How many hours can I work while collecting NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?
I just started collecting unemployment after my restaurant manager position was eliminated last month. A friend offered me some part-time catering work, maybe 12-15 hours a week. I want to take it but I'm terrified of messing up my unemployment claim. Does anyone know exactly how many hours I can work without losing my benefits completely? I've been looking through the NYS Department of Labor website but it's confusing - they mention something about earnings limits but I can't figure out the hour restrictions.
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Luca Ferrari
There isn't a specific hour limit in New York - it's based on your earnings. You can work part-time and still collect partial unemployment as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit rate. For example, if your weekly benefit is $300 and you earn $200 from part-time work, you'd get $100 in unemployment. You must report ALL hours worked and earnings when you file your weekly claim though.
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NebulaNomad
•So it's really about the money I make, not the hours? That actually makes more sense. I was worried there was like a 20-hour cutoff or something.
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Nia Wilson
wait i thought you could only work 3 days a week max?? ive been turning down shifts because someone told me that
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Mateo Martinez
•That's not accurate. There's no day limit either. The NYS Department of Labor looks at your total weekly earnings. If you work 6 days but only earn $50 total, you'd still get most of your unemployment benefit. But if you work 1 day and earn $400, you might not get any unemployment that week.
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Aisha Hussain
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact question last month. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Finally used 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. The agent explained the earnings calculation perfectly and I felt way more confident about taking part-time work.
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Ethan Clark
•How much does something like that cost? I've been trying to call for weeks about a different issue.
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Aisha Hussain
•It was worth it for me since I couldn't get through any other way. They focus on the value of actually reaching someone who can give you accurate information rather than guessing.
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StarStrider
Just remember you HAVE to report every penny you make or they'll hit you with an overpayment later. I learned that the hard way when I didn't report a small cash job thinking it wouldn't matter. NYS Department of Labor doesn't mess around with unreported income.
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NebulaNomad
•Yikes, how did they find out about the cash job?
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StarStrider
•Cross-referencing with tax records from what I understand. They eventually catch everything so just be honest from the start.
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Yuki Sato
Take the catering job! The worst thing you can do is sit around doing nothing. Even if it reduces your unemployment a little, you're gaining experience and networking. Plus you'll still be collecting something from NYS Department of Labor as long as your earnings aren't too high.
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