How long does NYS Department of Labor unemployment pay last - confused about duration
I'm really confused about how long unemployment benefits actually last in NY. I just got approved for UI after being laid off from my warehouse job last month and my first payment came through, but nobody explained how many weeks I can actually collect. I see different numbers online - some say 26 weeks, others mention extensions. My friend in another state got way more weeks than that but I don't know if NY works the same way. Does anyone know the actual duration for regular unemployment? I'm trying to budget and plan my job search but need to know what I'm working with timeline-wise.
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Mateo Lopez
Regular unemployment insurance in NY provides up to 26 weeks of benefits. That's the standard duration for most people. However, the actual number of weeks you're eligible for depends on your work history and earnings in your base period. Some people might qualify for fewer weeks if they didn't work enough quarters. You can check your exact benefit year duration by logging into your my.ny.gov account and looking at your monetary determination.
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CyberNinja
•Thanks! I'll check my account. Do those 26 weeks start counting from when I first filed or from when I got approved? There was like a 2 week delay between filing and approval.
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Aisha Abdullah
the 26 weeks starts from your benefit year begin date which should be the week you first filed not when you got approved. so if you filed 3 weeks ago your already using up some of those weeks even if you didnt get paid yet
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CyberNinja
•Wait that doesn't seem right - how can they count weeks I wasn't getting paid? That seems unfair.
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Mateo Lopez
•Actually that's not quite accurate. Your benefit year duration is separate from your weekly claim count. The 26 weeks refers to the maximum number of weeks you can actually receive payments, not calendar weeks from filing. If you had a waiting week or adjudication delay, those don't count against your 26 week maximum.
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Ethan Davis
I had the same question when I first filed! The NYS Department of Labor website isn't super clear about this. In my experience, you get exactly 26 weeks of actual payments unless your earnings in the base period qualify you for fewer weeks. Mine lasted exactly 6 months of weekly payments. Just make sure you're doing your job search requirements because they can cut you off if you don't meet those.
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Yuki Tanaka
If you're having trouble getting clear answers about your specific benefit duration, I had luck using claimyr.com when I couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone. They help you actually reach an agent who can explain your exact situation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
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Carmen Ortiz
•How much does that cost? I'm already tight on money and don't want to pay for something I should be able to get for free.
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Yuki Tanaka
•It's definitely worth it when you need specific answers about your claim. Much faster than the regular phone system and you actually get to talk to someone who can look up your account details.
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MidnightRider
26 weeks is standard but DONT COUNT ON IT lasting that long because they'll find any excuse to cut you off early. They're constantly auditing claims now and if you mess up even one job contact in your weekly filing they can disqualify you. The system is designed to get people OFF benefits as fast as possible not help them stay on for the full duration.
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Ethan Davis
•That's a bit dramatic. Yes you need to follow the rules but if you do your job searches and file correctly you'll get your full duration. I completed all 26 weeks without any issues.
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Aisha Abdullah
wait so if I understand this right - if I get laid off again next year I'd have to wait a whole year before I can file for another 26 weeks? or can you file again right away if you worked enough after your last claim?
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Mateo Lopez
•You can file a new claim if you've worked and earned enough wages since your last claim ended. You don't have to wait a full year. The key is having sufficient earnings in your new base period to establish a new claim.
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Oliver Zimmermann
Just wanted to add that you should also keep in mind that NY has a "waiting week" - the first week you file usually doesn't get paid, but it does count toward establishing your claim. So even though you get 26 weeks of payments, you'll actually be filing for 27 weeks total. Also, make sure you're keeping detailed records of your job search activities from day one because they can ask for that information at any time during your claim period. I learned this the hard way when they requested my job search log after week 10 and I had to scramble to reconstruct everything.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•This is really helpful info about the waiting week! I didn't realize there was a difference between filing weeks and payment weeks. So basically I'll file 27 times but only get paid for 26 of those weeks? And good point about keeping detailed job search records from the beginning - I've just been writing down company names but sounds like I should be more thorough with dates, contact methods, etc.
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