Can I do gig work while on unemployment benefits in New York?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and my savings are running low. I'm wondering if I can pick up some gig work like DoorDash or Uber to make extra money while still getting my weekly benefits? I don't want to mess up my claim but I really need the income. Does anyone know the rules about this with NYS Department of Labor? Do I have to report gig earnings on my weekly certification?
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Mason Lopez
Yes, you can do gig work while on unemployment but you MUST report all earnings on your weekly claim certification. NYS Department of Labor allows you to earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits. For 2025, you can earn up to $143 per week without any reduction. If you earn more than that, they'll deduct 25% of the excess from your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $200 in gig work, you'd lose $14.25 from your benefit ($200-$143=$57, then $57 x 0.25 = $14.25).
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Demi Lagos
AuthorThank you! That's really helpful. So I definitely need to report everything even if it's just like $50 from a few deliveries?
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Mason Lopez
Absolutely report everything. NYS Department of Labor cross-references with tax records and gig companies report earnings to the state. Not reporting can result in overpayment issues later.
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Vera Visnjic
i've been doing instacart while on UI for months, just make sure you report it when you do your weekly claim. the system will calculate how much to deduct automatically
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Jake Sinclair
Have you had any issues with NYS Department of Labor questioning the gig work? I'm worried they'll think I'm not actively job searching if I'm doing too much gig work.
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Brielle Johnson
The key thing is staying under that weekly earnings threshold if you want to keep your full benefit. I'd recommend tracking your gig earnings daily so you don't accidentally go over. Also remember you still need to meet your job search requirements - gig work doesn't count toward those 3 weekly job contacts you need to log in the system.
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Demi Lagos
AuthorGood point about the job search requirements. I've been applying to regular jobs but the gig work would just be to bridge the gap financially.
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Honorah King
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to ask about this directly, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was super helpful when I had questions about reporting my freelance income and couldn't get through the phone lines.
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Oliver Brown
How long did it take to reach someone through that service? I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my own gig work situation.
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Honorah King
It was way faster than trying to call myself. Got connected within a few hours and the agent was able to explain exactly how to report my earnings properly.
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Mary Bates
Just be careful because some people think you can hide gig earnings but NYS Department of Labor will find out eventually. My cousin got hit with a huge overpayment notice because he wasn't reporting his Uber income properly. Better to be honest from the start.
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Demi Lagos
AuthorDefinitely planning to report everything! I just wanted to make sure I understood the rules correctly before starting any gig work.
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Natasha Volkova
One more thing to keep in mind - when you do gig work, you'll be considered self-employed for tax purposes, so you'll need to set aside money for taxes since gig companies don't withhold them. I learned this the hard way when I was doing DoorDash while on unemployment. Also, make sure you understand how NYS Department of Labor defines "available for work" - if you're doing gig work during typical business hours, they might question whether you're truly available for full-time employment. I'd recommend doing gig work mainly evenings and weekends to avoid any potential issues with your claim.
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