How much do I get paid on NYS Department of Labor unemployment - need to understand my weekly benefit amount
I just got approved for unemployment benefits and I'm trying to figure out exactly how much money I'll be getting each week. The NYS Department of Labor website shows my weekly benefit rate but I'm confused about whether that's the total amount or if there are deductions. My last job paid $58,000 annually and I worked there for almost 3 years. Does anyone know how they calculate the weekly payment amount? Also do I get paid for the first week I filed or does that waiting week thing still apply?
11 comments
Join the conversation
Lilly Curtis
Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. For NYS Department of Labor, they take your highest quarter wages and divide by 26 to get your weekly rate. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $504. There's no waiting week in NY - you get paid for your first week if you're eligible and file correctly.
0 coins
Ryder Everingham
•Thank you! So if my highest quarter was around $15,000 that would be about $577 per week but capped at $504? That seems right based on what I'm seeing in my account.
0 coins
Leo Simmons
yeah the payments come through direct deposit usually on tuesdays if you certify on time, just make sure you're doing your weekly claims every week or you won't get paid
0 coins
Lindsey Fry
I had the same confusion when I first got approved. The amount shown in your my.ny.gov account under 'weekly benefit rate' is your gross amount before any deductions. If you owe child support or have other garnishments, those will be taken out. Also remember you can have taxes withheld if you want - I'd recommend it to avoid a big tax bill next year.
0 coins
Ryder Everingham
•Good point about taxes! I didn't even think about that. How do I set up the tax withholding?
0 coins
Lindsey Fry
•You can change your tax withholding settings in your my.ny.gov account under the payment preferences section. It's 10% federal and 3% state if you choose to withhold.
0 coins
Saleem Vaziri
Been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my payment amount because something seems wrong with my calculation. The phone system is absolutely terrible - keeps hanging up on me after an hour wait. Anyone have luck actually talking to someone there?
0 coins
Kayla Morgan
•I was in the same boat last month trying to reach someone about my claim issues. Found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually gets you through to NYS Department of Labor agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Used it twice now and actually talked to real people both times.
0 coins
James Maki
Just remember you have to keep certifying weekly and doing your job search activities or they'll cut off your payments. Don't get comfortable just because you're approved - stay on top of all the requirements!
0 coins
Aisha Abdullah
Another thing to keep in mind - your weekly benefit amount might look different than expected if you had irregular hours or multiple jobs during your base period. NYS DOL looks at the 4 quarters before you filed, so if you had any gaps in employment or seasonal work, that could affect the calculation. Also, if you're doing any part-time work while collecting, they'll reduce your weekly payment by 25% of whatever you earn over $143. Make sure to report any earnings when you certify each week or you could end up owing money back later.
0 coins
GalacticGuru
•This is really helpful info about the base period calculation! I'm wondering - how do you find out exactly which quarters they used for your base period? Is that information shown somewhere in the my.ny.gov account? I want to double-check that they're using the right earnings data since I did have a job change about 6 months before I filed.
0 coins