How unemployment is measured by NYS Department of Labor - confused about my claim status
I'm trying to understand how unemployment is measured and calculated by the NYS Department of Labor. My claim has been pending for two weeks now and I'm seeing different numbers on my account vs what I expected to receive. The weekly benefit amount seems lower than what I calculated based on my previous salary. I worked in retail management for 18 months before getting laid off last month. Is there a specific formula they use? Also, why does my claim status keep changing between 'pending' and 'under review'? I'm really confused about how they measure eligibility and benefit amounts.
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Ben Cooper
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit amount using your highest quarter of earnings from the base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). They take 1/26th of that amount, with a maximum of $504 per week in 2025. The pending status usually means they're verifying your employment history or waiting for employer response about your separation reason.
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Khalid Howes
•That makes more sense! So they don't just use my final salary? I was making $45k annually but only worked there for 8 months.
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Naila Gordon
ugh same thing happened to me, the whole system is confusing as hell. took me forever to figure out why my amount was so low
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Cynthia Love
The measurement process also includes verifying you're actively seeking work. NYS Department of Labor requires you to log at least 3 job search activities per week and be available for work. If there are issues with either your monetary eligibility or work search requirements, your claim can get stuck in adjudication. Have you been completing your weekly certifications correctly?
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Khalid Howes
•Yes I've been doing the weekly claims but honestly wasn't sure about the job search log requirements. Do I need to keep detailed records?
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Cynthia Love
•Absolutely keep detailed records! Date, employer name, position applied for, and method of contact. They can audit this anytime.
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Darren Brooks
I had trouble reaching anyone at NYS Department of Labor when my claim was stuck like this. Finally used claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent who explained the measurement criteria. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of calling and getting busy signals.
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Khalid Howes
•Thanks, I'll check that out. Getting through to someone has been impossible so far.
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Rosie Harper
Wait I thought unemployment was just measured by how many people are out of work? Are you talking about something different??
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Ben Cooper
•That's the unemployment rate for economic statistics. OP is asking about how NYS Department of Labor measures individual benefit eligibility and amounts for UI claims.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
The whole system is broken tbh. They measure everything except how long it takes them to actually process claims! Been waiting 3 weeks myself
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