How is unemployment insurance calculated by NYS Department of Labor?
I just got laid off from my job at a manufacturing plant in Rochester and I'm trying to figure out what my weekly unemployment benefit will be. I was making about $52,000 a year but my hours varied a lot - some weeks I worked overtime, other weeks just 32 hours. Does NYS Department of Labor look at my highest earning quarters or do they average everything out? Also heard something about a maximum benefit amount but can't find clear info on their website.
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Ava Harris
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate using your highest earning quarter from your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed). They take that quarter's wages, divide by 26, then you get half of that amount as your weekly benefit. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $504. So if your highest quarter was $15,000, you'd get about $288 per week.
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Chloe Delgado
•That makes sense! So they don't penalize me for the slower weeks when I only worked part time. My best quarter was probably around $16,500 so looks like I'll get close to the max.
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Jacob Lee
wait so its not based on your last paycheck amount?? i thought it was like 50% of what you were making recently
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Ava Harris
•No, it's based on your highest earning quarter in the base period, not your most recent pay. This actually helps people who had seasonal work or whose hours got cut before being laid off.
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Emily Thompson
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing with this base period stuff. I had to call them three times last year just to understand why my benefit amount was different than what I calculated. Their phone lines are always busy though - took me weeks to get through. Recently found out about claimyr.com which helped me actually reach an agent to explain my specific situation. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Chloe Delgado
•Thanks for the tip! I might need to call them if my calculation seems off when I file.
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Sophie Hernandez
•Yeah the NYS Department of Labor phone system is a nightmare. Glad there are services that can help get through!
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Daniela Rossi
Just remember you also need to meet the monetary eligibility requirements - you need at least $2,900 in wages in your highest quarter AND total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages. Most people who worked steadily meet this easily but it can trip up people with very irregular work patterns.
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Chloe Delgado
•Good point, I should double check that when I look at my wage history. My work was pretty steady except for a few weeks off last summer.
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Ryan Kim
One thing that messed me up was not realizing they use GROSS wages before taxes and deductions. I was calculating based on my take-home pay and couldn't figure out why my benefit was higher than expected. Also the partial benefit formula is different if you're working part-time while collecting - they have a whole other calculation for that.
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