How many months can you get unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I'm trying to figure out exactly how long I can collect unemployment benefits in New York. I've been getting conflicting information and want to make sure I understand the maximum duration. I started my claim about 2 months ago and everything has been going smoothly with my weekly claims, but I'm planning ahead since I'm still job searching. Does anyone know the current maximum number of months for regular unemployment benefits? I know there used to be extensions during COVID but I think those are over now. Just want to plan my finances accordingly.
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Ava Garcia
Regular unemployment benefits in New York are available for up to 26 weeks, which is about 6 months. This is for standard UI claims through NYS Department of Labor. You'll need to keep filing your weekly claims and meet the job search requirements to continue receiving benefits. The pandemic extensions like PEUC are no longer available as of 2023.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Thanks! So it's definitely 26 weeks max? I was hoping it might be longer but 6 months should give me enough time to find something decent.
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Miguel Silva
yep 26 weeks is correct, been through this twice now. just make sure you're doing your job searches every week or they'll cut you off
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Zainab Ismail
The 26-week limit applies to your benefit year, which starts when you first file your claim. Keep in mind that if you exhaust your benefits and then become unemployed again later, you might be able to file a new claim if you've worked enough hours in the meantime. NYS Department of Labor requires you to have earned sufficient wages in your base period for a new claim.
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Connor O'Neill
•Wait, so if I use up all 26 weeks and then get a job for like 3 months, could I potentially file again if I lose that job? How many hours would I need to work?
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Zainab Ismail
•You'd need to earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate in covered employment to establish a new benefit year. So if your weekly benefit is $200, you'd need to earn at least $2,000 in wages from a new job.
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QuantumQuester
I had a really hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my benefit duration. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual agent - you can check them out at claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call myself.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•That's interesting, I'll have to check that out if I run into any issues. The phone system is definitely frustrating when you just need a quick answer.
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Yara Nassar
26 weeks sounds about right but honestly the whole system is so confusing. I keep worrying I'm going to mess something up and lose my benefits early. The job search requirements alone stress me out - what if they don't think I'm searching hard enough??
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Ava Garcia
•Don't stress too much about the job search requirements. Just keep good records of where you apply and when. You need 3 job search contacts per week, and they can include online applications, networking, or attending job fairs.
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Keisha Williams
This whole 26 week thing is ridiculous when you think about it. In this economy it can take way longer than 6 months to find a decent job that actually pays what you need! Other states have longer benefit periods but NY keeps it short. It's like they want people to take any crappy minimum wage job just to survive.
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Miguel Silva
•I hear you but at least we have 26 weeks. Some states only give you like 12-14 weeks max
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Sean Doyle
I went through this same situation last year and can confirm it's definitely 26 weeks maximum for regular NY unemployment. One thing that helped me was creating a spreadsheet to track my remaining weeks so I could budget properly. Also, don't forget that your benefit year runs for 52 weeks from when you first filed, so even if you find temporary work and then lose it again, you might still have weeks left from your original claim if it's within that year. The NYS DOL website has a good calculator tool where you can estimate your remaining benefits if you log into your account.
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Charlee Coleman
•That spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I should definitely start tracking my weeks better. Quick question though - when you say the benefit year runs for 52 weeks, does that mean if I work for a few months in the middle, I can come back and use up whatever weeks I had left from my original 26? Or would I need to file a completely new claim?
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