honestly the whole system is set up to pay you as little as possible. i've been on unemployment twice and both times they found some excuse to delay my payments or question my eligibility. just expect them to make it difficult and document EVERYTHING. save all your job search logs, screenshot your weekly claim confirmations, keep records of any correspondence.

One thing I learned - if you're thinking about going back to school, look into the training programs first before you start. Some programs can extend your benefits or even waive job search requirements while you're in approved training. But you have to get approval before you start the program.

I think 2018 was when unemployment was at like historic lows? My cousin graduated college that year and actually had multiple job offers which was crazy compared to what people were dealing with a few years before that

The Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) website has excellent historical unemployment data for New York state going back decades. It's easier to navigate than the NYS Department of Labor site sometimes and you can download the data in different formats for your research.

just went through this whole thing with my employer saying i was fired for misconduct when i was clearly laid off due to slow business. took forever to get through to nys department of labor but eventually they ruled in my favor. employers will try anything to avoid paying higher ui taxes

To directly answer your original question - there's no specific dollar amount per claim. It depends on the employer's payroll size, their claims history, and current UI tax rates. A restaurant with high turnover might already be paying close to the maximum rate of 9.9%, while a stable company with few claims might pay the minimum. Your individual claim gets added to their experience rating calculation for future years.

Make sure he files as soon as possible after his last day of work! There's no waiting period in New York but you can't get benefits for any weeks before you file your claim. Also tell him not to stress too much about making mistakes on the application - he can always call to correct information later if needed.

ugh the whole system is such a mess. why can't they just have a simple form instead of making people jump through hoops on that terrible website

Just report the work when you file your weekly claim! You'll probably still get some benefits if it's part-time. The partial benefit formula lets you earn up to a certain amount before your UI gets reduced. Better to do it right than risk the penalties later.

Yeah definitely report it. I was paranoid about this too when I got a temp job but reporting it was no big deal. They just adjusted my weekly benefit amount based on what I earned. The NYS Department of Labor system is set up to handle people working part-time while collecting.