Can a seasonal employee collect unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?

That's reassuring to hear! Do I need to be looking for any type of work or can I focus on finding another seasonal position for next year?

How long did it take for your claim to get approved? I'm thinking about filing soon myself.

Mine was approved within about 10 days, no issues at all. Just had to do the standard phone interview to verify my work history.

That's a common misconception! As long as you meet the wage and work requirements, being seasonal doesn't disqualify you. Your friend might be thinking of some other state's rules.

Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you anything?

Yeah there's a fee but honestly worth it to actually talk to someone instead of getting hung up on constantly. Way less stress than the regular phone line.

I feel you on the frustration but at least we can get benefits. Better than nothing I guess.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know about the base period calculation. I'm curious - when you say there's usually a waiting period, how long are we talking about? I'm trying to figure out my timeline since I just lost my seasonal job too. Also, did you have any issues with the "able and available for work" requirement during the off-season when seasonal positions aren't really hiring?

@Malik Johnson That s'really helpful info about the base period calculation! I m'actually in a similar boat - worked at a garden center this past season and now facing the winter gap. One question though - when you file your weekly claims during the off-season, how strict are they about the job search requirements? I m'worried they ll'expect me to apply for random jobs when I really want to focus on lining up another seasonal position for next year. Did you run into any issues with that when you filed for your ski resort job?

@Malik Johnson Great point about the base period calculation! I m'curious though - did you have any issues proving you were actively "seeking work during" the off-season when most seasonal employers aren t'even posting jobs yet? I m'worried they might deny my claim if I can t'show I m'applying to enough positions, but it seems pointless to apply for random jobs when I know I want to return to seasonal work. How did you handle the weekly job search reporting requirements?

@Malik Johnson Really appreciate you sharing the details about the base period! I m'dealing with a similar situation after my seasonal retail job ended last month. Quick question - when you mention filing online through the NYS DOL website, did you run into any technical issues? I ve'heard their system can be pretty glitchy, especially during peak filing times. Also, for the waiting period you mentioned, is that just the standard one-week waiting period or something longer for seasonal workers? Want to make sure I set my expectations correctly before I start the process. Thanks!

@Joy Olmedo This is super helpful, thank you! I m'definitely feeling more confident about applying now. Quick question about the job search records you mentioned - how detailed do they need to be? Like, do I need to document every single application or just keep a general log? Also, when you were doing seasonal work, did you find it better to focus your job searches on other seasonal positions or did you apply to regular full-time jobs too during the off-season? I m'trying to figure out the best strategy for my situation.

@Joy Olmedo Thanks for sharing your experience! I m'in almost the exact same situation - just finished my third year of seasonal work landscaping (and retail and) feeling nervous about filing for the first time. Your timeline of 2 weeks for approval is really reassuring. One thing I m'wondering about - when you mention keeping detailed records of job search activities, did the NYS DOL ever actually ask to see those records during your claim period? I m'trying to figure out how much documentation I really need versus just being prepared in case they audit. Also, did you find the benefit calculator on their website to be pretty accurate compared to what you actually received?

@Ella rollingthunder87 Welcome to seasonal work! It s'great that you re'thinking ahead about this. As a first-time seasonal worker, you shouldn t'have any special hoops to jump through - the process is the same as for anyone else filing for unemployment. The main thing to keep in mind is that you ll'need to have worked long enough to meet those base period requirements that @Joy Olmedo mentioned. Since you just started in November, you might want to check if your earnings from this season plus any other work you did earlier this year will meet the $2,600 minimum. If not, you might need to wait until you ve worked'a bit longer or had another seasonal job to build up sufficient wage credits. The NYS DOL website has good resources for first-time filers that walk you through the whole process step by step!

@Ezra Bates This is really valuable advice, especially about reporting those small side gigs! I m'new to this whole process and wouldn t'have thought about needing to report something like a day of snow shoveling. That spreadsheet idea is brilliant too - I m'definitely going to set one up before I start applying. Quick question though - when you say the payments got delayed because you didn t'report earnings initially, how long did it take to get everything sorted out? I m'trying to budget for the off-season and want to know what kind of delays I might face if I accidentally mess something up. Also, did you find it easy to find legitimate job opportunities to apply to during the winter months when most seasonal positions aren t'actively hiring?

