How do you calculate unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor?
I'm trying to figure out how the NYS Department of Labor actually calculates my weekly benefit amount. I worked two part-time jobs last year - one paid $18/hour for about 25 hours a week, and another paid $22/hour for about 15 hours weekly. My total gross income was around $31,200 for the year. When I filed my claim last month, they said my weekly benefit rate would be $347, but I have no idea how they came up with that number. Can someone explain the calculation process? I want to make sure they didn't make an error.
11 comments
Join the conversation
Haley Stokes
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter of earnings from your base period (usually the 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. The maximum is currently $504 per week. Your $347 sounds about right if your highest quarter was around $9,000-$9,500.
0 coins
Lia Quinn
•That makes sense! My highest quarter was probably around $9,200. Thanks for explaining that - the NYS Department of Labor website wasn't very clear about the calculation.
0 coins
Asher Levin
wait so they dont use your whole years income?? i thought they divided your total by 52 weeks or something
0 coins
Haley Stokes
•No, they only use your highest earning quarter from the base period. This helps people who had seasonal work or gaps in employment. Using the full year would penalize people who were unemployed for part of the base period.
0 coins
Serene Snow
You can also check your benefit calculation on the my.ny.gov portal under your claim details. It should show which quarter they used and the exact math. If there's an error in the wages they have on file, you can submit wage corrections with pay stubs or W-2s as proof.
0 coins
Lia Quinn
•I'll definitely check that portal section. I want to make sure they have all my wages recorded correctly from both jobs.
0 coins
Issac Nightingale
Just went through this same thing trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to verify my calculation. Spent hours on hold getting nowhere. Finally used claimyr.com - they got me through to an actual agent in like 10 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent confirmed my calculation was correct and explained the whole base period thing really clearly.
0 coins
Romeo Barrett
•How much does that service cost? I've been trying to get through for weeks about my own calculation issues.
0 coins
Issac Nightingale
•It's way cheaper than the time I was wasting calling myself. Really worth it just to get actual answers instead of guessing whether the calculation is right.
0 coins
Marina Hendrix
The whole system is so confusing! Why can't they just show the calculation step by step when they approve your claim? I'm still not sure if mine is right either.
0 coins
Haley Stokes
•I agree it should be more transparent. The basic formula is: (Highest quarter wages ÷ 26) = weekly benefit rate, but there are caps and minimum thresholds that can affect the final amount.
0 coins