How do I calculate unemployment benefit amount in NYS - confused about the formula
I'm trying to figure out how much I'll get from NYS Department of Labor for unemployment benefits but I'm completely lost on how they calculate it. I worked part-time at two different jobs for the past year - one at a retail store making $18/hour for about 25 hours a week, and another at a restaurant making $16/hour plus tips for about 15 hours a week. I got laid off from both places last month when business slowed down. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? Do they use both jobs or just the highest paying one? I tried looking on the my.ny.gov website but the information is confusing and doesn't give clear examples.
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Yuki Sato
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter of earnings from the base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). They take that quarter's total wages and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit rate. Since you had two jobs, they'll combine all your W-2 wages from both employers. Tips count too if they were reported on your W-2. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $504, and you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your base period to qualify.
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StarStrider
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was like $8,500 total from both jobs, I'd get around $327 per week? That seems right based on what you said.
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Carmen Ruiz
yeah they definitely count both jobs together, i had 3 part time jobs when i filed last year and nys department of labor combined everything. the tricky part is making sure all your employers reported your wages correctly because if theyre missing wages from one job it can mess up your whole calculation
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StarStrider
•How do I check if my wages were reported correctly? I'm worried the restaurant might not have reported all my tip income properly.
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Andre Lefebvre
I had the same confusion when I applied. The easiest way is to look at your benefit determination letter that NYS Department of Labor sends after you file - it breaks down exactly which quarters they used and what wages they counted from each employer. If something looks wrong, you can appeal within 30 days. For tips, only the ones that were reported to the IRS count toward your benefit calculation, not cash tips that weren't declared.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
This whole system is so confusing! Why can't NYS Department of Labor just have a simple calculator on their website where you put in your income and it tells you what you'll get? I've been trying to figure this out for days and every answer I find online is different. Some sites say they use your last 4 quarters, others say first 4 of last 5, it's impossible to understand!
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Yuki Sato
•It is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters - that's the official base period. The confusion comes from different states having different rules, but for NYS that's definitely how it works.
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Jamal Anderson
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to verify your wage information or ask questions about your calculation, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. It was super easy to use and I finally got answers about my weird wage situation where one employer hadn't reported correctly.
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StarStrider
•That sounds helpful! I've been trying to call for a week but keep getting the busy signal or getting disconnected after waiting forever.
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Mei Wong
just wanted to say i went through this exact same thing last year with multiple part time jobs and it all worked out fine. nys department of labor was actually pretty good about combining everything once i got through to them. dont stress too much about it!
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