How much unemployment will I get if I make $600 a week in New York?
I'm trying to figure out what my weekly benefit amount would be if I had to file for unemployment. I currently make $600 per week at my job ($31,200 annually). I've been working here for about 8 months now and want to understand what NYS Department of Labor would pay me if something happened. I looked at the my.ny.gov website but the benefit calculator is confusing. Can anyone break down how they calculate the weekly benefit amount? I know it's based on your earnings but I'm not sure exactly how they figure it out.
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Miguel Silva
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate using your highest quarter of earnings during your base period. For someone making $600/week consistently, you'd likely qualify for around $300-320 per week in unemployment benefits. The maximum weekly benefit rate in NY is currently $504, but your amount depends on your actual earnings history. You need to have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period to qualify.
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Ava Garcia
•Thanks! So it's roughly half of what I make now? That would definitely help if I needed it. Do you know how long benefits last?
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Zainab Ismail
yeah i think its about half your weekly pay but there's a cap somewhere around 500 something. when i was on UI last year i was getting like $320 and i was making about the same as you
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Connor O'Neill
The NYS Department of Labor uses a specific formula. They take your highest quarter of earnings in your base period and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit rate. Your base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. With 8 months of work history, make sure you understand which quarters count for your base period calculation.
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QuantumQuester
•This is really helpful but I'm confused about the quarters thing. If I started working in May last year, which quarters would count if I filed now?
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Yara Nassar
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to verify your benefit amount, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually connect with an agent. They have this system that calls back when an agent is available instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.
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Ava Garcia
•Interesting, I've never heard of that service. Did it actually work for getting specific benefit calculations?
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Keisha Williams
The whole unemployment system is so confusing! I tried to figure out my potential benefits too and gave up. Why can't they just have a simple calculator that actually works?? The my.ny.gov site is terrible
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Miguel Silva
To answer the earlier question about benefit duration - regular unemployment insurance in NY provides up to 26 weeks of benefits. However, you must be actively job searching and filing weekly claims to continue receiving benefits. You'll also need to meet the work search requirements which typically involve applying for jobs and documenting your search activities.
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Cameron Black
Just wanted to add that with your income of $600/week, you'll also want to make sure you meet the minimum earnings requirement. In NY, you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your base period AND earned at least 1.5 times your high quarter earnings in your entire base period. Since you've been working 8 months consistently, you should be fine, but it's good to double-check. Also, don't forget that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so you might want to have taxes withheld or set aside money for tax season.
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