Job Service North Dakota calculates your weekly benefit at approximately 1/65 of your total base period wages, capped at $815 per week with a minimum of $43 per week. North Dakota's $815 maximum is driven by the Bakken oil field's high wage structure — workers earning $80,000-$120,000+ annually in western North Dakota regularly hit the $815 cap. At $815/week for 26 weeks, North Dakota's total maximum potential benefit is $16,068. Agricultural and harvest workers with strong summer-fall wages also often produce benefits near the cap.
- Weekly benefit ≈ 1/65 of total base period wages, capped at $815/week, minimum $43/week.
- Total maximum $16,068 (26 weeks × $815). Bakken oil field wages commonly push benefits to the $815 cap.
- Appeal Job Service ND Online monetary determination within 10 days if wages are incorrect or missing.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on Job Service North Dakota's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
Reading Your Job Service ND Online Monetary Determination
Job Service ND Online generates your monetary determination with your weekly benefit amount, total maximum, and benefit year dates. North Dakota's formula uses approximately 1/65 of your total base period wages. At $40,170 in total base period wages, 1/65 = $815/week — hitting the cap. Most Bakken workers with a full year of oil field employment exceed $40,170 in the base period and receive $815/week. Review the quarterly wage figures against your W-2 and appeal within 10 days if wages from any employer are missing or incorrect.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I earned $110,000 in the Bakken last year. Why does Job Service North Dakota cap me at $815/week?
- North Dakota's $815/week statutory cap applies regardless of prior income. At $110,000 in total base period wages, 1/65 produces approximately $1,692/week — capped at $815. Over 26 weeks, your total North Dakota UI is $16,068 — about 15% of your $110,000 annual income. North Dakota's $815 cap is set by state law. Despite the gap between prior oil field wages and UI benefits, North Dakota's $815/week is among the higher caps in the Great Plains — significantly above Wyoming's $651 maximum and South Dakota's $553. Budget carefully during the oil price cycle — Bakken workers who accumulate savings during production peaks weather the oil price downturns better than those who depended solely on UI during layoff periods.
- I worked in the Bakken for 9 months across two calendar years. How does the base period capture my wages?
- North Dakota's standard base period uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you worked from April through December of Year 1 and were laid off in January of Year 2, your base period includes: Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September), and Q4 (October-December) of Year 1 — three of the four standard base period quarters. The fourth quarter (Q1 of Year 1, when you weren't working yet) contributes $0. Your total base period wages equal your Q2+Q3+Q4 Year 1 wages. If your 9 months produced $90,000, your base period wages are $90,000, and 1/65 = $1,385/week — capped at $815. You qualify as long as wages appear in at least two of the four base period quarters, which they do (Q2, Q3, and Q4 all have wages).
- Job Service North Dakota's monetary determination shows only $43/week — the minimum. I worked at a Minot healthcare facility for 7 months. Something is wrong.
- $43/week with 7 months of healthcare employment is clearly an error. At even $18/hour for 40 hours/week over 7 months, wages total approximately $20,160 — producing 1/65 = $310/week, far above the $43 minimum. Contact Job Service North Dakota immediately and appeal within 10 days of the mailing date. Provide your W-2 or pay stubs showing quarterly wages. The most likely cause: your Minot healthcare employer filed quarterly North Dakota wage reports late, incorrectly, or under the wrong employee identification. Job Service North Dakota can contact your employer for corrected reports and recalculate your monetary determination. A 7-month healthcare employment history should produce a benefit well above $43/week — likely $250-$400/week depending on your specific healthcare wages.
- I have wages from North Dakota oil field work and Montana ranch work. Can Job Service ND Online combine those?
- Yes — Job Service North Dakota allows combined wage claims that include Montana wages in the base period calculation. File through Job Service ND Online and disclose your Montana wages — North Dakota aggregates wages from both states into quarterly totals and applies North Dakota's formula. If combined total base period wages produce $815/week under North Dakota's 1/65 formula, that's your benefit from North Dakota. Alternatively, if Montana's formula ($767/week max) produces a higher benefit from combined wages using Montana's different formula, Montana might be your better filing choice. Compare: North Dakota's $815 cap vs. Montana's $767 cap, and North Dakota's 1/65 formula vs. Montana's 1% formula using your specific wages. File with the state that produces the higher weekly benefit.
- I received a bonus in my last quarter of Bakken work — $15,000 paid in December. Does that count in my base period?
- A bonus that appears on your W-2 as ordinary wages (Box 1) counts in North Dakota's base period for the quarter in which it was paid. Your December $15,000 bonus counts in Q4 of the applicable year. For a worker whose base period includes that Q4, the $15,000 bonus is included in your total base period wages and increases your weekly benefit calculation — potentially pushing you from below the cap to the $815 maximum. Verify that the quarter containing the bonus is correctly identified in your Job Service ND Online monetary determination. If the bonus quarter is the most recently completed quarter (not yet included in the standard base period because of the base period lag), the alternative base period includes it. Contact Job Service North Dakota if you believe the bonus quarter is excluded and should be captured under the alternative base period.