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Caleb Stark

How much money do you get unemployment benefits in NY - confused about payment amounts

I'm trying to figure out how much money I'll actually get if I file for unemployment in New York. I've been working at a warehouse for about 18 months making $22/hour, usually 35-40 hours per week. My friend says unemployment is based on your highest earning quarter but I don't really understand what that means. Does anyone know how the NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit amount? I need to know if it will cover my rent and basic expenses while I look for another job.

The NYS Department of Labor uses your base period earnings to calculate your weekly benefit rate. They look at your highest quarter of earnings in your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file). Your weekly benefit rate is 1/26th of that highest quarter, with a maximum of $504 per week in 2025. So if your highest quarter was $13,000, you'd get $500/week. You can get an estimate by logging into your my.ny.gov account before filing.

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Thanks! So if I made around $11,500 in my best quarter, that would be about $442 per week? That might actually work for me.

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yeah the max is $504 but most people dont get that much. i think i was making like $19/hr and only got $380 something per week from unemployment. better than nothing though

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Don't forget you have to file your weekly claims and do the job search requirements to keep getting paid. The NYS Department of Labor requires 3 job contacts per week and you have to log them in the system. Miss a week and your payments stop until you fix it.

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Wait, 3 job contacts per week? I thought it was just 1? This system is so confusing, no wonder people have problems with their claims.

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I had such a hard time getting through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my benefit amount. Kept calling and getting disconnected or put on hold forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to unemployment agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get answers about my claim.

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That's interesting - I've never heard of that service before. Did they charge you anything to help you get through?

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The whole unemployment system is a joke!! They make it so complicated on purpose so people give up and don't collect what they're owed. I had to appeal my benefit amount calculation because they used the wrong quarters and it took MONTHS to get it sorted out.

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same here wondering about the money amounts. my job is cutting hours so might need to file soon

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If they're just cutting your hours, you might qualify for partial unemployment benefits. You can still work part-time and collect some UI as long as you report your earnings on your weekly claim.

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@Caleb Stark - Your calculation sounds about right! With $11,500 in your highest quarter, you'd get around $442 per week ($11,500 ÷ 26 = $442.31). Just make sure you have all your wage records ready when you file - sometimes employers don't report everything correctly to the state. Also, remember that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so you might want to have taxes withheld or set some aside for tax season. The good news is that $442/week for up to 26 weeks could definitely help cover basic expenses while job hunting.

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That's really helpful info about the tax implications - I hadn't thought about that! Do you know if there's a way to estimate how much would be taken out for taxes if I choose to have them withheld? I'd rather not get hit with a big bill next year.

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@Oscar Murphy - Yes! When you file your initial claim, there s'an option to have 10% federal taxes withheld from your benefits automatically. You can also change this later by calling the unemployment line or updating it online. For someone getting $442/week, that would be about $44 withheld each week for taxes. It s'usually worth it to avoid owing money later, especially since unemployment benefits are taxed as regular income at your normal tax rate.

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@Oscar Murphy For federal taxes, they typically withhold 10% if you elect to have taxes taken out. So on $442/week that would be about $44 withheld, leaving you with roughly $398. You can request this when you file your initial claim or change it later by contacting NYS DOL. Some people prefer to just save 15-20% on their own since unemployment is taxed as regular income. Definitely worth planning ahead though - unemployment tax bills can be a nasty surprise!

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@Oscar Murphy The federal withholding rate for unemployment benefits is 10%. So on $442/week, you d'have about $44 withheld for federal taxes each week. You can elect to have this done when you file your initial claim or change it later through your online account. New York State doesn t'tax unemployment benefits, so you only need to worry about federal. It s'definitely worth doing the withholding - owing $1,100+ at tax time is no fun when you re'already dealing with job loss!

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@Oscar Murphy You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld from your unemployment benefits when you file your weekly claims - there s'a checkbox for it in the system. For state taxes in NY, you d'need to make estimated quarterly payments since they don t'automatically withhold state tax from UI benefits. I d'recommend having the 10% federal withheld just to be safe, especially if you re'in a higher tax bracket from your previous job earnings.

