Do you still get NYS Department of Labor unemployment if you get a job - confused about reporting work
I'm really confused about this whole process. I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and just got offered a part-time job that starts next week. It's only 20 hours a week at $18/hour so definitely not enough to live on. Do I still get my unemployment benefits if I take this job? I'm scared to mess anything up with NYS Department of Labor because I really need the money. The job search requirements have been stressful enough and I don't want to lose my benefits completely. Should I report this when I do my weekly claim? What happens if I work some days but not others?
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Grace Thomas
Yes, you can still receive partial unemployment benefits while working part-time in New York. When you file your weekly claim with NYS Department of Labor, you MUST report all work and earnings for that week. They'll calculate your partial benefit based on how much you earned. Generally, you can earn up to a certain amount before your benefits start getting reduced. The key is being completely honest about your work hours and pay on your weekly certification.
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Justin Chang
•Thank you! Do you know what the earnings limit is? I'm worried they'll cut me off completely if I make too much.
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Hunter Brighton
same situation happened to me last year!! you definitely keep getting some unemployment but they reduce it based on what you earn. i think you can make like $143 or something before they start deducting from your weekly benefit amount. just make sure you report EVERYTHING on your weekly claim or they'll hit you with an overpayment later
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Dylan Baskin
•The partial benefit calculation in NY is a bit more complex than that. For 2025, you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction. After that, they deduct 25% of your earnings from your benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you can earn up to $100 with no reduction. If you earn $200 that week, they'd deduct $50 from your $400 benefit, leaving you with $350 plus your $200 in wages.
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Lauren Wood
DEFINITELY report the work! I made the mistake of not reporting some side gig work thinking it was too small to matter and NYS Department of Labor found out anyway. They made me pay back like $800 in overpayments plus penalties. The system is designed to catch unreported work so just be honest from the start.
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Justin Chang
•Oh wow that's scary! How did they find out about your unreported work?
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Lauren Wood
•they cross-reference with employer wage reports and tax records. basically if someone pays you and reports it to the state, they'll eventually see it didn't match your claim
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Ellie Lopez
I had so much trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about partial benefits. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to get my questions answered about working while collecting.
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Justin Chang
•That sounds helpful! I hate trying to call government offices. Did they charge you a lot for the service?
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Ellie Lopez
•It was worth it to actually get answers instead of sitting on hold for hours. The peace of mind knowing I was doing everything correctly was huge.
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Chad Winthrope
just take the job and see what happens with your claim. worse case scenario you make more money working anyway. the unemployment system is so complicated nobody really understands all the rules
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Grace Thomas
•That's really bad advice. Not reporting work properly can result in serious penalties and having to pay back benefits. It's always better to follow the rules and report everything correctly to NYS Department of Labor.
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Paige Cantoni
Congrats on getting a job offer! That's great news. Just make sure when you do your weekly certification you answer 'yes' to working that week and report your gross earnings before taxes. The system will automatically calculate your partial benefit. You'll probably end up with more total income combining the part-time wages and reduced unemployment than just unemployment alone.
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