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Amara Okonkwo

Can I receive unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor - basic eligibility question

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I'm really confused about whether I can receive unemployment benefits. I worked at a restaurant for about 8 months until they laid me off last week due to slow business. I've never filed for unemployment before and don't really understand how it works. Do I automatically qualify or are there specific requirements I need to meet? I'm 23 and this was my first real job after college. I've been reading about the NYS Department of Labor website but all the terminology is confusing me. Any help would be appreciated!

Don't assume anything!! The unemployment system is designed to deny people. I worked for 2 years and they still found some excuse to delay my benefits for months. Make sure you have ALL your paperwork ready and document everything. Save screenshots of everything you submit because they WILL lose your information.

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That sounds scary... what kind of paperwork do I need? I still have my pay stubs from the restaurant.

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Keep your expectations realistic about the benefit amount too. The weekly benefit in NY maxes out around $504 but most people get way less than that. It's based on your earnings so with restaurant wages you're probably looking at maybe $200-300 per week if you qualify.

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CosmicCadet

How much a month is unemployment benefits in NY - need to budget

I'm trying to figure out my monthly budget while I'm on unemployment. Can someone tell me how much a month unemployment benefits are in New York? I know it depends on your previous salary but I'm not sure how to calculate what I'll actually get each month. My last job paid about $48,000 annually and I worked there for 2 years. I filed my claim last week and it's still processing but I need to know what to expect so I can plan my expenses.

The NYS Department of Labor has a benefit calculator on their website but honestly it's not super accurate. I was getting way less than what it estimated because of some weird calculation with my base period. Had to call them multiple times to figure out why my amount was lower than expected. If you're having trouble getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor, I actually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an agent. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me hours of calling.

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Interesting, I'll check that out if I have issues. Hopefully my calculation is straightforward since I had steady employment.

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Don't forget you also have to do the job search requirements to keep getting benefits. It's 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them in the system. That doesn't affect the amount but you won't get paid if you don't do it.

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Elliott luviBorBatman

NYS Department of Labor unemployment insurance tax deducted from my paycheck - is this normal?

I just started a new job in Albany and noticed something called 'unemployment insurance tax' being taken out of my paycheck. It's only like $2.50 but I'm confused because I thought unemployment insurance tax was something employers paid, not employees? My HR department wasn't very helpful when I asked about it. Is NYS Department of Labor supposed to be deducting this from workers or is my company making a mistake? I've worked in other states before and never saw this on my paystub.

The system is honestly pretty fair when you think about it. Employees and employers both contribute, and then when people lose their jobs through no fault of their own, there's money available for benefits. Much better than some states where it's harder to qualify or the benefits run out faster.

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omg THANK YOU for asking this!! I've been wondering the same thing but felt dumb asking. new to NY and this paycheck deduction confused me so much

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Simon White

What does claim balance mean on NYS Department of Labor unemployment portal?

I'm looking at my unemployment account on my.ny.gov and there's this number called 'claim balance' that shows $8,750. I've been getting my weekly benefits for about 6 weeks now but I'm not sure what this balance number actually means. Does this mean I have $8,750 left in benefits I can collect? Or is it something else entirely? I'm worried I'm misunderstanding something important about my claim.

Wait I'm confused about this too. My balance went down but I didn't get paid last week because of some adjudication issue. Does the balance still decrease even if you don't actually receive the money?

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No, your claim balance should only decrease when benefits are actually paid out. If you're in adjudication, the balance stays the same until the issue is resolved. If you end up getting those benefits later, then the balance will decrease retroactively.

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I had something similar happen and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks to check on my adjudication status. Finally used claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent who explained everything. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me a lot of stress trying to figure out what was happening with my claim balance.

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THIS SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING! Why can't they just explain this stuff clearly on the website instead of making us guess what everything means??

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I know it's frustrating but once you understand the basics it gets easier. The claim balance is actually one of the more straightforward parts of the system.

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Fidel Carson

NYS Department of Labor stats showing payroll employment and unemployment both increasing - what does this mean?

I was looking at the latest NYS Department of Labor employment data for my economics class and noticed something confusing. The report shows that both payroll employment AND unemployment numbers went up in the same month. How is this even possible? Shouldn't one go up when the other goes down? I'm trying to understand what this means for people like me who might need to file for unemployment benefits soon. Does this affect how easy it is to get approved or find work?

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! how can unemployment go UP when more people have jobs?? makes no sense to me but then again nothing about dealing with government agencies ever does

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I know it seems counterintuitive, but it's really about the pool of people looking for work expanding. The NYS Department of Labor has to count everyone who's actively searching, whether they just lost a job or just decided to start working again.

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Just went through this with my unemployment claim. When I called NYS Department of Labor to ask about job search requirements, they mentioned that periods like this actually mean they're more strict about the work search documentation since opportunities exist. If you need to reach them for questions, I had luck using claimyr.com - they help you get through to actual agents instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.

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Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind if I need to contact them about filing a claim.

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