same situation here, small business owner trying to figure this all out. thanks for asking the question!

For anyone else dealing with this, I'd recommend keeping a detailed spreadsheet tracking each employee's wages throughout the year so you know exactly when they hit the $12,300 threshold. I also set up quarterly reminders to review the wage base calculations before filing. The NYS Department of Labor Form NYS-45 instructions are actually pretty helpful once you get through all the legal language - they have examples of what counts and what doesn't.

Just to add to all the great info here - make sure you understand the difference between gross and net when calculating your potential benefits. NYS Department of Labor uses your gross wages (before taxes and deductions) from your base period quarters to determine your benefit amount. So if you were making $1,200/week gross but only taking home $900 after taxes, they'll calculate based on that full $1,200. Also, keep in mind that if you do any part-time or temporary work while collecting unemployment, you need to report it on your weekly certification even if it's just a few hours. They'll adjust your benefits accordingly, but failing to report work income can cause major issues with your claim. The system is pretty good at cross-referencing wage records, so it's always better to be upfront about any earnings.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that NYS also has an alternate base period option if you don't qualify using the standard base period. If your recent high-paying job wasn't included in the standard calculation (first 4 of last 5 completed quarters), you can request to use the alternate base period which looks at your last 4 completed quarters instead. This might help if your $1,200/week job was very recent. You'd need to specifically request this when filing your claim or appeal if you're initially denied. It's worth exploring if the standard base period calculation doesn't work in your favor due to timing of when you started the higher-paying position.

I just went through this exact same situation about 3 weeks ago and I know how stressful it is! The good news is that forfeit weeks are usually fixable once you figure out what caused them. From reading through all these responses, it sounds like you're dealing with the most common scenario - some kind of work/income reporting mix-up during certification. Here's what I learned from my experience: 1. **Check everywhere for documentation**: Look in your online account under "Determinations," "Correspondence," and "Messages." Also check any physical mail - sometimes they send notices that way too. 2. **Get organized before calling**: Make a timeline of exactly when you worked and how much you earned for each week in question. Having all your pay stubs ready made my call go so much smoother. 3. **Ask for specifics**: When you get an agent on the phone, ask for the exact "reason code" for your forfeit. Mine was something like "IR-204" which helped me understand it was specifically an income reporting discrepancy. 4. **Don't panic about future payments**: You can keep certifying for current weeks while your appeal is being processed. The forfeit doesn't affect future payments as long as you're reporting correctly going forward. I ended up getting my forfeit week reversed after proving it was just a date mix-up on my part. Got the back payment about 2.5 weeks later. The waiting week is totally normal - that's just everyone's unpaid first week. Hang in there - this is way more common than you'd think and definitely resolvable! 💪

I'm going through the EXACT same thing right now and this entire thread has been a godsend! Just noticed a forfeit week on my payment history this morning and I was absolutely panicking until I found all these detailed responses. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like these forfeit weeks are usually caused by simple reporting errors during certification - which is probably what happened to me too. I had some confusing part-time work schedules last month and I'm pretty sure I mixed up which weeks to report certain income under. Already found a vague determination notice in my online account that just says "payment discrepancy" but nothing specific. Planning to follow everyone's game plan here: - Organize all my pay stubs and create a detailed work timeline - Call DOL and ask for the specific reason code (this tip seems crucial!) - Have all my documentation ready to explain what actually happened The fact that so many people here got their forfeit weeks reversed and received back payments is giving me so much hope right now. I was terrified this would mess up all my future certifications but knowing I can keep filing normally while an appeal processes is such a relief. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it's incredible how helpful this community is for navigating these confusing situations! Definitely feeling way more confident about tackling this now 🙏

omg same thing happened to me last month!! i was so worried they would cut off my benefits but everything was fine. just keep filing your weekly claims like normal

Just wanted to add that if you're selected for a longer trial (like 2+ weeks), you might want to proactively reach out to NYS DOL to document the situation. While jury duty won't disqualify you from benefits, having a paper trail can be helpful if any questions come up later. Also, remember that you'll still need to be actively searching for work on days you're not in court, so keep track of your job search activities for your weekly certification.

Just be really careful about this. I know someone who got in trouble for not reporting DoorDash earnings properly and had to pay back benefits plus penalties. The NYS Department of Labor has access to a lot of income data and they WILL find out if you don't report gig work. Better to be overly cautious than deal with an overpayment investigation later.

I've been doing DoorDash while on unemployment in NY for about 3 months now. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep really detailed records of when you work vs when you get paid. DoorDash sometimes has payment delays or splits earnings across multiple deposits, but you always report based on the week you actually did the deliveries. I use a simple spreadsheet to track my daily earnings and hours worked so I can accurately fill out my weekly certifications. Also heads up - during busy weeks I sometimes hit the point where my DoorDash earnings reduce my unemployment check significantly, but it's still worth it overall for the extra income. Just make sure you're still meeting your job search requirements since that's still the main condition for collecting benefits.