NY unemployment benefits while still doing some self-employed hair styling work - am I eligible?

nope ur fine as long as u reported any income u made from those clients when u certified. Just make sure to keep good records of how much u earned each week in case they audit u

This is a common scenario for those who transitioned from traditional employment to having some self-employment income. Here's the important distinction: The question about being self-employed in your most recent work is primarily to determine how your base period wages are calculated and which type of claim you should file. Since your main employment was with a salon that closed, and your self-employment is only supplemental, you should still qualify for traditional UI benefits. What matters most is that you: 1. Report ALL income earned each week when certifying 2. Stay under the income threshold (in NY you can earn up to $619 in 2025 and still receive partial benefits) 3. Remain available for and actively seeking full-time work If you're reporting your part-time self-employment income correctly, you should continue to receive benefits, though they may be reduced depending on how much you earn each week.

I'm in the exact same boat! I used to work full-time at a salon but got laid off, and now I just do a few clients' hair in my apartment. I've been collecting unemployment for 6 weeks with no problems. As long as you report the income when you certify each week, you're good!

CAREFUL HERE!! I answered yes to that question last year and they put my claim on hold for 8 WEEKS while they investigated!!! They kept saying they needed to determine if I was eligible for regular UI or self-employment assistance. The system is BROKEN and they don't understand people can be BOTH employed and have side gigs!!! I almost lost my apartment waiting!!!

I had this exact issue in January. What matters most is whether your self-employment is your primary occupation or just supplemental income. Since you were primarily employed at a salon that closed, and your self-styling clients are just a small side income, you should still qualify for regular UI benefits. What likely happened when you answered "yes" is that the system may flag your claim for review to determine if you should be on regular UI or self-employment assistance. This can sometimes delay your payment, but if you can get through to someone at NYSDOL, they can often resolve it quickly. Try calling first thing in the morning (7:30am is when they open). I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through after spending days trying on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - basically got me past the hold times and connected to an agent who fixed my claim status immediately.

Everyone here is giving different answers and I'm confused too. I think the real question is - was your self-employment your PRIMARY job before filing for unemployment, or was it secondary to your salon job? If it was secondary, you should be fine. If it was your primary job, you might have issues. Does anyone know for sure how NY DOL defines this??

My daughter goes thru this ALL THE TIME. She's mostly a hairdresser at a salon but does wedding hair on weekends sometimes. As long as she reports her wedding money when certifying each week, shes fine. They never delayed her claim or anything. I think some people here are being way too worried.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I was really panicking this morning. To clarify - the salon job was definitely my primary income (about 85% of my total income) and the self-employed styling is just a small side thing I do for a few regular clients who followed me after the salon closed. I've reported all the income each week. It sounds like I should be okay based on what most of you are saying, but I'm a little worried about the possibility of delays. I think I'll try calling them tomorrow morning just to make sure everything is proper with my claim. If I can't get through, I might try that Claimyr service a couple of you mentioned. I'll update here once I know if my payment goes through normally or if there are issues. Thanks again everyone!

UPDATE: My payment went through normally today! No delays or issues. I also managed to get through to someone at NYSDOL (took forever on hold) who confirmed that as long as I continue to report my self-employment income during weekly certifications, I'm good to go. Just wanted to update in case anyone has a similar situation in the future.