How to figure out how much unemployment I will get from NYS Department of Labor
I'm about to file for unemployment and I'm trying to budget for the next few months. Does anyone know how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit amount? I've been working part-time at two different jobs for the past year, making around $28,000 total. I found some calculator online but I'm not sure if it's accurate for New York. Also wondering if the job search requirements will affect how much I get paid? Any help would be appreciated!
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Giovanni Marino
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period to calculate your weekly benefit rate. The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. Your weekly benefit will be roughly 1/26th of your highest quarter earnings, up to the maximum of $504 per week for 2025. Job search requirements don't affect your payment amount, but you do need to complete them to continue receiving benefits.
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Amara Okonkwo
•Thanks! So if my highest quarter was around $8,500, I'd get about $327 per week? That's actually better than I thought.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
yeah the calculation is confusing but basically they look at your best earning quarter and divide by 26. i was making similar to you and got around $315 a week. the hardest part is actually getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to check if your calculation is right
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Dylan Hughes
•If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an actual agent to verify my benefit calculation. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on.
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NightOwl42
Don't forget you'll also need to factor in taxes if you choose to have them withheld. NYS Department of Labor can withhold 10% federal and 2.5% state taxes from your weekly benefits. Also make sure you're reporting any part-time work accurately when you file your weekly claims - they'll reduce your benefits dollar for dollar after the first $50 you earn.
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Amara Okonkwo
•Good point about taxes. I definitely want to have them withheld so I don't get hit with a big bill next year.
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Sofia Rodriguez
Wait, so if I'm working part-time while collecting unemployment, I need to report that every week? What if I forget to report one week - will they come after me for overpayment?
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Giovanni Marino
•Yes, you must report all earnings when filing your weekly claim. If you forget to report work, NYS Department of Labor will eventually catch it through wage crossmatching and issue an overpayment notice. It's much better to report accurately from the start than deal with an overpayment appeal later.
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Dmitry Ivanov
The whole system is so complicated! I've been trying to figure out my benefits for weeks and keep getting different answers. At least with regular UI it's somewhat predictable, unlike when I was on standby last year and never knew when I'd get paid.
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