How much unemployment will I get if I make $600 a week in New York?

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you do end up needing to file for unemployment, don't wait! You should file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed because there's typically a one-week waiting period before benefits begin, and benefits are only paid from the date you file your claim (not retroactively to when you lost your job). Also, since you mentioned you've been at your current job for 8 months, make sure you have all your wage information ready - pay stubs, W-2s, etc. The Department of Labor will verify your earnings with your employer, but having your own records can help speed up the process if there are any discrepancies.

Just to add some clarity on the base period calculation that others mentioned - since you started working in May last year and it's now late May, your base period would likely include Q2 2024 (April-June), Q3 2024 (July-September), Q4 2024 (October-December), and Q1 2025 (January-March). So you'd have earnings from about 6-7 months in your base period if you filed now. The key is that your highest quarter earnings get divided by 26 to determine your weekly benefit rate, with a minimum of $104/week and maximum of $504/week in NY. Given your consistent $600/week earnings, you're looking at roughly $300-320/week as others estimated.