How much unemployment will I get if I make $1000 a week in NY?
I'm trying to figure out what my weekly benefit amount would be if I had to file for unemployment. My current salary is about $52,000 annually which breaks down to roughly $1000 per week before taxes. I've been working at this job for about 18 months now. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? I tried looking on their website but the calculation seems confusing with all the base period stuff.
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Dmitry Smirnov
The NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period to calculate benefits. For someone making $1000/week, you'd likely qualify for around $400-450 per week, but it depends on your exact earnings history. The maximum weekly benefit in NY is currently $504, and you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your base period to qualify.
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Sofia Perez
•Thanks! So it's based on quarterly earnings not just my current weekly pay? That makes more sense why the calculation seemed complicated.
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ElectricDreamer
yeah i was making about the same and got like $420 a week when i filed last year. not too bad honestly
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Ava Johnson
Wait I'm confused about the base period thing too. Is that the last 4 quarters or something different? I might need to file soon and want to understand what I'd be looking at financially.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024. NYS Department of Labor looks at your earnings in each quarter and uses the highest one to determine your weekly benefit rate.
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Miguel Diaz
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to verify my benefit calculation. Spent hours on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call myself.
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Ava Johnson
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. Did they charge a lot for it?
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Miguel Diaz
•It was worth it for me since I was getting nowhere calling on my own. Much less stressful than spending whole days trying to get through.
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Zainab Ahmed
Just remember you'll still need to file your weekly claims and do the job search requirements even once you start getting benefits. NYS Department of Labor is pretty strict about that stuff now.
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Freya Christensen
Based on your $52k salary, you should be in good shape for benefits. Just make sure you keep good records of your employment dates and wages - NYS Department of Labor will verify everything during the application process. Also heads up that there's usually a one-week waiting period before you start receiving payments, so factor that into your planning if you do end up needing to file.
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Oliver Becker
•That's really helpful about the one-week waiting period! I hadn't thought about that timing issue. Do you know if the waiting period starts from when you first file your claim or when you're actually approved? I want to make sure I have enough savings to cover that gap if I end up needing to file.
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