Can I collect NYS Department of Labor unemployment if my employer cuts my hours?
My restaurant job just cut me from 35 hours a week down to only 12 hours. I can't survive on $240 a week when my rent alone is $1,100. I heard somewhere that you might be able to get partial unemployment benefits when your hours get slashed but I'm not sure how that works with NYS Department of Labor. Has anyone been through this situation? Do I qualify for anything or am I just stuck with whatever hours they give me?
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Dominic Green
Yes, you can potentially file for partial unemployment benefits in New York! Since your hours were reduced significantly, you may qualify for what's called 'partial benefits.' You'd need to file a regular unemployment claim and report your reduced earnings each week. NYS Department of Labor will calculate if you're eligible based on your previous wages versus current reduced income.
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Evelyn Xu
•That's such a relief to hear! Do I file the same way as regular unemployment? And will they want proof that my hours were cut?
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Hannah Flores
You definitely should apply. I went through something similar when my retail job cut everyone's hours during slow season. NYS Department of Labor approved my partial claim and I got around $180 per week to supplement my reduced paycheck. Just make sure you report your exact earnings each week when you file your weekly claim - they're strict about that.
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Kayla Jacobson
•How long did it take for your claim to get approved? My hours got cut last month and I'm still waiting to hear back from adjudication.
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Hannah Flores
•Mine took about 3 weeks to get through adjudication. They had to verify my work history and the hour reduction with my employer. Just be patient and keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending.
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William Rivera
ugh this happened to me too!!! my manager said business was slow but then hired two new people the next week??? makes no sense. anyway yeah you can get partial benefits but the process is SO confusing. i kept messing up my weekly claims because i didn't know if i should report gross or net pay
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Dominic Green
•Always report your gross pay (before taxes) when filing weekly claims. NYS Department of Labor uses that figure to calculate your partial benefit amount.
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Grace Lee
I was in a similar boat trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about partial benefits. The phone lines are always jammed and I kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real agent in like 15 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Totally worth it when you need to talk to someone about your specific situation.
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Mia Roberts
•Never heard of that before but honestly anything beats sitting on hold for 2 hours just to get hung up on
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The Boss
The NYS Department of Labor system is such a mess honestly. They make it so hard to understand what you qualify for and then act like you're trying to cheat them when you have questions. I hope you have better luck than I did with my partial claim.
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Evelyn Xu
•That's what I'm worried about. I just want to make sure I do everything right from the start so they don't deny my claim for some technicality.
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Dominic Green
To give you the specifics: for 2025, you can work part-time and still collect partial unemployment as long as your weekly earnings are less than your full benefit amount. NYS Department of Labor will reduce your weekly benefit by 25% of whatever you earn over $143. So if your full benefit would be $300 and you earn $200 in a week, you'd get $300 minus 25% of $57 ($200-$143), which equals about $286 in benefits.
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Evelyn Xu
•Wow that's really helpful math, thank you! So I should definitely apply since I'm only making around $240 a week now.
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Camila Jordan
Just wanted to add that when you apply, make sure to keep detailed records of your hour reduction. I screenshot my work schedules before and after the cut, and saved any texts or emails from my manager about the reduction. NYS Department of Labor may ask for documentation during the review process, and having everything organized made my claim go much smoother. Also, don't wait too long to apply - you want to get your claim in as soon as possible after the hour reduction happens. Good luck!
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CosmicCadet
•This is excellent advice! I wish I had known about keeping records when my hours got cut at my previous job. I ended up having to reconstruct everything from memory which was such a pain. @Evelyn Xu definitely take screenshots of your schedule now before you forget - even if it seems obvious to you, having that paper trail will save you headaches later if they need proof of the reduction.
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