NY unemployment denied - $14,000 income 'not enough' over 3 quarters - appeal worth it?

NY unemployment has specific earnings requirements that must be met. For 2025, you need to have earned at least $3,100 in one calendar quarter, and total wages for your base period must be at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages. So if your highest quarter was $5,000, you'd need at least $7,500 total across your base period. The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. There's also an alternate base period option that looks at the 4 most recently completed quarters. If your earnings were spread very unevenly across quarters, that might be why you're not qualifying despite having $14,000 total. An appeal is definitely worth it if you think there might be wages missing from their records or if you might qualify under the alternate base period.

same thing happened to me they said i didnt make enough but i did!! turns out they were missing one of my w2s from a job i worked for only 2 months. definitely appeal and bring ALL your wage documents

The NY unemployment system is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING! They count on people giving up and not appealing. I went through this exact situation in January 2025. The earnings requirements are actually on their website but they're buried deep in the FAQ section. Here's the thing - if most of your earnings were in one quarter, you might still qualify under certain conditions. Appeals are FREE and they have to review your case. You have NOTHING to lose by appealing! Make sure you submit proof of ALL income - W2s, 1099s, pay stubs, EVERYTHING. I had to appeal twice but eventually got approved.

Definitely appeal! I was in a similar situation where my earnings were concentrated in 2 quarters. I requested my appeal hearing and explained that I had additional income from a side job that wasn't being counted. The appeal officer recalculated my benefits and I was approved after initially being denied. You have 30 days from the date of determination to file your appeal. Make sure you have documentation of ALL your earnings for the base period. Also, check if you qualify under the alternate base period, which might use more recent quarters that had higher earnings. If you're having trouble even getting through to someone to discuss your case, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It helped me actually get through to a representative instead of waiting endlessly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE that shows how it works. It was the only way I could get concrete answers about my appeal process.

i dont think its worth apealing tbh. my freind tried to appeal and they denied him again anyway. took like 2 months just to get that answer. but u should probably try i guess if u really need the money.

I'm going through EXACTLY the same thing right now!! They told me I didn't earn enough in my base period but wouldn't tell me how much I needed to earn! It's so frustrating! Has anyone actually gotten a straight answer about the minimum earnings requirements? And do they look at gross or net income?? I'm so confused and the website is USELESS!!!!

When I applied for unemployment last year, I was initially denied too. I had earned about $16,000 over the year, but it was spread across quarters differently. What helped me was asking specifically for them to use my Alternate Base Period instead of the Standard Base Period. Sometimes that makes all the difference if your recent earnings were higher. Has anyone mentioned checking if you qualify for Partial Unemployment? You might qualify for that even if you don't qualify for full benefits. Worth looking into while you appeal.

Based on what you've shared, I think you should definitely appeal. With $9,200 in your highest quarter and $14,000 total, you actually DO meet the basic monetary requirements (you need at least $3,100 in one quarter and total wages of 1.5x your highest quarter, which would be $13,800). There may be other factors affecting your eligibility, or they might be missing some of your wage information. When you appeal, be very specific about when you earned each amount and include all documentation. You can upload documents directly to your NY.gov account under the 'Documents' section during the appeal process. The appeal process typically takes 2-8 weeks depending on their backlog. While waiting, make sure you continue to certify weekly if the system allows you to. If your appeal is successful, you'll receive back payments for all eligible weeks you certified for.

my roomate works for NYSDOL and says they've been having system issues calculating wages correctly for people who worked multiple jobs or had gaps in employment. definitely appeal!!!

I'm glad you're going to appeal! Just wanted to update that my appeal took about 5 weeks from filing to getting a decision. It was stressful waiting, but worth it in the end. Make sure you submit your appeal request through your NY.gov account and keep checking for updates or requests for additional information. For the Partial Unemployment question - it's for people who are working reduced hours (less than 4 days and earning less than $594 per week in 2025). It wouldn't apply if you're completely unemployed, but it's useful for people with very part-time work. Good luck with your appeal! Let us know how it goes.