Can I collect unemployment and retirement at the same time in New York?

Yes, you can generally collect both unemployment and retirement benefits in New York, but there are some important considerations. The NYS Department of Labor will reduce your weekly unemployment benefit by the amount of any pension you receive if your employer contributed to that pension. If it's entirely your own contributions, it shouldn't affect your UI benefits. You'll need to report the pension income when you file your weekly claims.

my dad went through this exact thing last year. he was getting like $180 a week in pension and they reduced his unemployment by that same amount so he basically got nothing from NYS Department of Labor

The reduction depends on how much your employer contributed versus your own contributions. When you file your initial claim, the NYS Department of Labor will ask for documentation about your pension. They'll calculate the weekly reduction based on the employer contribution portion only. If you can't reach them by phone to clarify (their lines are always busy), I used a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.

This whole system is so confusing! Why should it matter if you worked your whole life and earned both benefits? The government takes enough in taxes already and then they want to penalize you for having a pension too. Makes no sense.

Just make sure you're honest about the pension when you file your weekly claims. Don't try to hide it because NYS Department of Labor will find out eventually and then you'll have an overpayment issue to deal with. That's way worse than just having your benefits reduced.

I went through this same situation about 3 years ago when I was 62 and got laid off from the hospital where I worked. You definitely can collect both, but like others mentioned, they will reduce your unemployment by the employer contribution portion of your pension. In my case, my pension was about $220/week and my unemployment would have been $350/week, so I ended up getting around $130/week from unemployment. It's not ideal, but every little bit helps when you're job hunting. The key thing is to have all your pension documentation ready when you file - they'll want to know the exact breakdown of employer vs employee contributions. Also, don't let the reduced amount discourage you from filing - you're still entitled to those benefits and you never know how long your job search might take.

I'm 59 and unfortunately anticipating a potential layoff situation myself in the coming months due to company downsizing. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - I've learned more practical information here than from hours of trying to navigate the NYS Department of Labor website! Reading everyone's real-world experiences has given me so much confidence about how to approach this if it happens. A few quick questions for those who've been through it: Did any of you explore temporary or contract work while collecting the reduced benefits, and how does that affect your weekly claims? Also, for those who mentioned using services like Claimyr to get through to NYS Department of Labor - was it worth the cost given how difficult it is to reach them by phone? I'm trying to prepare for every scenario since I know how backed up their system can get. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your experiences and advice - it's making a potentially scary situation feel much more manageable knowing there are people who've successfully navigated this process!