How to calculate how much unemployment you will receive from NYS Department of Labor

Thanks! That helps a lot. I think my highest quarter was around $14,500 so that would put me at about $278 per week if I'm doing the math right.

Right, the base period is usually the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, they're looking at earnings from January 2024 through September 2024, not your most recent quarter.

Interesting, I might need to try that if I can't figure out my exact amount. Did they charge you for the service?

Yeah there's a fee but it was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain my specific situation instead of just guessing.

Good point, I should definitely check that I meet those minimums before getting too excited about the benefit amount.

I totally agree! It would be so much easier if they had a simple calculator right on the main page. I'm in a similar situation trying to figure this out before I file. The fact that we all have to piece together the formula from different sources shows how unclear their system is.

This is really helpful info! I didn't know about the alternative base period option - that could make a big difference for people who had lower earnings earlier but higher recent earnings. Do you happen to know if there's a specific form you need to fill out to request the alternative base period calculation, or does NYS DOL automatically check both when you apply?

From what I understand, NYS DOL automatically reviews both base period options when you apply - you don't need to fill out a separate form. They'll calculate using the regular base period first, and if you don't meet the monetary requirements with that, they'll automatically try the alternative base period. But it's worth mentioning during your application or when you speak to an agent just to make sure they consider it, especially if your recent earnings were significantly higher than earlier quarters.

@NeonNomad Thanks for mentioning that worksheet! I've been struggling to find clear documentation on their site. One thing I'm still confused about - when they say "highest quarter" do they mean the quarter with the most total earnings, or do they factor in things like overtime differently? I had a few quarters where I worked a lot of overtime which bumped up my total pay significantly, but I'm not sure if that's treated the same as regular wages in their calculation.

@Zainab Yusuf From what I understand, they count all wages reported on your W-2 for that quarter, including overtime pay. So if you had a quarter where you earned $15,000 including overtime, that s'what they d'use in the calculation - they don t'separate out regular vs overtime wages. The key is that it has to be wages that were subject to unemployment insurance taxes. I went through a similar situation where my highest quarter included a lot of overtime hours, and they used the full amount when calculating my weekly benefit.

@Zainab Yusuf From what I understand, overtime pay is treated the same as regular wages in the calculation - they just look at your total gross earnings for each quarter. So if you had high overtime in a particular quarter, that would definitely help boost your weekly benefit amount since it s'all counted toward your highest "quarter earnings." The key is they re'looking at total wages reported on your W-2, not distinguishing between regular pay and overtime. That s'actually good news if you had those high overtime quarters!

@Zainab Yusuf Great question! From my experience, overtime is included as regular wages in the calculation - they don t'separate it out. So if your highest quarter had $16,000 including overtime, they d'use that full amount. The calculation is pretty straightforward: take your highest quarter total regular (wages + overtime + any other covered earnings ,)divide by 26, then multiply by 0.5. The only earnings they exclude are things like severance pay or certain bonuses that aren t'considered wages "under" unemployment law. Your overtime quarters would definitely help boost your benefit amount!

@Zainab Yusuf From my understanding, they treat all wages the same - whether it s'regular pay, overtime, bonuses, or commissions. They just look at your total gross earnings for each quarter and pick whichever quarter had the highest amount. So if overtime pushed one of your quarters higher, that would likely be your highest "quarter for" the calculation. The key thing is it s'all based on what your employer reported to the state for unemployment insurance purposes. I d'definitely recommend downloading that worksheet @NeonNomad mentioned to plug in your actual quarterly earnings and see which quarter comes out highest.

@Zainab Yusuf Great question about overtime! From what I understand, NYS DOL counts all wages reported to them by your employer, including overtime, tips, bonuses, etc. So yes, your overtime would be included in the highest "quarter calculation" - they re'looking at total gross wages for each quarter. That could actually work in your favor if those overtime quarters were your highest earning periods. The key thing is that it all has to be wages that your employer reported and paid unemployment insurance taxes on.

@Zainab Yusuf Good question about overtime! From my experience when I filed last year, they do count overtime as part of your total wages for that quarter - it s'all just considered regular earnings for the calculation. So if overtime pushed one quarter higher than the others, that would be your highest "quarter they" use for the benefit calculation. The key thing is they re'looking at your total gross wages reported to NYS, regardless of whether it came from regular hours, overtime, or bonuses.

@Zainab Yusuf Great question about overtime! From what I understand, overtime pay is treated the same as regular wages in the calculation - it all counts toward your total quarterly earnings. So if you had a quarter where overtime boosted your pay to $16,000 versus a quarter with $14,000 in just regular wages, they d'use that $16,000 quarter as your highest. The key thing is they re'looking at your total gross wages reported to them by your employer, regardless of whether it came from regular hours or overtime. That s'actually good news for people who had periods of heavy overtime work!

@Zainab Yusuf Great question about overtime! From what I understand, overtime pay is treated the same as regular wages in the calculation - they just look at your total gross earnings for each quarter. So if you had a quarter where you made $16,000 including overtime, that s'what they d'use in the formula, not just your base wages. The key is that it s'all taxable wages reported to NYS. @NeonNomad might be able to confirm this since they seem to know the system well!

@Zainab Yusuf From my experience, overtime is counted the same as regular wages in the calculation - they just look at your total gross earnings for each quarter regardless of whether it came from regular hours or overtime. So if overtime pushed one of your quarters higher, that would definitely help your weekly benefit amount since they use the highest quarter. The key thing is that it s'all reported under the same employer, so it should all show up in your wage records that NYS DOL pulls when you file your claim.

@Zainab Yusuf Great question! From my experience, overtime pay is treated exactly the same as regular wages in the calculation - it all counts toward your quarterly earnings total. So if overtime pushed one of your quarters higher, that would actually work in your favor for the benefit calculation. They don t'separate out overtime vs regular pay, they just look at your total gross wages reported by your employer for each quarter. The highest "quarter is" simply whichever 3-month period had your highest total earnings, regardless of whether that came from overtime, bonuses, or regular hours.