How to qualify for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor - need guidance on eligibility

You might qualify for partial unemployment benefits since your hours were reduced through no fault of your own. NYS Department of Labor allows claims when your work hours or wages are reduced below full-time. You need to have worked and earned wages in at least 2 of the last 4 quarters, with minimum earnings of $2,700 in your highest quarter. Since you've worked 8 months, you should meet the work history requirement. You'll need to file weekly claims and report your reduced earnings.

Yes you have to do job search activities even on partial UI and report all work and earnings on your weekly claim. The general rule is you need to earn at least $2,700 in your highest earning quarter and have worked in 2 of the last 4 completed quarters before filing. If your hours were cut due to lack of work that qualifies as involuntary reduction. File online through my.ny.gov and be honest about still working reduced hours.

the whole system is confusing but basically if you worked enough and made enough money in the past year and your hours got cut you can probably get something. just be prepared for the application process to take forever and for them to ask for a million documents

I had a nightmare time trying to reach NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my eligibility. Spent hours on hold and 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 that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you run into issues reaching them by phone to verify your eligibility.

The wage requirements change every year but for 2025 you need at least $2,700 in your highest quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter amount. Since you're still employed part-time, you'll file for partial benefits and your weekly benefit will be reduced by a portion of what you earn each week. Make sure to report all work and earnings accurately on your weekly claims or you could face an overpayment.

I went through something similar when my hours got cut at my job last year. The key thing to remember is you need to file your claim as soon as your hours are reduced - don't wait! You can apply online at labor.ny.gov and the system will walk you through determining if you meet the wage requirements based on your work history. Since you've been working 8 months you should have enough quarters of work. Just make sure when you file your weekly claims that you report exactly how many hours you worked and how much you earned that week. The system will automatically calculate your partial benefit amount. Also keep records of your job search activities because they do audit that requirement.