How much will my NYS Department of Labor unemployment be while working part-time?
I just got hired for a part-time job that'll give me about 20 hours a week at $18/hour. I'm still collecting unemployment and my weekly benefit is $395. Does anyone know how much will my unemployment be while working these hours? I tried looking on the ny.gov site but it's confusing with all the calculations. Will I still get some benefits or does any work completely cut me off? I really need to know before I start because I can't afford to lose everything if this job doesn't work out.
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Zane Hernandez
You can definitely work part-time and still collect some unemployment! NYS Department of Labor has a formula where they subtract your gross earnings minus $50 from your weekly benefit amount. So if you earn $360 gross weekly ($18 x 20 hours), they subtract $360 - $50 = $310 from your $395 benefit. You'd get $85 in unemployment plus your $360 wages. Just make sure to report your earnings accurately when you file your weekly claim.
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Cassandra Moon
•Oh wow that's actually better than I thought! So I'd get $445 total between work and benefits? That would really help me get back on my feet. Do I report the gross amount or after taxes?
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Genevieve Cavalier
wait i thought you lose benefits completely if you work more than 3 days? or is that just for full time jobs
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Zane Hernandez
•No, that's not right. You can work any number of days as long as you're earning less than your weekly benefit amount plus $50. The 3-day rule isn't a NYS Department of Labor thing.
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Ethan Scott
Just be super careful about reporting everything correctly. I made a mistake once and didn't report some cash tips from my part-time job and NYS Department of Labor flagged it months later. They made me pay back benefits and I had to go through a whole overpayment process. Always report gross earnings before any deductions.
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Cassandra Moon
•Thanks for the warning! This job doesn't involve tips but I'll definitely be careful about reporting everything exactly right.
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Lola Perez
I was in a similar situation last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about working while on benefits. The phone lines were constantly busy and I was getting stressed about making mistakes. Someone on here recommended claimyr.com and I tried their service to get connected to an actual agent. It worked really well - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to explain exactly how my part-time work would affect my benefits before I started the job.
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Nathaniel Stewart
•How much does that service cost? I'm always skeptical about paying for something the government should provide for free.
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Lola Perez
•I felt the same way at first, but honestly it was worth it for the peace of mind. They focus on getting you connected quickly rather than sitting on hold for hours. When you're dealing with your income, having accurate information right away is really valuable.
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Riya Sharma
ugh the whole system is so complicated! why can't they just have a simple calculator on the website instead of making us guess? i've been partially employed for months and still don't fully understand how they calculate everything
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Zane Hernandez
•I agree it's confusing! The basic formula is: Weekly Benefit Amount - (Gross Earnings - $50) = Partial Benefit. As long as the result is more than $0, you get that amount plus your work income.
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