Can you claim partial unemployment in NY - working reduced hours at restaurant

Yes, you can definitely file for partial unemployment benefits in New York! As long as you're working less than 4 days per week OR earning less than your weekly benefit amount, you may qualify. You'll need to file your initial claim on the NYS Department of Labor website and then file weekly claims reporting your work hours and earnings. The system will calculate if you're eligible for partial benefits each week.

same thing happened to me at my retail job last year - went from full time to like 20 hours. you file the same initial claim as regular unemployment but when you do your weekly certification you report the days you worked and how much you earned. they deduct part of your earnings from your weekly benefit but you still get something

The key is being accurate with your weekly reporting. NYS Department of Labor requires you to report ANY work and earnings for each week, even if it's just a few hours. If you work more than 3 days in a week or earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you might not get any benefits for that week. But weeks where you work less, you'll get a reduced benefit amount. Make sure to keep track of your exact hours and gross pay.

Wait I'm confused about this whole partial thing... I thought unemployment was only for people who got laid off completely?? How does it work if you're still employed?

It's actually pretty common! Partial unemployment is designed for exactly these situations where people have their hours reduced through no fault of their own. The restaurant industry sees this a lot during slow seasons. As long as your employer didn't reduce your hours due to poor performance or disciplinary issues, you should qualify.

ugh the NYS Department of Labor phone lines are IMPOSSIBLE to get through to if you have questions about this stuff. I've been trying to call for weeks about my partial claim and just get busy signals or hung up on after waiting for hours. this system is so frustrating when you actually need help

I had the same problem reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone until someone told me about Claimyr. It's this service that helps you get through to actual agents - you put in your info at claimyr.com and they call you back when they've got an agent on the line. Saved me so much time and frustration. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Totally worth it when you're dealing with partial claims questions.

Thanks everyone! I'm going to file my claim this week. Hopefully the process isn't too complicated for partial benefits.

Good luck with your claim! Just a heads up - make sure you have all your employment documentation ready when you file. NYS DOL will want to verify your previous earnings to calculate your benefit amount. Keep copies of recent pay stubs and be prepared to provide your employer's information. The online application walks you through everything step by step, so it's actually pretty straightforward once you get started. The hardest part is just getting through if you need to call them with questions!