Under normal times, an individual can collect unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks. But after the recession, Congress passed the emergency benefit program to extend that duration to 73 weeks, although the exact length varied by state. Now, federal benefits have returned to their 26 week duration. Two states-Montana (28 weeks) and Massachusetts (30 weeks) - offer benefits for slightly longer. Some states offer them for less than 26 weeks. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities put together a map of the duration lengths for different states now that emergency benefits have expired.