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Wait I'm confused - I thought they used your total annual earnings? My cousin said they look at everything you made in the past year and divide by 52 weeks. That's not right?
Just went through this last month. One thing to watch out for is if you had any gaps in employment or if you're seasonal - that can affect your base period and you might not qualify for the full amount even if your highest quarter looks good. Also make sure all your employers reported your wages correctly because I had to dispute mine when one job didn't report properly.
The whole system is basically employers paying insurance premiums through payroll taxes to the state. Higher turnover companies pay higher rates. NYS Department of Labor sets the tax rates based on each employer's claim history - its called experience rating.
The system is so messed up that people have to think about stuff like this just to survive. Your boss sounds awful and you shouldn't have to put up with that treatment just to keep a paycheck.
One more thing - if you do end up getting terminated, make sure you file your unemployment claim immediately and be completely honest about the circumstances. NYS Department of Labor will contact your employer anyway, so any lies will just hurt your case. Document everything that's happening at work now in case you need it later for your claim or a potential appeal.
Your neighbor sounds like one of those people who complains about everything without understanding how it actually works. Don't let her make you feel bad about collecting benefits you earned!
omg this reminds me of when my aunt tried to tell me the same thing! She was like 'you're taking money from hardworking people' and I was like no aunt susan thats not how this works lol. some people just dont understand the system
Malik Thomas
The system is so confusing! I thought it was based on your last job's pay but apparently it's this whole complicated formula. Why can't they just make it simple??
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CosmicCowboy
One more tip - if you're close to the end of a quarter when you become unemployed, it might be worth waiting a few days to file if it means your base period will include higher wages from a more recent quarter. But generally, file as soon as you're unemployed since you can't get benefits for weeks before you file.
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Paolo Longo
•That's really helpful context. I'll check my quarterly earnings to see if waiting would help or hurt me.
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