Base Period

This term can refer to a couple things. One can be simply the period used as a benchmark to compare to other periods.

For instance, say you want to measure quarters of a year. The first quarter could be your base period that you compare the other quarters to. Or, you could pick your measure each quarter and use your most successful one to use a sort of goal base period.

The other thing this term can refer to is the method the UIA (Unemployment Insurance Agency) uses to determine if a person qualifies for unemployment, and if they do, how much they can draw. Generally, the UIA uses the wages earned in the first four of the last five yearly quarters (standard base period). The alternative method uses wages earned in the four most recently completed quarters.