How much is unemployment compensation in NY - confused about benefit amounts
I'm trying to figure out how much unemployment compensation I'll get if I file with NYS Department of Labor. I worked part-time for the last 18 months making about $28,000 total. My friend said it depends on your highest quarter but I don't really understand how they calculate it. Does anyone know what the current maximum weekly benefit is? Also do they count tips? I was a server at a restaurant and reported all my tips but wondering if that affects the calculation.
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Ethan Brown
The maximum weekly benefit amount in NY for 2025 is $504. Your benefit is calculated using your highest earning quarter from your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 quarters). They take your high quarter wages, divide by 26, and that's your weekly benefit rate. Yes, reported tip income counts toward your wages for the calculation. You can use the benefit calculator on the NYS Department of Labor website to get an estimate.
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CosmicCrusader
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $8,500 that would be about $327 per week? That's way more than I expected.
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Yuki Yamamoto
wait i thought the max was lower than that? when i filed last year it was different
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Ethan Brown
•The maximum gets adjusted annually. It was $504 as of January 2025. The amount changes based on the state's average weekly wage calculations.
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Carmen Ortiz
You also need to meet the minimum earnings requirement. You need at least $2,600 in your high quarter AND total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter. With $28k over 18 months you should be fine but just wanted to mention it since some part-time workers don't qualify.
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CosmicCrusader
•Good point, I think I'm over that threshold but I'll double check my pay stubs to be sure.
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Andre Rousseau
When I was trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about my benefit calculation, I couldn't reach anyone for weeks. The phone lines are always busy and the online chat never worked. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration since I needed to verify my wages were calculated correctly.
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CosmicCrusader
•That's interesting, I might need something like that if I run into issues. The NYS Department of Labor phone system sounds like a nightmare from what everyone says.
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Zoe Papadakis
Just remember you have to file weekly claims even if you're not getting paid yet! I made that mistake and missed a week. Also the job search requirement is real - you need to do 3 work search activities per week and keep a log.
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