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Zara Ahmed

How much unemployment will I get if I make $500 a week - NYS Department of Labor calculation help?

I've been working part-time making about $500 per week for the last 8 months and might need to file for unemployment soon. Does anyone know how the NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit amount? I'm trying to figure out what I'd be eligible for if I lose this job. I heard it's based on your highest quarter earnings but I'm not sure how that works exactly.

NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate using your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. For $500/week that's $6,500 per quarter if you worked consistently. Your weekly benefit would be roughly 1/26th of your highest quarter, so around $250 per week before taxes. But you need to have worked in at least 2 quarters and earned minimum amounts to qualify.

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Thanks! So if I made $500 a week for 8 months that should qualify me right? I'm just worried because it's part-time work.

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part time work definitely counts for UI benefits as long as you meet the earnings requirements. i made less than that and still qualified last year

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The exact formula is your highest quarter divided by 26, but there's also a maximum weekly benefit amount that changes each year. For 2025 I think it's around $504 per week maximum. You can check your potential benefit amount by logging into my.ny.gov and looking at your wage history before you even file a claim.

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I didn't know you could check before filing! That's really helpful, I'll log in and see what my wage history shows.

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Just be prepared that if you're still working part-time while collecting, any earnings over $143 per week will reduce your benefits dollar for dollar. I learned this the hard way when I was trying to work part-time and collect UI at the same time.

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If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent when I couldn't get through the phone lines. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me time trying to get answers about my benefit calculation.

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How does that work exactly? I've heard the NYS Department of Labor phone lines are impossible to get through on.

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They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

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UGH the whole system is so confusing!! Why can't they just have a simple calculator on the website instead of making us guess?? I've been trying to figure out my benefits for weeks and every answer I get is different

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I totally get your frustration! The NY DOL website could definitely be more user-friendly. One thing that helped me was calling their automated phone system at 1-888-209-8124 - it has a benefits calculator feature that can give you a rough estimate without having to speak to anyone. You just need your Social Security number and some basic wage info. It's not perfect but at least gives you a ballpark figure while you're waiting to get through to a real person.

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Just wanted to add that you should also check if your employer has been properly reporting your wages to the state. I had an issue where my part-time employer wasn't submitting my wage reports correctly, which delayed my claim processing. You can verify this by checking your Social Security earnings record or through the NY.gov portal. Also, if you do end up filing, make sure to keep detailed records of your job search activities since you'll need to certify that you're actively looking for work each week to continue receiving benefits.

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That's a really good point about checking wage reporting! I hadn't thought about that potential issue. How do you verify through the NY.gov portal exactly? Is it under the same section where you can check your wage history that someone mentioned earlier? I want to make sure everything is properly documented before I potentially need to file.

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Yes, you can check through the NY.gov portal under the "Unemployment Services" section. Once you log in with your NY.gov ID, look for "View Wage and Benefit Information" or similar. It should show your quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted to the state. You can compare this with your pay stubs to make sure everything matches up. If there are discrepancies, it's better to get them sorted out with your employer and the DOL before filing your claim, since missing or incorrect wage data can really slow down the approval process.

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Yes, you can check your wage history through the NY.gov portal by logging into your account and going to the "Unemployment Insurance" section, then "View Wage and Benefit Information." It shows all the wages that employers have reported for you by quarter. If you see gaps or amounts that look wrong compared to what you actually earned, that's a red flag that your employer might not be reporting correctly. You can also cross-reference this with your pay stubs to make sure everything matches up. It's definitely worth checking this before filing since any discrepancies can really slow down the process!

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Yes, you can check this through the NY.gov portal! Log into your account and go to the "View Wage and Benefit Information" section. It shows quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted for you. If you see gaps or incorrect amounts, that's a red flag that your employer might not be reporting properly. You can also cross-reference this with your pay stubs to make sure everything matches up. I'd recommend doing this check a few weeks before you might need to file just in case there are any discrepancies that need to be resolved with your employer first.

