How to estimate unemployment benefits before filing with NYS Department of Labor?
I'm thinking about filing for unemployment but want to get an idea of what my weekly benefit amount might be before I actually submit my claim. I've been making around $58,000 annually at my current job for the past two years. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? Is there a way to estimate this beforehand so I can budget properly?
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Diez Ellis
NYS uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) to calculate your weekly benefit rate. They take 1/26th of your highest quarter earnings, so if your highest quarter was around $14,500, you'd get roughly $558 per week. The maximum weekly benefit for 2025 is $504 though, so that would be your cap.
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Noland Curtis
•Wait, so even if I calculate higher than $504, that's the most I can get? That seems like a pretty low cap for someone making decent money.
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Vanessa Figueroa
You can actually use the benefit calculator on the NYS Department of Labor website to get a rough estimate. You'll need your earnings from each quarter over the past 18 months. Just go to labor.ny.gov and look for the unemployment benefits calculator tool.
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Abby Marshall
•I tried that calculator last month and it was pretty accurate - came within $15 of my actual weekly amount when I finally got approved.
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Sadie Benitez
honestly the whole system is confusing as hell... i've been trying to figure out my base period earnings for weeks and can't make sense of which quarters they use. why can't they just use your last year's income like normal people would expect???
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Vanessa Figueroa
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to verify your earnings or get help with calculations, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
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Noland Curtis
•How much does something like that cost? I'm trying to save money since I might be unemployed soon.
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Vanessa Figueroa
•It's definitely worth checking out their site for details. For me it was worth it just to avoid the frustration of calling dozens of times and never getting through.
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Drew Hathaway
The calculation is straightforward once you understand it. Your base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be Q1 2023 through Q4 2023. They take your highest quarter from that period and divide by 26. Just make sure you have all your pay stubs or W2s ready when you actually file.
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Laila Prince
•This is so helpful! I was worried I'd have to wait until I actually filed to know what I'd get. At least now I can plan ahead a bit.
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Ellie Lopez
Just went through this process myself a few months ago. One thing to keep in mind is that the base period earnings requirement - you need to have earned at least $2,600 in your base period AND at least $1,300 in your highest quarter to qualify. With your $58k salary you should be fine, but it's good to double check. Also, don't forget that unemployment benefits are taxable income, so factor that into your budgeting when you get your estimate.
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Liam Sullivan
•Thanks for mentioning the taxable income part - I hadn't thought about that! So if I get around $400-500 per week, I should probably set aside like 20-25% for taxes? Also good to know about the minimum earnings requirement. With $58k over two years I should definitely meet that threshold.
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