Can I claim NY unemployment while doing part-time DoorDash? Not making enough

Yes, you can still file for unemployment while doing DoorDash part-time! I was in a similar situation last year. NY unemployment has partial benefits if you're working less than 4 days per week AND earning less than $594 in weekly benefits. You'll need to report your DoorDash earnings each week when you certify. They'll reduce your benefit amount based on how much you earn, but you'll still get something if you're making as little as you describe. Just be super accurate reporting your earnings - they can check with gig companies now and if they find discrepancies, you might have to pay back benefits plus penalties.

u can still do uber eats and doordash and stuff and get benefits but u gotta tell them EVERY PENNY u make or they'll come after u trust me lol happened to my cousin

This EXACT situation happened to me!! I was doing Instacart part-time after getting laid off but it wasn't enough to pay bills. When I filed for unemployment, they asked about all income sources and I honestly reported my gig work. They STILL approved me, just for a reduced amount based on what I was making. BUT OMG the phone system to reach someone at NYSDOL is HORRIBLE!!! I had to call 46 TIMES over 3 days to get through to someone who could answer my questions about how to properly report my fluctuating gig income!!!! Total nightmare!!!!

your supposed to report ALL income when certifying each week. doesnt mean you wont get benefits but they subtract some

The way NY unemployment handles part-time work is using a day-based system AND an income reduction. Here's how it works: - If you work 0 days in a week: 100% of your benefit rate - If you work 1 day: 75% of your benefit rate - If you work 2 days: 50% of your benefit rate - If you work 3 days: 25% of your benefit rate - If you work 4+ days: 0% benefit With DoorDash, it gets tricky because you need to count how many days you worked, even if it was just for an hour. So if you did DoorDash on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, that's 3 days of work, even if you only made $150 total. For self-employment like DoorDash, count a day of work as any day you spend 4+ hours working OR any day you earn more than $11 per hour based on your benefit rate. Make sure to keep detailed records of exactly which days you work and how much you earn each day. You'll certify weekly and report this information. Be extremely accurate as they do cross-check with gig companies.

I tried getting unemployment while doing DoorDash last year and it was such a hassle. The system kept flagging my account because the income was different every week and I had to keep calling to explain. Eventually I just quit DoorDash because it wasn't worth the headache with unemployment. Just my experience though.

To answer your earlier question about the calculation - it's not a straight dollar-for-dollar reduction. NY uses that day-based system another commenter mentioned, but there's also a maximum earnings threshold. Basically, if your weekly benefit rate is $504, and you work 2 days a week doing DoorDash, you'd get 50% of your benefit - so $252. But if you earn more than 1.5x your benefit rate (so $756 for you), you'd get zero benefits for that week regardless of days worked. As weird as it sounds, sometimes working fewer days but making more money per day works out better for unemployment purposes. Just make sure you're considering gas costs and vehicle wear when calculating if DoorDash is even worth it.

my roomate does doordash and gets benefits he says just do it on 2 days only and ull get more money that way

Another important thing: DoorDash doesn't withhold taxes, so you'll need to set aside money for that. And the income from both unemployment AND DoorDash is taxable. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits (recommended), but you'll still need to handle the taxes on your gig work separately.

Just to add one more crucial detail - make sure you're filing as a W-2 employee who lost your job, not as a self-employed person. Your DoorDash work is considered self-employment, but your claim should be based on your previous W-2 warehouse job. This gives you regular UI benefits rather than PUA or other programs that might be less beneficial. When you file, you'll need your employment history from your warehouse job, and you'll indicate that you're currently working part-time self-employment. And as others have said, be absolutely meticulous about reporting which days you work and how much you earn each week when certifying. The system is designed to catch inconsistencies.