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@Oscar Murphy You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld from your unemployment benefits when you file your weekly claims - there s'a checkbox for it in the system. That s'usually enough to cover most of the tax liability, though it depends on your total income for the year. NYS doesn t'tax unemployment benefits, so you only need to worry about federal taxes. I d'recommend having it withheld automatically rather than trying to save money on your own - it s'one less thing to worry about!

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@Oscar Murphy You can have 10% federal taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits when you file your weekly claims - there s'a checkbox option for it. For someone getting $442/week, that would be about $44 withheld each week. New York doesn t'tax unemployment benefits at the state level, so you only need to worry about federal taxes. It s'definitely worth doing the withholding if you don t'want a surprise tax bill!

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@Oscar Murphy The federal withholding rate for unemployment benefits is 10%. So on $442/week, that would be about $44 withheld for federal taxes. New York doesn t'tax unemployment benefits at the state level, so you only need to worry about federal. You can elect to have taxes withheld when you first file your claim or change it later by calling the DOL. Definitely worth doing if you don t'want a surprise tax bill!

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@Oscar Murphy You can choose to have 10% federal tax withheld from your unemployment benefits when you file your weekly claims. There s'a checkbox option for it in the NY system. For someone getting $442/week, that would be about $44 withheld per week, so you d'actually receive around $398. It s'usually better to have it withheld rather than owing a lump sum later - unemployment is taxed as regular income at your normal tax rate.

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@Oscar Murphy Yes! If you choose to have taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits, they ll'take out 10% federal tax automatically. So on $442 per week, that would be about $44 withheld, leaving you with roughly $398 per week. You can request withholding when you first file your claim or add it later by calling the unemployment office. It s'definitely worth doing if you want to avoid owing money at tax time - unemployment benefits are taxed just like regular wages.

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@Oscar Murphy Federal taxes are withheld at 10% if you choose that option when filing your weekly claims. So on $442/week that would be about $44 taken out. New York doesn t'tax unemployment benefits at the state level, so you only worry about federal. You can change the withholding election anytime by logging into your account. I d'recommend having it withheld - much easier than owing money later!

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@Oscar Murphy The federal withholding rate for unemployment benefits is 10%. So on $442/week, that would be about $44 withheld for federal taxes each week. You can elect to have this done automatically when you set up your claim, or you can choose not to withhold and just save that amount yourself. New York state doesn t'tax unemployment benefits, so you only need to worry about federal taxes. I d'recommend having it withheld - makes tax time much easier!

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@Oscar Murphy The federal withholding rate for unemployment is 10% if you choose to have it taken out automatically. So on $442 per week, that would be about $44 withheld for federal taxes. NY state doesn t'automatically withhold from unemployment benefits though, so you d'need to make quarterly estimated payments or save about 6-8% for state taxes roughly ($26-35 per week .)It s'definitely worth doing the withholding to avoid surprises - I learned that the hard way!

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@Oscar Murphy - Yes! When you file for unemployment benefits in NY, you can choose to have 10% withheld for federal taxes and 3.5% for state taxes on your weekly claim form. So on $442/week, that would be about $44 federal + $15 state = $59 total withheld per week. You can also change this election later if needed by updating your profile online. Much easier than trying to save money on your own or owing a bunch at tax time!

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@Oscar Murphy Yes! When you file your initial claim, there s'an option to have 10% withheld for federal taxes. You can also change this later by logging into your NY.gov account and updating your withholding preference. For state taxes, NY automatically withholds about 3.5% if you elect tax withholding. So on $442/week, you d'have about $44 taken out for federal and $15 for state if you choose full withholding. It s'definitely worth doing - much easier than owing hundreds at tax time!

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@Oscar Murphy The federal tax withholding on unemployment is 10% if you elect it when filing your weekly claims. So on $442/week that would be about $44 withheld for federal taxes. You can change this election anytime by logging into your account. NY doesn t'have state income tax on unemployment benefits which is nice. I d'recommend having it withheld - makes tax time much easier!

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