How much can you work and still get unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I'm getting conflicting information about working part-time while collecting unemployment. My friend said you can earn up to a certain amount but I can't find clear info on the NYS Department of Labor website. I have a chance to pick up some freelance work but don't want to mess up my claim. Does anyone know exactly how much you can earn per week before it affects your benefits? Also do I need to report every penny or is there a minimum threshold?
11 comments
Join the conversation
Paolo Ricci
You can work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits in NY. The formula is a bit complicated but basically you can earn up to $320 per week (as of 2025) before it starts reducing your weekly benefit amount. Anything over that gets deducted dollar-for-dollar from your benefit. You MUST report all earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's just $10. The system calculates everything automatically.
0 coins
GalaxyGuardian
•Thank you! So if I earn $300 in a week I'd still get my full benefit amount? That's actually better than I thought.
0 coins
Amina Toure
wait i thought it was different than that? i've been reporting everything but my benefits keep getting reduced even for small amounts
0 coins
Paolo Ricci
•If you're earning less than $320 and still seeing reductions, you might be misunderstanding how to report your earnings. Make sure you're reporting gross earnings (before taxes) for the week you actually worked, not when you got paid.
0 coins
Oliver Zimmermann
The NYS Department of Labor is super strict about reporting earnings. I made the mistake of not reporting a small cash job thinking it wouldn't matter and got hit with an overpayment notice months later. They cross-reference with tax records so they will find out eventually. Just be honest about everything.
0 coins
GalaxyGuardian
•Yikes, how much was the overpayment? I definitely don't want to deal with that headache.
0 coins
Oliver Zimmermann
•It was like $800 plus penalties. Had to appeal it but eventually worked it out. Just not worth the risk.
0 coins
Natasha Volkova
I had trouble getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify this exact question. Ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent explained the earnings rules way better than the website does.
0 coins
Javier Torres
•How much does that service cost? Seems like you should be able to get this info for free.
0 coins
Natasha Volkova
•I get that, but after spending hours on hold and getting hung up on multiple times, it was worth it to actually talk to someone who knew what they were talking about.
0 coins
Emma Davis
The system is so confusing! I've been doing gig work and some weeks I report $50, other weeks $200, and I never know what my benefit will be until I get the payment. Wish they made it clearer on the website.
0 coins