How much unemployment will I get if I make $350 a week in New York?
I'm trying to figure out how much I'd qualify for in unemployment benefits if I lose my job. I currently make $350 per week at my part-time retail position. I've been working there for about 8 months now, usually 25-30 hours a week. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? I'm worried it won't be enough to cover my rent and basic expenses if something happens to my job.
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PaulineW
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period to calculate benefits. With $350/week, you're looking at roughly $1,820 per month or about $5,460 per quarter if you work consistently. Your weekly benefit rate would be approximately 50% of your average weekly wage, so maybe around $175 per week, but there's a minimum benefit of $104 and maximum of $504 in 2025. You'd need to check your actual earnings history on my.ny.gov to get the exact calculation.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•Thanks! So even if I only qualify for the minimum $104, that's still something. Do you know how long benefits last?
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Annabel Kimball
I was making about the same when I got laid off last year. Ended up getting $130/week for 26 weeks. Not much but it helped with groceries and utilities while I looked for something better.
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Chris Elmeda
The formula is your highest quarter divided by 26, but you also need to meet the minimum earnings requirement. For 2025, you need at least $2,700 in your highest quarter OR $1,350 in your highest quarter AND total base period earnings of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. Make sure you've been reporting all your wages correctly to NYS Department of Labor.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•That's really helpful! I think I should qualify based on those numbers. Is there anything else I need to know about eligibility?
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Jean Claude
Don't forget you'll need to do the weekly job search requirements too - 3 work search activities per week. And if you're still working part-time, you might be able to get partial benefits depending on how much you earn each week.
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Charity Cohan
ugh the NYS Department of Labor website is so confusing for this stuff! I tried using their benefit calculator but kept getting different numbers. When I finally got through to someone on the phone (took forever), they explained it way better than the website does.
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PaulineW
•Getting through by phone is nearly impossible these days. I actually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call.
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Josef Tearle
Just remember you can't quit voluntarily and still get benefits. Has to be a layoff or termination that's not your fault. Also keep all your pay stubs - you'll need them when you file your claim.
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Ravi Sharma
Another thing to keep in mind is that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so you'll get a 1099-G at the end of the year. You can choose to have taxes withheld (10% federal) when you certify each week, or just pay when you file your return. Also, if you do get benefits, make sure to keep certifying every week even if you find temporary work - you might still qualify for partial benefits if your weekly earnings are low enough.
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