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Hey Diego! I went through this exact same confusion when I got laid off from my marketing job last year. The "5 quarters" thing is super misleading - they actually only use 4 quarters to calculate your benefits, but they look at a 5-quarter window to pick which 4 to use. What really helped me was calling and asking them to walk through my specific situation. Since you mentioned you were in school for some of those quarters, definitely make sure they know you were working during that time. I had a similar issue where they initially flagged some quarters because I was taking night classes, but once I explained I was working full-time during the day, it was fine. Your summer internship should definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within the base period quarters they're looking at. That could actually help boost your weekly benefit amount significantly if it was good pay. One tip - when you get your monetary determination letter, go through it line by line. Mine had missing wages from a previous employer that I had to get corrected. Made a big difference in my final benefit amount!
Thanks Hugh! This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the same thing. I'm definitely going to call them once I get my determination letter to make sure everything looks right. Did you have any trouble getting through on the phone, or did you use one of those services people mentioned? The thought of waiting on hold for hours is making me anxious, especially when I'm already stressed about the job search.
I actually did end up using Claimyr after reading about it here - totally worth the small fee to avoid the endless hold times. Got through in about 15 minutes instead of spending my whole day calling. The rep was really helpful in walking me through exactly which quarters they used and why. Definitely reduced my stress level a lot! If you do call directly, try calling right when they open at 8am - that's usually the best time to get through faster.
Just went through this same process a few months ago after getting laid off from a fintech startup! The whole "5 quarters" thing threw me off too initially. What everyone's saying is correct - they look at a 5-quarter window but only use the first 4 of those quarters (skipping the most recent one). Since you mentioned starting work in September 2022 after graduating, you should have enough quarters of work history by now. Your summer internship will definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within those base period quarters they're considering. One thing I'd add - if you had any part-time work during school (even just a few hours a week), make sure that's reflected in your wage history too. Every bit helps with the calculation. Also, don't stress too much about the online calculator giving you different numbers - it's notoriously unreliable because it doesn't account for all the nuances of which quarters they actually use. The good news is that tech workers usually have decent wages that result in higher benefit amounts. Just make sure to review everything carefully when you get your determination letter. Good luck with the job search - the tech market is tough right now but there are still opportunities out there!
This is really helpful! I'm actually in a similar boat - got laid off from a software company and trying to navigate this whole system. The tech market definitely feels brutal right now. Did you find that your benefit amount was close to what you expected once you understood which quarters they were using? I'm hoping my higher salary from the past year will help offset some of the uncertainty while I'm job hunting. Thanks for the encouragement about opportunities still being out there - needed to hear that today!
Same question here! I'm doing some gig work and wasn't sure how to report it properly on my weekly claims.
For gig work, you need to report ALL earnings for the week you actually received payment, not when you did the work. So if you did DoorDash or Uber on Monday but got paid Friday, report it for that Friday's claim week. NYS DOL counts gross earnings before any expenses or taxes. I learned this the hard way when I got an overpayment notice because I wasn't reporting my gig earnings correctly. The key is being super accurate about when you actually received the money in your account.
The system is so slow these days. Back when I first filed in 2019 it was much faster but now with all the changes since covid everything takes forever. Just be patient and keep doing your weekly certifications. The money will come eventually, they're just backed up processing everything.
I just went through this process a few months ago and wanted to share what helped me. Besides keeping up with weekly certifications, make sure your direct deposit info is set up correctly in your online account - that was actually what delayed my first payment by almost a week. Also, if you haven't already, download the NY.gov ID app and verify your identity through that system. NYS Department of Labor has been requiring additional identity verification for many new claims, and getting ahead of that can speed things up. Hang in there - the first payment is always the longest wait, but once it starts flowing it's usually pretty consistent.
Brielle Johnson
If you run into issues getting through on the phone to NYS Department of Labor (which happens a lot), I recently found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals when I needed to ask about my claim status.
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Honorah King
•Never heard of that but honestly anything that helps with getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor sounds worth trying
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Oliver Brown
Just want to add - make sure you're eligible before applying. You need to have worked enough quarters and earned enough wages. Also be prepared for the job search requirements once you start receiving benefits. NYS Department of Labor requires you to actively look for work and keep records of your job search activities.
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Lara Woods
•@Oliver Brown This is really important info about eligibility - how do you find out if you ve'worked enough quarters? Is there a way to check that on the NYS site before applying?
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QuantumQueen
•@Lara Woods Yes, you can check your wage and employment history on the NYS Department of Labor website once you create your account. They have a section where you can view your quarterly earnings to see if you meet the minimum requirements. Generally you need wages in at least 2 quarters and meet certain dollar thresholds, but the exact amounts can vary so it s'worth checking your specific situation.
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