China Unemployment Benefits Calculator — Monthly Amount, Total Months, City-by-City (2026)

Real-world use cases

• Laid off in Shenzhen after 6 years, deciding whether to job-hunt now or rest first

  You worked 6 years in Shenzhen and got laid off in a restructuring. Punch in 6 years and Shenzhen and you see ¥1,980 a month for up to 12 months, roughly ¥23,760 total if you never re-employ. That number tells you the runway is real but thin: it covers rent and basics for a year, not a sabbatical. Most people use it to confirm they can afford to wait for a role that pays better instead of grabbing the first offer.

• Comparing what you'd get if your last job was in Beijing vs your hometown city

  Maybe you're a Beijing transplant weighing whether to register unemployment there or move home first. Run Beijing (¥2,304) against, say, Chengdu (¥1,782) for the same 10 years of contributions. Both pay 24 months, so the gap is about ¥12,500 over the full claim. Since benefit tracks the city of your last job, not where you live, the tool shows that registering before you relocate can be worth several thousand yuan.

• Checking whether a "negotiated resignation" still qualifies before signing

  HR offers a mutual separation and asks you to sign. Before you do, the eligibility check reminds you the Termination Certificate must read "initiated by the employer," not "personal reasons." With 8 years in Guangzhou that's ¥2,034 for 12 months, about ¥24,400 you'd forfeit if the paperwork says you quit. The tool turns an abstract rule into a concrete number you can point to at the table.

• Planning a family budget for the gap between jobs

  You and your partner map out a three-month cushion. You enter your 4 years in Hangzhou and get ¥2,196 for 3 months, ¥6,588 total. Knowing the exact figure and that payments start the month after you register lets you slot it into a spreadsheet instead of guessing. It also flags the 60-day window, so you don't lose the first month's payment by procrastinating on the street-office registration.

Common pitfalls

• Entering the city where you live now instead of the city of your last job — benefit tracks your last workplace's standard (e.g. Shanghai ¥2,175), so a Shanghai job logged as your hometown can understate the monthly figure by hundreds.

• Assuming a higher salary means a higher benefit — it doesn't. A ¥30k/month and a ¥10k/month worker in the same city get the identical fixed amount, so don't plan around a percentage of your old pay.

• Forgetting the 60-day registration window — register late and payments start from the registration date, not your termination date, quietly costing you the first month or two of an otherwise full entitlement.

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