Can you do uber eats while on unemployment benefits in NY?
I've been on unemployment for about 6 weeks now and things are getting tight financially. I'm wondering if I can do some Uber Eats deliveries on the weekends to make extra money without messing up my NYS Department of Labor benefits? I know you have to report work but I'm not sure if gig work like food delivery counts the same way as regular employment. Has anyone done this while collecting UI? I don't want to accidentally get myself in trouble or lose my benefits.
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Esmeralda Gómez
Yes, you absolutely can do Uber Eats while on unemployment, but you MUST report all earnings when you file your weekly claim. NYS Department of Labor considers gig work the same as any other employment. Any week you earn more than $504 (the partial benefit threshold for 2025), your benefits will be reduced dollar-for-dollar. If you earn less than that amount, they'll deduct 25% of your earnings from your weekly benefit. The key is being honest about your earnings - don't try to hide it because they will find out.
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Yuki Tanaka
•Thanks for the info! So if I make like $200 in a week doing deliveries, they'd take $50 off my weekly benefit amount? That still seems worth it to have the extra income.
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Klaus Schmidt
i did doordash while on unemployment last year and it was fine just make sure you report everything. the hardest part is keeping track of all your earnings because with gig work you might get paid at weird times
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Aisha Patel
•This is really important - keep detailed records of every delivery and payment. NYS Department of Labor will want to see documentation if they audit your claim later. I learned this the hard way when they questioned some of my reported earnings.
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LilMama23
Wait I thought you couldn't work at all while on unemployment?? This is confusing because I've been afraid to even pick up a single shift anywhere. Are you saying I could have been making extra money this whole time?
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Esmeralda Gómez
•You can work part-time while collecting unemployment benefits in NY. The rule is you have to be available for full-time work and actively searching for a full-time job. Part-time or gig work is allowed as long as you report it properly and it doesn't interfere with your ability to accept full-time employment.
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LilMama23
•OMG I feel so stupid now. I've been struggling to pay bills when I could have been doing some part-time work. Thank you for explaining this!
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Dmitri Volkov
Just be careful with the job search requirements too. You still need to do your 3 job search activities per week and be available for interviews. Don't let the gig work interfere with accepting a full-time job offer if you get one. Also, if you're doing Uber Eats you'll be considered self-employed for tax purposes, so keep track of your mileage and expenses.
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Gabrielle Dubois
•Yeah the tax stuff is annoying. You'll get a 1099 from Uber at the end of the year and have to file as self-employed income. But honestly the flexibility is worth it when you're trying to job hunt and need extra cash.
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Tyrone Johnson
I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for weeks to ask about exactly this kind of situation but can never get through to a human. The automated system just tells me to check the website but I want to talk to someone about my specific case.
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Dmitri Volkov
•I had the same problem trying to reach them about reporting issues. Someone here told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it last month and actually got connected to speak with someone within like 20 minutes instead of calling for days. Really helped me get my questions answered about partial work reporting.
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Tyrone Johnson
•That sounds too good to be true but I'm desperate at this point. I'll check out that video demo, thanks!
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Paolo Marino
One thing to keep in mind is that Uber Eats earnings can be pretty unpredictable - some weeks you might make $300, other weeks maybe $50 depending on demand and how much you work. This makes it tricky to budget around your reduced UI benefits. I'd suggest starting slow with just a few hours on weekends to see how it affects your weekly benefit amount before ramping up. Also, the Uber driver app lets you track your earnings pretty easily which helps with the reporting requirements everyone mentioned.
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Sophie Hernandez
•That's really smart advice about starting slow! I was thinking about jumping right into doing deliveries every weekend but you're right that the unpredictable earnings could make it hard to plan my budget. I'll probably try just Saturday afternoons for the first few weeks to see how it goes. Does the Uber app show your earnings in real-time or do you have to wait until the end of the week to see totals?
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