Does unemployment pay what you were making at your job in New York?
I just got laid off from my warehouse job where I was making $22/hour full time. My friend told me unemployment only pays like half of what you made but I'm not sure if that's true. Does NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits actually replace your full salary or is it way less? I need to know what to expect because I have rent and car payments coming up. How much can I expect to get if I file for unemployment?
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Mason Davis
No, unemployment doesn't replace your full salary. In NY, the maximum weekly benefit amount is currently $504, and it's calculated as roughly 50% of your average weekly wage up to that cap. So if you were making $22/hour full time (40 hours), that's $880 per week. Your unemployment would be around $440 per week, assuming you qualify for the full amount. The NYS Department of Labor calculates this based on your earnings in your base period.
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Sophia Miller
•Thanks, that helps a lot. So I'd get about $440 a week? That's going to be tight but better than nothing I guess.
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Mia Rodriguez
yeah its definitely not your full pay, more like half. i was making $18/hour and only got like $360 a week from unemployment. better than zero but you gotta budget really carefully
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Jacob Lewis
The exact formula is 50% of your average weekly wage, but there's a maximum cap. Since you were making $880/week, you'd get around $440 assuming you worked consistently. Make sure to file your weekly claims on time every week or you'll lose those benefits. The NYS Department of Labor is pretty strict about the weekly certification deadlines.
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Sophia Miller
•Good to know about the weekly claims - I definitely don't want to mess that up. How long do benefits last?
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Jacob Lewis
•Regular unemployment benefits last up to 26 weeks in NY, but you have to keep filing those weekly claims and meet the job search requirements.
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Amelia Martinez
I've been trying to reach the NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my benefit amount calculation and can never get through on the phone. The automated system just hangs up on me after being on hold forever. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there? I think they calculated my benefits wrong but I can't get help.
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Ethan Clark
•I had the same problem until I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They actually get you connected to NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. I watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and it looked legit, so I tried it. Got through to someone within a few hours and they helped fix my benefit calculation. Way better than spending days trying to call yourself.
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Mila Walker
Just remember that unemployment is taxable income so don't spend it all thinking it's free money. You'll owe taxes on it next year unless you have them withhold taxes from your weekly payments.
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Diego Fernández
Just went through this process myself after getting laid off from my retail job. One thing to keep in mind is that your benefit amount is based on your earnings during your "base period" which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. So if you just started that warehouse job recently, your benefits might be calculated on lower wages from a previous job. Also, there's a one-week waiting period before you start receiving benefits, so factor that into your budget planning. The $440/week estimate sounds about right for your wage level though.
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Jade O'Malley
•That's a really important point about the base period calculation - I hadn't thought about that! I've been at this warehouse job for about 8 months now, so hopefully that should be enough time in the base period. The one-week waiting period is good to know too, I'll need to plan for that gap. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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