How to know when your unemployment ends - NYS Department of Labor benefit exhaustion timeline?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 20 weeks now and I'm starting to worry about when my benefits will run out. My claim shows I have a balance left but I'm not sure how to calculate exactly when it will end. Does NYS Department of Labor send you a warning before your benefits expire? I've heard different things about whether you get 26 weeks total or if it depends on your earnings. Can someone explain how to figure out when your unemployment actually ends?
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Jamal Brown
In New York, regular unemployment benefits last up to 26 weeks maximum. You can check your remaining balance by logging into your my.ny.gov account and looking at your payment history. NYS Department of Labor will show your total benefit amount and how much you have left. They don't automatically send warnings, so you need to monitor it yourself.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Thanks! I checked my account and it shows I have about $2,800 left. If my weekly benefit is $350, that means I have 8 more weeks right?
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Fatima Al-Rashid
Yeah the math is pretty straightforward - divide your remaining balance by your weekly benefit amount. But make sure you're also keeping up with your job search requirements because NYS Department of Labor can cut you off for not meeting those even if you have weeks left.
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Giovanni Rossi
•wait what are the job search requirements? i thought you just had to certify every week
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Fatima Al-Rashid
•You need to do at least 3 job search activities per week and keep a log. Check the NYS Department of Labor website for the full list of what counts.
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Aaliyah Jackson
I was in the same situation last year and had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about extending benefits. The phone lines are always busy and I kept getting disconnected. Finally found 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. Really saved me a lot of frustration trying to call on my own.
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KylieRose
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like it should be free to talk to your own unemployment office.
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Aaliyah Jackson
•I agree it should be easier to reach them directly, but when you're worried about your benefits ending and can't get answers, having an option that actually works is worth it to me.
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Miguel Hernández
just a heads up that once your regular UI runs out theres no more extensions like there were during covid. so make sure you're really looking for work and not just going through the motions
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Yeah I've been applying to jobs but the market is tough right now. Hoping to find something before my 26 weeks are up.
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Rajan Walker
One thing to also keep in mind is that your benefit year has an end date regardless of your balance. Even if you still have money left, your claim expires exactly one year from when you first filed. You can find this date on your monetary determination letter or in your online account. So if you filed in June 2024, your claim ends in June 2025 no matter what. This caught me off guard when I was on unemployment a few years back - I thought I could just keep collecting until the money ran out, but the year limit hit first.
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Abby Marshall
•Oh wow, I had no idea about the one year limit! That's really important to know. So even if someone is careful with their spending and has money left in their account, they could still lose benefits just because a year passed? That seems like something NYS Department of Labor should make more clear upfront.
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