How can you qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I just got laid off from my warehouse job after 8 months and I'm trying to figure out if I can even get unemployment benefits. I've never filed before and honestly don't know what the requirements are. Do I need to have worked for a certain amount of time? What about if I was part-time for some of those months? Also heard something about needing to actively look for work - is that true? Any help would be appreciated since I'm pretty lost with all this NYS Department of Labor stuff.
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Callum Savage
You'll need to meet the base period earnings requirement first. NYS Department of Labor looks at your wages from the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. You need at least $2,600 in one quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter earnings. Part-time work counts toward this as long as you earned enough. Yes, you do need to actively search for work and document it - they require at least 3 job contacts per week.
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Landon Flounder
•Thanks! So if I started working in March 2024 and got laid off now, would that be enough time to qualify? I was making about $18/hour.
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Callum Savage
•At $18/hour you should easily meet the earnings requirement if you worked consistently. The NYS Department of Labor will calculate your exact eligibility when you file your claim.
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Ally Tailer
omg the job search thing is such a pain!! you have to keep this detailed log of everywhere you apply and they can ask for it anytime. i got audited once and had to send in like 20 pages of proof
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Aliyah Debovski
•Wait really? I've been on unemployment for 6 weeks and nobody told me about keeping detailed records. What kind of proof do they want?
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Miranda Singer
The main eligibility requirements are: 1) You lost your job through no fault of your own (layoffs, company closure, etc.), 2) You meet the wage requirements in your base period, 3) You're able and available to work, and 4) You're actively seeking employment. If you quit or were fired for misconduct, you likely won't qualify. Also make sure to file your claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed - there's no waiting period to file.
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Cass Green
•What counts as 'misconduct' though? I got fired for being late too many times but it wasn't intentional - my car kept breaking down.
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Finley Garrett
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor to even ask these basic questions. Kept getting busy signals for weeks. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent who walked me through the whole qualification process. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole thing so much less stressful.
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Madison Tipne
•Never heard of that before but might be worth trying. The NYS Department of Labor phone system is absolutely terrible.
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Madison Tipne
Just remember you have to file weekly claims even while your initial claim is being processed. Don't skip weeks or you could lose benefits for those periods!
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