How many quarters do you have to work to get unemployment benefits in NY?
I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. I've been working part-time jobs for the past year and a half, switching between a few different employers. Some weeks I worked 15 hours, other weeks maybe 25-30 hours. I'm not sure if I earned enough or worked long enough to qualify. Does anyone know exactly how many quarters you need to work to get unemployment in New York? And do part-time hours count the same as full-time? I'm really confused about the whole base period thing they mention on the website.
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Diego Vargas
You need to have worked in at least 2 of the 4 quarters in your base period, and you must have earned at least $2,600 in one of those quarters. Your total wages in the base period must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter earnings. The base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. Part-time work absolutely counts as long as you meet the wage requirements.
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Chloe Anderson
•Thanks! That's really helpful. So if I made $3,000 in my best quarter, I'd need at least $4,500 total across all four quarters?
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CosmicCruiser
Yeah the quarter thing tripped me up too when I first applied. It's not about how many hours you worked, it's about how much you earned. I worked like 3 different part time jobs last year and still qualified.
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Anastasia Fedorov
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to verify your wage history, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to an actual person instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped me get my base period wages clarified when my claim was stuck.
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Sean Doyle
•Did that actually work for you? I've been trying to call for weeks and keep getting disconnected.
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Zara Rashid
just file and see what happens, worst they can do is say no
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Brooklyn Foley
The wage requirements can definitely be confusing! Just to add some clarity - when they calculate your base period, they look at complete calendar quarters only. So if you're filing in December 2024, your base period would typically be July 2023 through June 2024. Make sure to keep track of all your W-2s and pay stubs from different employers during that time period, since they all count toward your total wages. The NYS DOL website has a benefit calculator that can help you estimate if you qualify before you actually file your claim.
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Tobias Lancaster
•That's a great point about keeping all your W-2s and pay stubs! I wish I had known about that benefit calculator earlier - would have saved me a lot of stress wondering if I qualified. Do you know if the calculator takes into account wages from multiple employers automatically, or do you have to add them up yourself first?
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Malik Jackson
I went through this exact same situation last year! The key thing to remember is that it's all about your earnings, not the number of hours worked. I was working two part-time jobs and was worried I wouldn't qualify, but it turned out I had enough wages spread across the quarters. One tip - if you don't qualify under the regular base period, NY also has an "alternate base period" which uses the most recent 4 quarters instead of the standard calculation. This can sometimes help if you had lower earnings earlier but have been making more money recently. Definitely worth mentioning when you file your claim if the regular base period doesn't work out for you.
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Malik Jenkins
•That's really good to know about the alternate base period! I had no idea that was an option. So if I understand correctly, the alternate base period would look at more recent quarters instead of the standard timeframe? That might actually help my situation since I've been earning more in my recent jobs compared to when I first started working part-time. Do you know if you have to specifically request the alternate base period when filing, or do they automatically check both options for you?
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