How much unemployment will I get if I make $400 a week - NYS Department of Labor calculation help
I'm trying to figure out what my weekly unemployment benefit would be if I lose my job. I currently make $400 a week gross pay working retail. I've been at this job for about 8 months now and before that I was making around $350 a week at my previous job for like 6 months. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? I'm trying to budget in case I get laid off after the holidays since retail always cuts hours in January.
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Zainab Ibrahim
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period to calculate benefits. At $400/week you're making about $20,800 annually. Your weekly benefit rate would be roughly 50% of your average weekly wage up to the maximum. So you'd probably get around $200 per week, but it depends on your exact earnings history in all four quarters of your base period.
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Miguel Castro
•Thanks! So they look at the whole year not just my current job? That's good because my previous job paid less but I was there longer.
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Connor O'Neill
i think its like half of what you make but theres a max amount too. when i was on unemployment last year i was making about the same as you and got like $190 something per week
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LunarEclipse
The exact formula is your high quarter wages divided by 26. But you need to have worked in at least 2 quarters and earned a minimum amount to qualify. With your work history you should be fine. You can actually get an estimate by creating an account on my.ny.gov and using their benefit calculator before you even file a claim.
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Miguel Castro
•Oh I didn't know they had a calculator! I'll check that out, thanks.
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Yara Khalil
•Wait I tried that calculator thing and it was confusing. It asked for all these quarter amounts and I don't know what quarters they mean exactly.
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Keisha Brown
Just wanted to mention that if you do end up needing to file for unemployment and have trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself when I had questions about my claim status.
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Paolo Esposito
•How much does that cost though? The whole point of unemployment is that you don't have money coming in...
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Keisha Brown
•It was worth it for me when I was stuck in adjudication for weeks. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual person to resolve issues with your claim.
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Amina Toure
The NYS Department of Labor system is so frustrating! I've been trying to figure out my potential benefits too and their website is terrible. At least with $400/week you'll probably qualify easily since you've been working steadily. I had gaps in my employment and it made everything more complicated.
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Megan D'Acosta
I went through this same calculation last year when I was laid off from my warehouse job. The key thing to remember is that NYS looks at your "base period" which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, they'd look at roughly April 2023 through March 2024. With your steady work history at $400/week, you should definitely qualify. I'd estimate you'll get somewhere between $180-200 per week, but definitely use that online calculator someone mentioned - it's more accurate than guessing. Also heads up that benefits max out at 26 weeks unless there are extensions, so start looking for work right away if you do get laid off.
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Mia Roberts
•That's really helpful about the base period timing! I didn't realize they look back that far. So if I file in January 2025, they won't even look at my current $400/week job earnings from this year? That seems weird - wouldn't my more recent higher earnings be better for calculating benefits?
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CosmicCaptain
•Actually @Mia Roberts, you're right that it seems backwards! NYS does have an "alternate base period" option if your regular base period doesn't give you enough credits or a high enough benefit amount. The alternate base period uses the most recent 4 completed quarters, so it would include more of your current earnings. When you apply, they automatically calculate both ways and give you whichever results in higher benefits. So @Miguel Castro, your recent $400/week earnings would likely be counted if you file soon after losing your job.
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Olivia Martinez
Just to add some perspective from someone who recently went through this process - I was making about $380/week when I got laid off in September. My weekly benefit ended up being $186, which was pretty close to the 50% estimate others mentioned. The application process itself wasn't too bad, but make sure you have all your employment dates and employer info ready. Also, don't wait to file if you do lose your job - there's a waiting period before benefits start, so the sooner you apply the better. One thing that surprised me was they required me to do work search activities even though I was told it was a temporary layoff. Just something to keep in mind for budgeting purposes.
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Nia Davis
•That's really useful info @Olivia Martinez! I had no idea about the work search requirements even for temporary layoffs. Do you remember how many job contacts you had to make each week? And was it hard to prove you were actually looking for work? I'm hoping if I do get laid off in January it'll just be temporary since retail usually hires back for spring, but sounds like I should be prepared to actually job hunt regardless.
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