Can I claim NY unemployment after working over 30 hours one week then under 20 the next?

Yes, you can absolutely claim again next week! This is actually a common situation with part-time workers. In NY, you can claim benefits for any week you work less than 30 hours AND earn less than $604 in 2025 (the current threshold). The system is designed to handle exactly these kinds of fluctuations. Just make sure you accurately report your hours and earnings for each week when you certify.

This happens to me ALL THE TIME with my retail job. One week they give me 32 hours then next week only 15!! The unemployment system doesn't care about the pattern, they just care about each individual week. If you work under 30 and make under the $ limit then you get benefits for THAT WEEK ONLY. Each week stands alone. Trust me I've been doing this for months!!!!

Does anyone know if I need to do anything special when I certify for the week after not claiming? Like do I need to provide any explanation about why I didn't claim the previous week?

I had this exact situation last month and when I went to certify again after skipping a week, the system kept giving me an error message saying "unable to process your certification at this time" - it was super frustrating because I KNEW I was eligible! After trying for days, I finally used Claimyr to get through to an actual agent (https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE shows how it works). The agent told me there was just a glitch in the system and fixed it right away. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to sort these things out. Now everything works fine when my hours fluctuate.

Make sure ur keeping track of ur exact hours each day in case they ever audit u. I got screwed because I estimated my hours wrong one week and they made me pay back benefits plus a penalty. take pictures of ur schedule or timecards!!

Just to clarify since there seems to be some confusion: In New York, unemployment benefits are determined on a week-by-week basis. Each week stands alone. You certify for the weeks you're eligible (worked under 30 hours AND earned under the threshold) and don't certify for weeks you're not eligible. There's no penalty or issue with having gaps in your certification pattern. The system is specifically designed to accommodate people with fluctuating part-time work schedules. Just make sure you're accurate with your reporting each week.

I'm curious - has anyone had their benefits reduced because of partial work? I'm in a somewhat similar situation where my hours keep changing week to week, and I've noticed my weekly benefit amount seems different each time. Is that normal with NY unemployment when you're working part-time?

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! This community is amazing. I feel much more confident about handling my fluctuating schedule now. I'll certify as normal for the weeks I work under 30 hours and just skip certification for weeks I work more. Fingers crossed the system works smoothly!