@Isabella Ferreira You re'absolutely right to feel more confident after reading all these experiences! I just went through the same process last month after my seasonal landscaping job ended, and the NYS DOL was surprisingly understanding about seasonal work patterns. One thing that really helped me was being upfront in my initial application about my seasonal work history - I mentioned that I specifically seek out seasonal positions and explained the cyclical nature of my employment. They seemed to appreciate the honesty and it probably helped speed up my approval process. The spreadsheet tip is gold - I wish I had started mine earlier! Also, don t'worry too much about the specialized "skills concern." When doing your job searches, you can absolutely focus on positions that align with your seasonal work experience. For example, if you re'looking during winter months, applying to indoor plant nurseries, holiday decoration companies, or even ski resorts shows you re'genuinely seeking work in your field. Best of luck with your application this weekend - you ve'got this!

@Dylan Campbell Welcome to the seasonal work world! Your situation sounds really similar to mine when I first started - I was so nervous about whether I d'qualify, but it turned out to be much more straightforward than expected. The combination of your holiday decoration work plus the garden center job should definitely help you meet those wage requirements. One thing I learned that might be helpful for you - when you re'filling out the initial application, there s'a section where you can explain your work pattern. I wrote something like seeking "seasonal employment in landscaping/retail sectors which" seemed to help the reviewers understand my employment goals. Also, since you mentioned the garden center work, you might want to reach out to them about potential spring seasonal positions while you re'collecting benefits - it shows active job searching and they already know your work quality. The documentation really is key though, so definitely get that spreadsheet going before you start applying places. You re'going to do great with this process!

@Nathaniel Mikhaylov That s'awesome that you found this thread helpful! I m'also pretty new to seasonal work been (doing it for about 8 months now and) was in the same boat thinking we couldn t'get benefits. Your ski equipment rental experience sounds really cool - I bet that gave you some great customer service skills that could transfer to other seasonal positions too. One thing I d'suggest when you re'calculating your wages is to make sure you re'looking at the right time period for the base period calculation. From what I ve'learned here, it s'usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters, so depending on when exactly you worked those jobs, you might want to double-check which quarters count. Also, even if you re'just short of the $2,600 minimum now, you could always wait a bit and do another short seasonal stint to build up more wage credits before filing. The fact that you already have experience in both winter and summer seasonal work shows you re'committed to this employment pattern, which I think the DOL appreciates. Good luck with your application - sounds like you re'well-prepared!

@Liam Mendez Hey! Welcome to the seasonal work community! Your situation with mixed gig work and seasonal employment is actually more common than you might think. The key thing to remember is that NYS DOL looks at your total earnings during the base period, regardless of whether it came from one employer or multiple sources. However, there s'an important distinction you should be aware of - some of the work you mentioned like house sitting, dog walking, and freelance tutoring might have been classified as independent contractor work 1099 (rather) than employee work W-2 (.)As @Rajan Walker mentioned earlier in this thread, being classified as a 1099 worker can complicate your unemployment eligibility since unemployment benefits are typically for employees, not independent contractors. For your gift wrapping job, you were most likely an employee, which is great! I d recommend'checking your tax documents from all your work this year to see how you were classified. If most of your income came from employee positions, you should be in good shape to apply. Don t let'a scattered work history discourage you - many seasonal workers have diverse employment patterns and still successfully qualify for benefits!

@Adriana Cohn Welcome to seasonal work! Your question about supplementing with temporary work during the off-season is really smart planning. From what I ve'learned lurking in these forums, you absolutely can work part-time jobs while collecting unemployment - you just need to be super diligent about reporting those earnings on your weekly certifications. The key is that they ll'reduce your unemployment benefits by a portion of what you earn, but you won t'lose them completely unless you re'working full-time hours. A lot of seasonal workers I know pick up holiday retail shifts or snow removal gigs during winter to bridge the gap. Just make sure any employer classifies you as a W-2 employee rather than 1099 contractor to avoid complications. And definitely keep tracking everything in that spreadsheet everyone mentioned - both your job applications AND any temporary work you pick up. It sounds like you re'approaching this really thoughtfully, which will serve you well in the process!