How long do I need to work before I can collect unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I just started a new job in retail about 6 weeks ago and I'm wondering about unemployment eligibility requirements. My previous job was only part-time for a few months last year. If something happens with this current position, would I qualify for benefits? I'm trying to understand the work history requirements for NYS Department of Labor unemployment claims. Does anyone know how long you need to be employed before you can file?
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Zachary Hughes
The NYS Department of Labor looks at your base period earnings, not just how long you worked at one job. You need to have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period, which is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. The minimum earnings requirement is currently around $2,700 in your highest quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount.
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Rachel Clark
•That's confusing - so it's not about how many weeks I worked but how much I earned? What if I only worked part-time before this job?
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Mia Alvarez
yeah the quarters thing is weird but basically you need enough work history over the past year or so, not just your current job
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Carter Holmes
Your part-time work from last year might actually help you qualify! The NYS Department of Labor combines wages from all covered employers during your base period. So if you earned enough between your previous part-time job and your current retail position, you could be eligible. You can check your wage history on the my.ny.gov website to see your quarterly earnings.
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Rachel Clark
•I didn't know I could check that online! I'll log into my.ny.gov and see what my earnings look like. Thanks for the tip.
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Sophia Long
I had this same question when I started my job! The NYS Department of Labor phone lines are always busy when you try to get specific answers about eligibility. I actually used a 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. Made it so much easier to get my questions answered without sitting on hold for hours.
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Angelica Smith
•How does that work exactly? Do they just help you get through the phone queue?
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Sophia Long
•Yeah they basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Super simple and saved me a ton of frustration trying to reach NYS Department of Labor.
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Logan Greenburg
Don't stress too much about it right now! Focus on keeping your current job and building up those quarterly earnings. The longer you work and the more you earn, the better your potential weekly benefit amount will be if you ever need to file for unemployment.
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Andre Rousseau
Just to add some clarity - the NYS Department of Labor also has a minimum work requirement of at least 2 calendar quarters during your base period. So even if you meet the earnings thresholds that others mentioned, you need to have actually worked in at least 2 different quarters. Since you mentioned working part-time last year plus your current 6 weeks, you might already meet this if your previous job spanned multiple quarters. The good news is that once you qualify, your weekly benefit amount is based on your highest quarter earnings, so every week you work now is potentially increasing that amount!
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Dylan Mitchell
•This is really helpful! So if I understand correctly, since I worked part-time for a few months last year and I'm currently 6 weeks into my retail job, I might already have the 2 quarters of work history? I should definitely check my quarterly earnings on my.ny.gov to see exactly what quarters I have wages in. It's good to know that continuing to work now could increase my potential weekly benefit amount too.
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