Can you file unemployment if you had 2 jobs - lost one but still have the other?
I'm confused about whether I can file for unemployment benefits. I had two part-time jobs - one at a retail store and one doing weekend catering work. The retail store laid me off last month due to budget cuts, but I still have my weekend catering job. Can I still file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor even though I'm still working one job? The catering only gives me about 12 hours a week and barely covers my rent. I tried looking this up on the my.ny.gov website but it's not super clear about partial unemployment situations.
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Kiara Fisherman
Yes, you can absolutely file for partial unemployment benefits in New York! If you lost one job but still have reduced income from another, you may qualify for partial UI benefits. The key is that your total weekly earnings from the remaining job need to be less than your weekly benefit amount. NYS Department of Labor will calculate your benefits based on your total earnings from both jobs during your base period, then reduce your weekly benefit by a portion of what you're currently earning.
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Jason Brewer
•That's really helpful! Do you know how they calculate the reduction? Like if my benefit amount would be $300 but I'm earning $200 from the catering job, would I get $100?
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Liam Cortez
The calculation is a bit more complex than straight subtraction. NYS Department of Labor uses a formula where they subtract 25% of your weekly earnings from your full benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit rate is $300 and you earn $200 from catering, they'd subtract $50 (25% of $200) from your $300 benefit, giving you $250 per week. You also need to report your work hours and earnings on your weekly claim certification.
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Savannah Vin
•wait that doesn't sound right... I thought they take out more than 25%? when I was working part time they seemed to take out way more from my benefits
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Liam Cortez
•You might be thinking of the old rules or confusing it with other deductions. The current NYS Department of Labor partial benefit formula is: weekly benefit amount minus 25% of gross wages earned that week, as long as you work less than 4 days.
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Mason Stone
I was in almost the exact same situation last year! Had two part-time jobs, lost one, kept filing my weekly claims for the other. Just make sure you report ALL your hours and earnings accurately on your weekly certification. Even if you think it's too little to matter, report it. NYS Department of Labor will cross-check with employers and you don't want any overpayment issues later.
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Jason Brewer
•Good point about reporting everything. Did you have any issues with the job search requirements while you were still working the other job?
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Makayla Shoemaker
One thing that helped me when I couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone was using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get connected to an actual agent who explained my partial unemployment situation clearly. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or having the system hang up on you.
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Christian Bierman
•Never heard of that service before. Did they charge you for helping you get through?
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Makayla Shoemaker
•They do charge but it was worth it for me since I needed to clarify my partial benefits calculation and couldn't reach anyone through normal channels. Much faster than the usual NYS Department of Labor phone runaround.
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Emma Olsen
Just be prepared that your claim might go into adjudication since you're reporting ongoing work. Don't panic if it takes a few extra weeks to process - they need to verify your employment situation with both employers. Keep documenting everything and stay on top of your weekly claims even during adjudication.
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Eduardo Silva
I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! Lost my main job but kept my small weekend gig. The key thing is to file your initial claim right away - don't wait. When you file, you'll report the income from BOTH jobs during your base period (the 4 quarters they use to calculate your benefits). Then each week when you certify, you report whatever you earn from your remaining catering job. The 25% reduction formula mentioned above is correct - so if you earn $200 that week, they'll reduce your benefit by $50 (25% of $200). Just make sure you're available for full-time work and actively job searching, even though you have the part-time catering gig. The NYS Department of Labor website has a partial benefits calculator that can help you estimate what you might receive.
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