How much unemployment can I collect from NYS Department of Labor weekly benefits?
I just got laid off from my job at a manufacturing plant in Rochester after working there for 2 years. My salary was around $52,000 annually before taxes. I've never filed for unemployment before and I'm trying to figure out how much I can expect to receive weekly from NYS Department of Labor. I heard it's based on your previous earnings but I don't really understand how they calculate it. Does anyone know the formula they use? Also wondering what the maximum weekly benefit amount is in New York for 2025. I need to start budgeting since I have rent and car payments to worry about.
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Summer Green
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate using your highest quarter earnings from your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $504. Your benefit rate will be 1/26th of your highest quarter earnings, up to that maximum. Since you made $52k annually, you're probably looking at somewhere around $350-400 per week depending on how your earnings were distributed throughout the year.
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Amun-Ra Azra
•Thanks! That's actually more than I expected. How do I find out what my base period earnings were? Is that something I can see when I file my claim?
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Gael Robinson
yeah the calculation is confusing but basically they look at the 4 quarters before you filed and use your highest earning quarter. i think the minimum is like $104 per week and max is $504 like the other person said
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Edward McBride
You can check your earnings history by logging into your my.ny.gov account once you start the unemployment application. The system will show you exactly which quarters they're using for your base period calculation. Make sure all your employers are listed correctly because sometimes there can be delays in wage reporting that affect your benefit amount.
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Amun-Ra Azra
•Good tip about checking the employers list. I did have a part-time job for a few months last year that I almost forgot about.
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Darcy Moore
I'm in a similar situation but I've been having trouble even getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about my benefit calculation. The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through, I get disconnected. Has anyone found a reliable way to actually talk to someone there? I've been trying for weeks and it's really frustrating.
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Dana Doyle
•I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents. I used it at claimyr.com and actually got connected to someone within an hour. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Honestly saved me so much time and stress.
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Liam Duke
Don't forget you'll also need to meet the job search requirements to keep receiving benefits. In NY you need to do at least 3 work search activities per week and keep a log. The benefit amount is just one part of the equation - you still have to actively look for work.
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Manny Lark
Just want to add that if you have any gaps in your work history or were working part-time, that might affect your base period calculation too. The NYS Department of Labor system is pretty automated but sometimes there are weird edge cases that require manual review.
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