How much do u get from NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits weekly?
hey everyone - just wondering how much do u get from unemployment in NY? i might need to file soon and want to know what to expect. is it based on your old salary or is there like a set amount? also how long does it take to get approved? thanks
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Omar Farouk
The weekly benefit amount from NYS Department of Labor is calculated based on your highest quarter earnings in your base period. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $504, but most people get between $200-400 depending on their previous wages. You can use the benefit calculator on the my.ny.gov website to get an estimate before you file your claim.
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Freya Andersen
•thanks! do you know what the base period is exactly? i worked different jobs last year
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CosmicCadet
Your base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in 2025, it would usually be Q1 2024 through Q4 2024. NYS Department of Labor looks at all your covered employment during that time to calculate your weekly benefit rate. The approval time varies - if there are no issues it can be 2-3 weeks, but if your claim goes into adjudication it could take much longer.
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Chloe Harris
•mine took 6 weeks because of adjudication issues even though i had straightforward employment history. the waiting is the worst part
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Diego Mendoza
just got approved last month and i get $387 per week. had to wait about 4 weeks total but no major issues. make sure you have all your employment info ready when you file including exact dates and employer details
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Anastasia Popova
UGH the whole system is so confusing! I've been trying to figure out my benefit amount for weeks and the my.ny.gov calculator keeps giving me different numbers. Plus calling NYS Department of Labor is impossible - always busy signals or they hang up on you after waiting forever. How is anyone supposed to get help?
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Sean Flanagan
•I had the same problem with getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone. Someone here mentioned claimyr.com which helps you actually reach an agent - there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it last week and actually got to speak with someone about my benefit calculation within an hour instead of calling for days.
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Zara Shah
the amount varies a lot. my friend gets like $450 but i only get $280 even though we made similar money. depends on when you worked and how much you made in specific quarters i think
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Omar Farouk
To clarify the base period calculation - NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings to determine your weekly benefit rate, which is roughly 1/26th of that amount. There's also a minimum ($124/week) and maximum ($504/week for 2025). If you worked multiple jobs, they'll combine all your covered wages from different employers during your base period.
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Freya Andersen
•ok that makes more sense. so if my highest quarter was like $15,000 i'd get around $575 per week? but you said max is $504 so i'd get the max?
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Omar Farouk
•Exactly right - if your calculation comes out higher than $504, you'd receive the maximum amount. The formula helps ensure higher earners get more support while capping it at a reasonable level.
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