Can you have two unemployment claims at the same time with NYS Department of Labor?
I'm in a weird situation and can't find clear info anywhere. I had a regular UI claim that ended in October, but now I might be eligible for a new claim based on work I did last year. At the same time, my old employer is calling me back for seasonal work but it's only part-time. Can I have two different unemployment claims running at once with NYS Department of Labor? One for the new benefit year and maybe another for partial benefits while working part-time? I don't want to mess anything up or accidentally commit fraud.
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Quinn Herbert
You can't have two active claims simultaneously with NYS Department of Labor. You can only have one open claim at a time. If you're eligible for a new benefit year, you'd file a new claim which would replace your old one. For partial benefits while working part-time, you'd report those earnings on your weekly claim certification and NYS Department of Labor would calculate any partial benefits you're eligible for.
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Shelby Bauman
•So if I file a new claim, does that automatically close my old one? Even if my old one still had a balance left?
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Salim Nasir
wait i thought you could reopen an old claim if it still had money left on it instead of filing a new one?? this is confusing
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Hazel Garcia
•You can reopen an existing claim if it's still within the benefit year and has a remaining balance. But if your benefit year expired, you need to file a new claim. NYS Department of Labor will determine which option applies based on your dates and earnings history.
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Laila Fury
The system won't let you have multiple active claims. When you file weekly certifications, you're certifying for ONE claim only. If you're working part-time, you report those hours and earnings on your weekly claim and they'll reduce your benefits accordingly. Don't try to game the system - NYS Department of Labor cross-references everything.
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Geoff Richards
•This! I made the mistake of not reporting part-time work thinking I could keep full benefits and ended up with an overpayment notice for like $2800. NOT worth it.
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Simon White
Had similar confusion last year when my seasonal job ended. You definitely can't double-dip with two claims. What you CAN do is work part-time and still collect partial unemployment if you earn under a certain amount each week. NYS Department of Labor has a formula they use to calculate this.
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Shelby Bauman
•Do you remember what the earning limit was? I'm trying to figure out if the part-time work would even be worth it.
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Simon White
•I think it's like you can earn up to about $504 per week before they start reducing benefits significantly, but don't quote me on that. Check the NYS Department of Labor website for current numbers.
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Hugo Kass
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this directly, I used claimyr.com recently to get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals. Sometimes you really need to talk to a real person about complex situations like yours.
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Shelby Bauman
•Thanks, I'll check that out. I've been trying to call for days and can never get through.
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Mia Roberts
Just wanted to add that when you're working part-time while on unemployment, make sure you report your work hours AND gross earnings for each week, not just one or the other. NYS Department of Labor needs both pieces of info to calculate your partial benefits correctly. Also, if you do file a new claim, they'll look at your base period earnings to determine your new weekly benefit amount - so if you earned more in recent quarters, your new claim might actually have a higher weekly benefit rate than your old one. Worth checking into!
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Alice Coleman
•That's really helpful about reporting both hours and earnings! I didn't realize they needed both. Quick question - when you say they look at base period earnings for a new claim, does that mean they completely ignore what was left on my old claim balance? Like if my old claim had $3000 left but expired, that money is just gone when I file the new claim?
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