How long to be eligible for unemployment benefits after starting work in NY?
I just moved to New York and started working at a retail job about 2 months ago. Before this I was working in another state for like 6 months but had to quit when I relocated. My manager mentioned something about layoffs possibly happening in January and I'm worried about my situation. How long do you need to work in NY before you're eligible for unemployment benefits? I'm confused about the whole base period thing and whether my out-of-state work counts for anything. Does anyone know the minimum time requirements?
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Eduardo Silva
You need to have earned wages during your "base period" which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. Since you worked out of state, those wages might count depending on which state and if there's an interstate agreement. NYS Department of Labor looks at your total earnings, not just time worked. You generally need at least $2,700 in wages during your base period to qualify.
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Freya Andersen
•Ok so it's about money earned not just time worked? That makes more sense. Should I contact NYS Department of Labor now to check my wage history or wait until something actually happens?
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Leila Haddad
I had a similar situation last year. Your out-of-state wages will count as long as that state has reciprocity with NY (most do). The key thing is you need to have worked long enough to earn the minimum wage requirements. With 6 months of prior work plus 2 months in NY, you should be fine if you made decent wages. You can check your wage history online through your my.ny.gov account.
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Emma Johnson
•Wait really? I thought you had to work in NY specifically for a certain amount of time. This is good to know!
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Ravi Patel
ugh the whole base period thing is so confusing!! I've been trying to figure this out for my own situation and the NYS Department of Labor website just talks in circles. Why can't they just say "you need X months of work" instead of all this quarter stuff?? Makes no sense to regular people
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Eduardo Silva
•I know it's frustrating but the quarter system is actually designed to be fair - it prevents people from working just a few weeks and then claiming benefits. The base period ensures you have a substantial work history.
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Astrid Bergström
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check your eligibility, I recently used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was super helpful when I needed to verify my wage history before filing my claim.
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Freya Andersen
•Is that legitimate? I'm always suspicious of third-party services for government stuff.
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Astrid Bergström
•Yeah it's legit, they just help you get through the phone queue faster. You still talk directly to NYS Department of Labor agents, they don't handle any of your personal info.
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PixelPrincess
Just make sure if layoffs do happen that it's actually a layoff and not a firing for cause, because that makes a huge difference for eligibility. Even if you have enough wages, you can still be disqualified if you're terminated for misconduct.
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Freya Larsen
•That's a really good point I hadn't thought about! @Freya Andersen since you mentioned your manager talked about potential layoffs, it sounds like it would be a legitimate layoff due to business reasons rather than anything performance-related, which should be fine for unemployment eligibility. Just document any conversations about the layoffs in case you need to reference them later.
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