How much money can you make and still get NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?
I'm getting some part-time work while collecting unemployment but I'm scared I'm going to mess up my benefits. Does anyone know exactly how much you can earn per week and still get your full unemployment check from NYS Department of Labor? I heard there's some kind of formula but I can't find clear info anywhere. My weekly benefit amount is $365 and I don't want to accidentally go over whatever the limit is.
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Peyton Clarke
In New York, you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction. So with your $365 weekly benefit, you can make up to $91.25 per week with no penalty. If you earn more than that, they reduce your benefits dollar-for-dollar for anything over that threshold. You need to report ALL earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's just $10.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•Thank you! So if I made $120 one week, I'd lose $28.75 from my unemployment check? That actually doesn't sound too bad.
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Vince Eh
wait is that 25% thing new?? I thought it was like 3 days worth of work or something like that
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Peyton Clarke
•No, it's been 25% for a while now. The 3-day rule is for something else entirely. You might be thinking of the job search requirement where you need to make 3 job contacts per week.
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Sophia Gabriel
Just be super careful about reporting everything correctly. I made the mistake of not reporting some cash work I did and got hit with an overpayment notice months later. NYS Department of Labor doesn't mess around with that stuff. Even if the work seems insignificant, report it.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•Oh no, how much did they say you owed? I'm doing legitimate W-2 work so hopefully that won't be an issue.
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Sophia Gabriel
•They wanted back like $1,800 plus penalties. It was a nightmare trying to appeal it. The whole process took months.
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Tobias Lancaster
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this directly, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me when I was confused about my part-time earnings and needed to speak to someone who could look at my specific situation.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•How does that work exactly? Do they just help you get through the phone lines?
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Tobias Lancaster
•Yeah, they handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Ezra Beard
The system is so confusing!! I never know if I'm supposed to report gross pay or net pay. And what about tips? I work at a restaurant part time and sometimes get cash tips that aren't on my paycheck.
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Peyton Clarke
•You report gross earnings, including all tips. Cash tips definitely need to be reported even if they're not on your W-2. NYS Department of Labor wants to know about ALL income you receive.
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Statiia Aarssizan
This whole partial benefits thing is actually pretty reasonable compared to what I expected. At least they let you keep some of your unemployment instead of cutting it off completely the second you work one hour.
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