NY unemployment monetary determination letter shows full year base period - why not highest quarter?

The base period is always a full year, but your weekly benefit amount is calculated differently. In NY, they look at your highest quarter earnings within that base period, and your weekly benefit is approximately 1/26 of those highest quarter wages (up to the maximum benefit). The full year base period is just showing what timeframe they're considering for eligibility, but the actual calculation focuses on your best quarter.

ya my letter showed the whole year too. i think thats just how they do it. your actual $ is based on the best 3 months tho

Just to add more detail - NY uses what's called the 'Basic Base Period' which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. They look at this full year to determine if you meet the minimum earnings requirement to qualify. For the actual benefit calculation, they take your highest quarter earnings within that base period and divide by 26 (or use a special formula if your high quarter was over $4,600). The result is your weekly benefit amount, which has a maximum of $650 in 2025. So yes, seeing the full year listed is normal. The determination letter should also show your earnings by quarter so you can verify which quarter they used for the calculation. If something seems off, you have the right to request a reconsideration of your monetary determination.

Is anyone else FRUSTRATED with how confusing they make these calculations?!! Why don't they just CLEARLY explain this on the determination letter?? I spent hours trying to figure mine out last month and ended up with the wrong amount initially. Had to call them 27 TIMES before getting through to fix it!!

I had the exact same question last month! After multiple failed attempts to reach someone at NYSDOL, I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have this service that gets you past the phone queues and connected to an actual agent. Saved me hours of frustration! The agent explained that yes, they look at the full year for eligibility purposes but calculate benefits based on your highest quarter. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Once I talked to the agent, they confirmed my calculation was correct and explained exactly how they determined my weekly benefit amount. Definitely worth it if you're still uncertain about your determination.

When I got my letter back in February it took me FOREVER to understand it too! So confusing. But yeah, they use a whole year to determine if you qualify but then just use your best quarter for the weekly amount. I'm back to work now thankfully.

I've been on unemployment a few times over the years. What confuses some people is that NY has two different base periods they can use. The basic one (which is what you got) is the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters. But if you don't qualify using that, they can also look at the alternate base period, which is the last 4 completed quarters. This helps people who worked more recently. The determination letter should list both your basic and alternate base periods. They'll use whichever one gives you the better benefit (assuming you qualify under both).

Also does anyone else notice how they always seem to miss some wages? My husband had to request a reconsideration because they didn't include his December wages for some reason. Took an extra 3 weeks to fix!

i think i got the whole thing backward when i first filed lol. thought my benefit would be higher cuz i was looking at my yearly total not the quarter thing. was disappointed when the real amount came through

To summarize for anyone else with the same question: 1. The base period (full year) determines if you're eligible for benefits 2. Your weekly benefit amount is based on your highest quarter earnings within that base period 3. The formula is approximately 1/26 of your highest quarter earnings 4. The maximum weekly benefit in NY for 2025 is $650 5. If your determination seems wrong, you can request a reconsideration Hope this helps clear things up!