How will I know when my NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits run out?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 18 weeks now and I'm starting to worry about my benefits running out. Does NYS Department of Labor send you any kind of warning before your claim expires? I don't want to be caught off guard when the money stops coming. My online account just shows my current balance but I'm not sure how to calculate exactly when it will hit zero. Has anyone else dealt with this situation?
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Yara Campbell
You can check your remaining benefit amount in your my.ny.gov account under the 'Payment History' section. NYS Department of Labor typically sends a notice when you have about 2-3 weeks of benefits left. Your maximum benefit amount is usually 26 weeks of regular UI benefits, but the exact dollar amount depends on your base period wages.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Thanks! I found the payment history but I'm still confused about the math. It shows my weekly benefit amount but how do I know my total maximum?
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Isaac Wright
yeah they dont really give you much warning lol mine just stopped one week and i had to figure out what happened
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Maya Diaz
The system will automatically stop payments when you've either collected 26 weeks of benefits OR reached your maximum benefit amount (MBA), whichever comes first. You should have received a monetary determination letter when your claim was approved that shows your MBA. If you can't find it, you can request a copy through your online account or by calling NYS Department of Labor.
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Tami Morgan
•I had such a hard time getting through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about this stuff. If you need to actually talk to someone, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an agent without waiting on hold forever. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Made the whole process way less stressful.
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Rami Samuels
Wait I'm confused - I thought unemployment was automatic for a full year? I've been on it for 4 months and nobody told me there was a limit! Now I'm panicking that mine might run out soon too. This is so stressful, why doesn't NYS Department of Labor make this clearer?
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Maya Diaz
•Regular unemployment insurance is limited to 26 weeks in New York. The year-long programs you might be thinking of were special pandemic benefits that ended in 2021. Standard UI benefits have always had the 26-week limit.
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Haley Bennett
I remember when mine was about to run out last year, I got some kind of letter in the mail maybe 2 weeks before? But honestly the whole system is such a mess, I wouldn't count on getting proper notice. Just keep track yourself.
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Ryder Greene
You can also calculate it yourself pretty easily! Take your weekly benefit amount and multiply by 26 weeks - that's your maximum. Then check how much you've already collected in your payment history. The difference is what you have left. I started doing this math every few weeks so I could plan ahead. Also worth noting that if you're getting close to running out, you might want to look into whether you qualify for any job training programs through NYS Department of Labor - some of them can extend your benefits while you're in training.
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