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Yes, it's in the same area! When you log into my.ny.gov and go to the Department of Labor services section, there's a "View Wage and Benefit Information" option. It shows your quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted to the state. You can see each employer, the quarters they reported wages for, and the amounts. If something looks off or missing, you can contact DOL before filing your claim to get it sorted out. It's definitely worth checking since incorrect wage records can really mess up your benefit calculation or cause delays in processing.

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Yes, you can check your wage history through the NY.gov portal by creating an account and going to the "Unemployment Services" section. There's a "View Wage and Benefit Information" option that shows what wages your employers have reported to the state. It's the same system mentioned earlier for checking potential benefit amounts. You'll need to have your Social Security number and some personal info to set up the account if you don't already have one. It's definitely worth checking before filing to avoid any surprises or delays in processing your claim.

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Yes, you can check through NY.gov! Log into your account and look for "View Benefit Rate Information" or "Wage History" under the unemployment services section. It'll show you what wages your employers have reported quarter by quarter. If you see gaps or incorrect amounts, you'll want to contact your employer first to make sure they're filing their quarterly wage reports properly with the Department of Labor. You can also cross-reference this with your pay stubs to make sure everything matches up.

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Yes, you can check your wage history through the NY.gov portal under the Department of Labor services section. Once you log in with your NY.gov ID, look for "View Wage and Benefit Information" or something similar. It should show your quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted. If you see gaps or amounts that don't match what you actually earned, that's a red flag that your employer might not be reporting correctly. You can also cross-reference this with your pay stubs to make sure everything aligns. Better to catch any discrepancies now rather than when you're actually filing for benefits and facing delays!

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Yes, you can check through the NY.gov portal by logging into your account and looking under "Employment Services" or "Unemployment Insurance Services." There should be a section called "Wage and Benefit Information" or something similar where you can view your quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted to the state. It's the same area where you can see your potential benefit estimate. If you notice any missing quarters or incorrect wage amounts, you'll want to contact both your employer and the DOL to get it corrected before filing your claim.

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Yes, you can check through the NY.gov portal! Log into your my.ny.gov account and look for the "View Wage and Tax Statement Information" section under Employment Services. It should show your quarterly wage reports that employers have submitted to the state. If you see gaps or incorrect amounts, you'll want to contact both your employer and the Department of Labor to get it corrected before filing your claim. It's definitely worth double-checking since any discrepancies can really slow down the process.

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Yes, you can check your wage history on NY.gov by creating an account and going to the "Unemployment Services" section, then selecting "View Wage and Benefit Information." It shows all the wages your employers have reported to the state quarter by quarter. If you see any gaps or incorrect amounts, you'll want to contact both your employer and the Department of Labor to get it corrected before filing your claim. I had to do this when one of my previous employers had my SSN entered wrong in their system.

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Yes, you can check through the NY.gov portal! Log into your my.ny.gov account and look for the "Unemployment Services" section. There should be an option to view your "Quarterly Wage and Benefit Statement" or something similar. This will show you what wages your employers have reported to the state for each quarter. If you see any missing quarters or amounts that don't match what you actually earned, you'll want to contact both your employer and the Department of Labor to get it corrected before filing your claim. It can save you a lot of headaches later!

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Yes, you can check your wage history through the NY.gov portal under the "Labor" section. Once you log in, look for "Unemployment Services" and then "View Wage and Benefit Information." It shows all the wages your employers have reported to the state by quarter. If you see any gaps or incorrect amounts, you'll want to contact both your employer and the DOL to get it corrected before filing your claim. The system is pretty straightforward once you find it, and it's definitely worth checking to avoid any delays later!

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Yes, you can check your wage history through the NY.gov portal by logging into your account and looking under "Unemployment Services" - there should be a section for wage and benefit information. It shows what wages employers have reported to the state on your behalf. If you notice any missing quarters or amounts that don't match your pay stubs, you'll want to contact both your employer and the DOL to get it corrected before filing your claim. I learned this the hard way when my part-time retail job wasn't reporting properly and it delayed my benefits by several weeks.

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