Does my previous employer pay 50% of my weekly NY unemployment benefits?

ur friend is wrong lol. the state pays u not ur old boss

Your friend has a misunderstanding of how unemployment insurance works. In New York, your former employer doesn't directly pay 50% of your weekly benefits. Instead, employers pay unemployment insurance taxes into the state's unemployment insurance fund throughout the year, and then the state pays out benefits from that fund. The employer's unemployment tax rate is affected by how many of their former employees collect benefits (called their "experience rating"), but they're not writing checks for half your weekly benefit amount. Your former employer is notified when you file for unemployment, but they don't see your weekly benefit amount unless you shared that information. They do know you've filed a claim, however, as they have the opportunity to contest your eligibility if they believe you were fired for misconduct or quit without good cause.

When I applied for my benefits last month, I had the SAME question!!! I was panicking thinking my horrible ex-manager would be writing me checks every week or something?? Can you imagine how awkward that would be??? But yeah its not true at all, my benefits come from NY state directly, not from my old job. You'll get direct deposit or a debit card depending on which option you pick.

To add some more detail, NY unemployment is funded through a combination of state and federal taxes paid by employers. Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your earnings during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed). As of 2025, the maximum weekly benefit rate in New York is $650. Employers pay two types of unemployment taxes: 1. Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax 2. State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) tax The state tax rate varies based on the employer's history of laying off workers who then collect benefits. So while your former employer doesn't pay 50% of your specific benefits, if they lay off a lot of people, their tax rate does increase over time. That's probably where your friend's misconception came from.

Everyone here is giving good info about how the system works, but just to add my two cents - I had such a hard time getting through to an actual agent at NYSDOL when I had questions about this same topic. I kept hitting that automated system loop and getting disconnected after waiting forever. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a live agent in about 15 minutes instead of spending days trying. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent explained all this employer contribution stuff to me and confirmed they only see that you filed, not your weekly amount. So much easier than trying to figure it out online where there's so much conflicting info!

The whole system is DESIGNED to be confusing!!! They don't want you to understand how it works! I've been on and off unemployment for years and I SWEAR the rules change every time. Last time I applied in 2024 I got a different explanation than when I applied in 2023. The system is BROKEN and they just hope you'll give up trying to understand it.

My situation is kind of different but related - I worked for two employers last year and when I filed for NY unemployment, they somehow calculated my benefits using BOTH jobs even though I only lost the full-time one. The part-time job wasn't enough hours to live on so I still qualified. I wonder if both employers had their rates affected? Anyway, just sharing because the system is more complicated than most people realize.

One important thing to note: while your employer doesn't pay 50% of your benefits directly, they DO receive notices about your claim and can contest it. If they believe you shouldn't qualify (if they claim you quit without good cause or were fired for misconduct), they can appeal your claim. That's why it's important to be truthful about your separation reason when you file. The employer can see THAT you filed, just not the exact weekly amount you receive.