I'm in a similar situation and found that the NY DOL website has a helpful earnings calculator tool that shows exactly how much your benefits will be reduced based on your part-time earnings. It's buried in their resources section but really useful for planning ahead. Also, make sure to report your gross earnings (before taxes) when filing your weekly claim, not your take-home pay - that's a common mistake that can cause issues later.

Just went through this exact scenario a few months ago! The math works out like PixelPioneer explained - at $250/week you'd keep about $384 in unemployment benefits plus your $250 earnings, so around $634 total. That's actually better than just collecting the full $420 unemployment alone. One thing to watch out for though is that you need to report your earnings for the week you actually performed the work, not when you get paid. So if you work Monday-Friday but get paid the following week, report it for the week you worked. Also keep all your pay stubs - NYS DOL sometimes does audits and you'll want documentation. The part-time work won't hurt your claim as long as you stay honest about reporting it!

Hope things work out better than you expect! Sometimes those early job jitters turn out to be nothing. But good that you're thinking ahead about your options.

You might also want to check if your current employer has any kind of employee assistance program or HR department you could talk to about your concerns. Sometimes what feels like criticism early on is just part of the learning curve, and having an honest conversation about expectations could help ease your stress. But it's definitely smart to know your options - and like others mentioned, your previous work history should definitely count toward your base period eligibility if worst comes to worst.

Same boat here! I'm also trying to figure out how much I'd get if I lose my job. Did you end up using that calculator someone mentioned?

Just want to add that the $504 maximum weekly benefit amount mentioned earlier is correct for 2025, but keep in mind that's the gross amount before any taxes are taken out. You can choose to have federal taxes withheld (10%) and state taxes (2.5%) from your benefits, or you can receive the full amount and handle taxes when you file your return. Also, if you're making $850/week now, make sure you have enough work history - you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your base period to qualify for benefits at all.

Another thing to consider - if your hours get cut instead of being laid off completely, you might still qualify for partial unemployment benefits. The NYS Department of Labor allows you to work part-time and still collect some benefits as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit rate. So if you end up getting that estimated $250/week benefit, you could work and earn up to $249 and still get some unemployment money. Just make sure to report any earnings when you certify each week. This could be helpful if your retail job cuts your hours instead of letting you go entirely.

Just wanted to add that you should also be aware of the maximum duration for benefits in New York. You can collect unemployment for up to 26 weeks in a benefit year, but the exact number of weeks depends on how much you earned during your base period. Since you've only been working for 8 months, make sure you have enough earnings to qualify for the full 26 weeks if needed. The NYS Department of Labor will calculate this automatically when you file, but it's good to know upfront. Also, keep all your pay stubs and W-2s handy when you file - they may ask for wage verification, especially since you're a relatively new employee. Having that documentation ready can speed up the process.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - at week 22 and getting really anxious about the cutoff. One thing I learned from my local One-Stop Career Center is that you should definitely start applying for jobs more aggressively as you get closer to week 26, but also look into any workforce development programs in your area. Some of them can help with job placement and might even qualify for those training extensions people mentioned. Also, make sure you're documenting all your job search activities really well because they sometimes audit that stuff near the end of your benefit period.

I'm in a similar boat at week 19 and this thread is really helpful! Just want to add that I found out you can actually see your exact benefit year end date and remaining weeks when you log into your my.ny.gov account under the "View Benefit Payments" section. It shows both your monetary balance AND your week counter, which cleared up the confusion I had about whether it's the money or the weeks that matter (it's the weeks). Also, for anyone struggling with the phone system, I've had better luck calling right at 8am when they open or during lunch time around 12:30-1pm. Still takes forever but at least I don't get the busy signal immediately.