I've been through this process recently and can confirm what everyone else is saying - spouse income has zero impact on NYS unemployment benefits. When I filed my claim last fall, they never even asked about my wife's earnings. The entire calculation is based on YOUR quarterly wages during the base period. One small tip though - if you do get laid off, make sure to file your initial claim online rather than trying to call. The online system is much faster and you can do it 24/7. The phone lines are often jammed, especially on Mondays. Also, keep detailed records of your job search activities from day one since you'll need to certify weekly that you're actively looking for work. Good luck and hopefully the layoff doesn't happen!

I went through a similar worry when I was facing potential layoffs at my tech company last year. My spouse makes about $95k and I was making around $48k, so I totally understand the concern about household income affecting benefits. But everyone here is absolutely right - NYS Department of Labor only looks at YOUR individual work history and earnings. When I actually had to file my claim, the application process was straightforward and never once asked about my spouse's income or our combined household earnings. The weekly benefit amount was calculated purely based on my own wages from the base period quarters. One thing that really helped me was calling the NYS DOL automated phone system (not the agent line) to get basic information about benefit calculations before I actually needed to file. It gave me peace of mind to understand the process ahead of time. With your 6 years of work history and $52k salary, you should have no issues qualifying if you do end up needing to file a claim.

This is such a widespread issue right now and it's absolutely infuriating! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both validating and incredibly helpful. I went through the same nightmare last month - waited an hour and twenty minutes for absolutely nobody to show up. Following the advice in this thread, I immediately took screenshots of everything (meeting room, confirmation email, timestamps) and called that Virtual Meeting Support line at 518-457-2299 that several people mentioned. They were able to confirm their agent never even logged into the system and marked it as "agency error" in my file right away. Also filed a complaint under "Technical Issues" on the DOL website like everyone suggested - got a response within 48 hours and was rescheduled without any penalties. The key is definitely documenting EVERYTHING and using these specific channels rather than trying to reschedule through normal means. It's honestly disgraceful that we have to become experts at protecting ourselves from their system failures when we're already stressed about our benefits, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing actual solutions that work. Hopefully they fix these technical issues soon, but until then at least we have each other's backs! 🙏

This is happening way too often and it's honestly unacceptable! I had the exact same experience three weeks ago - waited for over an hour and fifteen minutes with nobody showing up. What saved me was immediately documenting everything with screenshots and calling that Virtual Meeting Support line at 518-457-2299 that several people mentioned here. They were able to confirm their agent never logged into the system and marked it as "agency error" in my file on the spot. I also filed a complaint through the DOL website under "Technical Issues" rather than trying to reschedule normally - this is crucial because it establishes that it was their fault, not yours! Got rescheduled within 3 business days and my benefits weren't affected at all. The system is clearly broken but don't let them try to blame you for their technical failures. Take screenshots of everything, use that support line, and file through the technical issues channel. We shouldn't have to become experts at navigating their dysfunction just to get our benefits, but at least this community has each other's backs with real solutions that actually work! 💪

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now - single parent with unemployment benefits trying to make it work. One resource I stumbled upon that hasn't been mentioned yet is the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through your local food bank. It's different from SNAP and you can qualify even if you're already getting food stamps. Also, if you haven't already, check with your local library - many have programs that provide free meals for kids during school breaks and some even have "lending libraries" for things like winter coats and school supplies. The librarians are usually really knowledgeable about local assistance programs too. It's frustrating that NY doesn't help with dependents like some other states, but at least there are these other safety nets if you know where to look.

I'm currently on unemployment with two kids and can confirm what others have said - NY doesn't provide any dependent allowances unfortunately. But I wanted to add that if you're struggling to make ends meet, check if your local community college has a food pantry. Many of them are open to community members, not just students. Also, churches and community centers often run free meal programs even if you're not a member. One thing that really helped me was connecting with other parents in similar situations through local Facebook groups - they often share information about temporary assistance programs and even organize informal food swaps. The lack of dependent benefits in NY is definitely a hardship, but there are people and organizations willing to help if you reach out.

Just to add - the 10% federal withholding might not be enough depending on your total income for the year and tax bracket. If you had a good job before unemployment you might want to consider making quarterly payments instead of just relying on the 10% withholding option.

ugh the whole tax thing with unemployment is so confusing, why can't they just make it simple like regular payroll taxes

I'm going through something similar right now! Got laid off in March with a 10-week severance and my claim has been pending ever since. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really eye-opening - I had no idea the severance essentially puts you in a "still employed" status for unemployment purposes. I've been faithfully doing my weekly certifications but was getting frustrated not seeing any movement on my claim. Now I understand I just need to wait out the full severance period. One question though - has anyone had experience with severance that includes health insurance continuation? My package includes COBRA payments for the severance period and I'm wondering if that affects the unemployment timeline at all, or if it's just the cash portion that matters for the waiting period calculation.

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation - got laid off in February with a 12-week severance package and was completely confused about why my unemployment claim wasn't moving forward. The NYS DOL website really doesn't explain this clearly at all. I've been doing my weekly certifications but was starting to panic that something was wrong with my application. Now I understand I just need to wait out the full severance period before benefits kick in. It's frustrating but at least now I know what to expect. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decode the official government explanations!