unemployment, your benefits may be extended for an additional period of Emergency Unemployment Compensation provided by the federal government. The length of time you qualify for EUC depends on the date you apply for it -- in Massachusetts, the maximum stood at 47 weeks as of the time of publication. Massachusetts also offers 20 additional weeks of extended benefits after the federal benefits come to an end. As of publication, the maximum period of unemployment benefits stood at 93 weeks. If an unemployed worker accepts 30 weeks of full benefits, the state bars them from applying for any extended benefits. By federal law, the deadline for applying for extended benefits was set at January 3, 2012.
  
  

Additional Benefits

• Unemployed workers with children may also receive supplementary benefits of $25 per child every week, up to half of the total benefit amount. They also may qualify for health insurance under the Massachusetts Medical Security Program, or for a state subsidy for the cost of health insurance they obtain on their own.
  
  

Retraining and Job Placement

• If you have been laid off from your job and are not likely to be rehired, the state provides re-employment seminars that can direct you to a new vocation or career. If you are attending a full-time retraining program, the state may approve you for an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. The state also operates One-Stop Career Centers to help with job placement.