How to get max unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I'm starting a new claim and want to make sure I'm doing everything right to get the maximum weekly benefit amount. I've been working for 8 years making around $75k but I'm not sure how NYS Department of Labor calculates the weekly benefit or what I need to do to qualify for the highest amount possible. Do they look at my last job's salary or my whole work history? Also heard there's something about a maximum cap - is that true? Any advice on how to maximize what I can get would be really helpful.
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CosmicCowboy
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file). Your weekly benefit is roughly 1/26th of that highest quarter, up to the state maximum which is $504 per week in 2025. So if you made $13k+ in your best quarter, you'd get the max. Make sure all your W2 wages are properly reported to avoid leaving money on the table.
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Paolo Longo
•Thanks! So it's not based on my final salary but my best 3-month period? That actually might work out better for me since I got a bonus last spring.
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Amina Diallo
just make sure you file right away and dont wait!! the longer you wait the more you lose out on benefits
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Oliver Schulz
The key is having consistent high earnings in your base period quarters. NYS Department of Labor also looks at your total base period wages to determine how many weeks you can collect - you need at least 1.5x your highest quarter in total wages to get the full 26 weeks. If you're close to any thresholds, double-check that all your employers properly reported your wages. I've seen people miss out on higher benefits because of unreported tips or commissions.
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Natasha Orlova
•Wait, what if my employer didn't report all my wages correctly? I think they might have missed some overtime pay from last year.
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Oliver Schulz
•You can contact NYS Department of Labor to request a wage investigation if you think wages are missing. But this can delay your claim processing, so weigh the potential benefit increase against the delay.
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Javier Cruz
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to verify my wage records for maximum benefits. Spent weeks calling and getting disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Definitely worth it when you're trying to maximize your benefits and need to talk to someone about your wage calculation.
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Emma Wilson
•Never heard of that but honestly anything beats sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on. How much does it cost?
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Javier Cruz
•They focus on getting you connected rather than the cost - totally worth it when you're dealing with benefit calculations that could affect hundreds of dollars per week.
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Malik Thomas
The system is so confusing! I thought it was based on your last job's pay but apparently it's this whole complicated formula. Why can't they just make it simple??
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CosmicCowboy
One more tip - if you're close to the end of a quarter when you become unemployed, it might be worth waiting a few days to file if it means your base period will include higher wages from a more recent quarter. But generally, file as soon as you're unemployed since you can't get benefits for weeks before you file.
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Paolo Longo
•That's really helpful context. I'll check my quarterly earnings to see if waiting would help or hurt me.
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