How long can you have unemployment benefits in New York - NYS Department of Labor duration limits?
I'm getting close to what I think might be the end of my unemployment benefits and I'm starting to panic. I've been collecting for about 22 weeks now and I'm wondering how much longer I can keep getting payments from NYS Department of Labor. My account doesn't really explain the time limits clearly. Does anyone know the maximum duration for regular unemployment in NY? I'm still actively job searching but the market is really tough right now and I haven't found anything yet.
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Aidan Hudson
In New York, regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits last for a maximum of 26 weeks during a benefit year. Since you mentioned you're at 22 weeks, you have about 4 weeks left assuming you haven't exhausted your monetary entitlement first. Your benefit year starts from when you first filed your claim. You can check your remaining balance and weeks on your my.ny.gov account under the NYS Department of Labor portal.
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Lucy Lam
•Thank you! That's what I was afraid of. Do you know if there are any extensions available right now or other programs I might qualify for after my 26 weeks are up?
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Zoe Wang
yeah i think its 26 weeks but sometimes they have extended benefits when unemployment is really high. not sure if thats happening right now though
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Connor Richards
The 26-week limit is for regular state unemployment benefits. After that, you might be eligible for Extended Benefits (EB) if New York's unemployment rate triggers it, but that's not available right now. There's no federal extension program currently active like there was during COVID. Your best bet is to really intensify your job search in these final weeks and make sure you're meeting all the NYS Department of Labor job search requirements.
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Grace Durand
•This is so stressful. I've been applying to jobs every day but everything requires experience I don't have or they want to pay way less than what I was making. The job search requirement is 3 jobs per week right?
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Connor Richards
•Yes, it's 3 job contacts per week minimum for most claimants. Make sure you're documenting everything in your job search log. You might want to consider expanding your search criteria or looking into retraining programs.
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Steven Adams
I had the same worry when I was approaching my limit last year. If you can't reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was way easier than spending hours on hold trying to get through myself. The agent was able to explain exactly where I stood with my benefits and what options I had.
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Alice Fleming
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already struggling financially and can't afford to pay for something that should be free.
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Steven Adams
•It's really reasonable considering how much time and frustration it saves. For me it was worth it just to get clear answers about my claim status instead of guessing.
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Hassan Khoury
26 weeks goes by SO fast when you're actually living it. I remember thinking I had plenty of time when I first started collecting and then suddenly I was down to my last few payments. The system is just not designed for how long it actually takes to find good employment these days.
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Hannah White
•So true! I'm in a similar situation and it's terrifying how quickly those weeks disappear. The whole system feels like it was designed for a different era when people could find jobs in a few weeks. Now with all the online applications and lengthy hiring processes, even landing an interview can take months. Have you looked into any workforce development programs through the state? I heard they sometimes offer additional support or training opportunities while you're still collecting.
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