How long does someone have to work to get unemployment benefits in NY?
My cousin just moved here from out of state and is wondering about the work requirements for unemployment. She's been working part-time at a retail job for about 4 months now but isn't sure if that's enough time to qualify for benefits if she gets laid off. Does anyone know the minimum work history you need in New York to be eligible for unemployment? I've heard different things from people - some say 6 months, others say a full year. What's the actual NYS Department of Labor requirement?
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Dmitry Petrov
The NYS Department of Labor uses something called a 'base period' to determine eligibility. You need to have worked and earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period, which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. There's also a minimum earnings requirement - you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your highest quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages.
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StormChaser
•That sounds pretty complicated. So if she started working in September and it's now January, would she have enough quarters? I'm trying to figure out if part-time work counts the same as full-time.
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Ava Williams
•Part-time work absolutely counts! It's about the wages you earned, not how many hours you worked. If she started in September, she'd have Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 when she files. The key is meeting those dollar thresholds I mentioned above.
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Miguel Castro
wait i thought you needed to work for like a whole year before you could get unemployment?? this is confusing
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Ava Williams
•That's a common misconception! You don't need a full year, but you do need to meet the wage requirements across multiple quarters. The NYS Department of Labor website has a benefit calculator that can help determine eligibility.
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Zainab Ibrahim
I had this exact situation last year when I was between jobs. The hardest part was actually getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to verify my eligibility before filing. After weeks of busy signals and dropped calls, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to get basic questions answered about my work history.
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StormChaser
•Interesting, I've never heard of that service. Did they charge you for it? My cousin really needs to know for sure before she makes any job decisions.
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Zainab Ibrahim
•It was worth it for me since I couldn't get through any other way. The peace of mind knowing exactly where I stood with my eligibility was huge. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person who can look at your specific situation.
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Connor O'Neill
The whole system is ridiculous honestly. I worked for 8 months straight and still had issues with my claim because my previous employer reported my wages wrong. NYS Department of Labor makes everything so unnecessarily complicated with all these quarter calculations and base periods. Why can't they just say 'work X months, get benefits' like normal people would understand??
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LunarEclipse
•I hear your frustration but the quarterly system actually protects workers better than a simple time-based requirement. It ensures people who work seasonally or have variable income can still qualify if they earn enough during their working periods.
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Yara Khalil
Tell your cousin to check her pay stubs and add up her quarterly earnings. That's the easiest way to know for sure. The NYS Department of Labor base period thing makes more sense when you actually calculate it out with real numbers.
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Rajan Walker
•That's really good advice about checking the pay stubs! @StormChaser your cousin should definitely do this calculation before making any decisions. Also, since she moved from out of state, she might want to check if any wages from her previous state count toward NY eligibility - sometimes there are interstate agreements that can help with qualification.
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Sofia Rodriguez
•@Rajan Walker That s'a great point about interstate agreements! New York does participate in the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan, so wages from other states can potentially count toward eligibility. Your cousin should definitely mention her out-of-state work history when she applies - it could make all the difference in meeting those wage requirements.
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Caleb Stark
•This is such helpful advice! @Sofia Rodriguez and @Rajan Walker bring up excellent points about interstate agreements. I had no idea that was even a thing. My cousin actually worked in Pennsylvania for about 8 months before moving to NY, so this could really help her situation. Does anyone know if there s a'specific form or process for combining wages from different states when applying?
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NebulaNinja
•@Caleb Stark When applying for NY unemployment, you ll'need to provide information about all your work history from the past 18 months, including out-of-state employment. The NY Department of Labor will automatically request wage records from Pennsylvania through the interstate system - you don t'need a special form. Just make sure to list all your previous employers accurately on your application, including dates and locations. The system will pull the wage data and combine it to determine your eligibility. This could definitely help your cousin meet the minimum requirements!
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Gael Robinson
•@NebulaNinja This is incredibly helpful information! I had no idea the interstate wage sharing was automatic. One follow-up question - does the Pennsylvania work need to be in the same type of job or industry as the NY work, or can any legitimate employment count toward the wage requirements? My cousin worked in food service in PA but retail in NY, so I want to make sure that won't cause any issues with her application.
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