Can I claim NY unemployment while working part-time with reduced hours?

Yes, you can definitely apply for partial unemployment benefits in New York when you're working reduced hours. It's called partial unemployment. When you certify each week, you'll report the exact hours you worked and any wages earned. The system then calculates a partial benefit based on your previous full-time wages minus what you're earning now. Keep in mind that NY has a threshold - if you work more than 30 hours in a week OR earn more than $595 in a week, you typically won't qualify for benefits that week. But with your 15-18 hours, you should be eligible for something to help bridge the gap.

yep u can get benefits but they reduce the amount based on what ur making. i did this last year. u just gotta report your hours honestly when u certify each week

Make sure you report your hours and earnings accurately each week when you certify. In NY, they use a formula where they deduct 25% of your part-time wages from your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit would normally be $300, and you earn $200 at your part-time job, they'd deduct $50 (25% of $200) from your benefit, leaving you with a $250 partial benefit for that week. Be super careful with this though - if you make a mistake reporting your earnings, it can trigger an overpayment issue later that's a huge headache to resolve.

i got audited last yr bcuz i messed up reporting my part time hours... took FOREVER to fix and they froze my payments for like 2 months while investigating!! make sure u keep all ur pay stubs and report everything EXACTLY right

I've been in this exact situation since February and honestly calling NYSDOL to apply was a nightmare. I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get through to someone! The website kept glitching when I tried to enter my part-time hours and I needed to speak to an actual person. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the endless busy signals. They have this service that basically holds your place in line and calls you when they connect with an agent. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Once I actually got through to someone, setting up partial unemployment was pretty straightforward. The agent helped me set everything up correctly for my situation.

@profile8 - Yes, it worked for me! Instead of spending weeks calling hundreds of times, I got through in about 2 hours. Totally worth it because I needed my case fixed ASAP.

Just wanted to add that when you certify each week while working part-time, you'll need to answer "YES" to the question about whether you did any work during that week, even if it was just a few hours. Then you'll enter the specific days you worked and how many hours each day. Also, keep in mind that in NY, if you work even 1 hour on a day, that entire day counts as a "working day" - which affects your benefits. The system counts days worked, not just total hours, which confuses a lot of people.

DONT FORGET the stupid 4 work search activities every week!!! even tho ur working part time u still gotta do them and keep records or they can come back and make u pay everything back later!!!

Yes, you typically still need to do the work search activities even while working part-time. The logic is that you're still seeking full-time employment. You should be documenting your efforts to find more work or a better-paying job. This can include applying for jobs, going to interviews, updating your resume, attending job fairs, etc. The good news is that they've made the work search requirements a bit more flexible in 2025. Your current part-time job search efforts to get more hours can count toward your required activities.

something nobody mentioned yet - if your hours at your current job are inconsistent from week to week, you can still claim for the weeks where you work less hours, even if some weeks you dont qualify. each week is treated separately

also if ur boss suddenly gives u more hours and u go over the limit just dont claim for that week. i had a week where i worked 32 hours and didnt claim then back to 16 the next week and started claiming again

One more important thing to consider: Partial unemployment benefits are still subject to federal and possibly state income taxes. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your benefits (recommended) or you'll need to pay them when you file your taxes. Just something to be aware of for planning purposes.

My sister tried this last year and NYSDOL messed up her claim SO BAD. They kept sending her contradictory letters and eventually said she owed them $4,200 for 'overpayment'. She eventually got it fixed but it took MONTHS and so much stress. The system is BROKEN.

Honestly think it was just NYSDOL being incompetent. She reported everything correctly but their system somehow duplicated some of her certifications and counted them twice. Just keep VERY detailed records of EVERYTHING - screenshots, confirmation numbers, copies of all certifications. You'll need proof if they mess up.

To summarize for the original poster: 1. Yes, you can receive partial unemployment while working part-time 2. Report all hours and earnings accurately when you certify weekly 3. Be aware of the thresholds: working 30+ hours or earning $595+ in a week makes you ineligible for that week 4. Continue doing and documenting your four work search activities each week 5. Keep detailed records of all your work hours, pay stubs, and certifications 6. Consider having taxes withheld from your benefits While the system isn't perfect, partial unemployment can definitely help bridge the gap while you're working reduced hours and searching for full-time employment.