How many weeks do you need to collect unemployment benefits in NY?
I'm trying to figure out the work requirements for unemployment in New York. My sister said you need to work a certain number of weeks before you can collect, but I can't find clear info on the NYS Department of Labor website. I worked at a restaurant for about 8 months last year but then got laid off in January. Am I eligible or do I need more work history? The my.ny.gov portal is confusing and doesn't spell this out clearly.
11 comments
Join the conversation
Freya Christensen
You need to have worked and earned wages in at least 2 quarters during your base period. The base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you worked 8 months, you should meet the requirements as long as you earned enough wages. The minimum is usually around $2,700 in your highest quarter.
0 coins
Ravi Malhotra
•Thanks! So it's not about number of weeks specifically but about quarters and wage amounts? That makes more sense.
0 coins
Omar Hassan
yeah i think its like 20 weeks or something but im not sure, i just know i worked most of 2024 and qualified
0 coins
Freya Christensen
•It's not actually about weeks worked - it's about having sufficient wages in your base period quarters. The NYS Department of Labor looks at your earnings, not the number of weeks.
0 coins
Chloe Robinson
The wage requirements can be tricky to understand. You need wages in at least 2 quarters AND your total base period wages need to be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter wages. If you worked 8 months at a restaurant, you probably earned enough, but you can check your wage history on the my.ny.gov portal under your unemployment account.
0 coins
Diego Chavez
I had a nightmare trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor to verify my wage history because their system showed different amounts than what I expected. After weeks of busy signals and getting hung up on, I found claimyr.com which actually got me connected to a real person at unemployment. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Finally got my wage verification sorted out properly.
0 coins
Ravi Malhotra
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Did it actually work for getting through to NYS Department of Labor agents?
0 coins
Diego Chavez
•Yeah it did! I was skeptical at first but I was so frustrated with the phone system. It's way easier than trying to call yourself.
0 coins
NeonNebula
The restaurant industry can be complicated for unemployment because of tip reporting issues. Make sure all your wages were properly reported to NYS Department of Labor by your employer. Sometimes cash tips that weren't reported can affect your benefit calculation even if you technically worked enough.
0 coins
Anastasia Kozlov
omg yes the tip thing is so confusing!! i worked at a diner and they barely reported any of my tips so my wages looked super low on the unemployment application
0 coins
NeonNebula
•That's unfortunately common in the restaurant industry. You might need to provide additional documentation to NYS Department of Labor to show your actual earnings if tips weren't properly reported.
0 coins