NY unemployment reduced benefit rate after transitioning from max on old claim - why the decrease?

This is actually normal and happens quite often. Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your earnings during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed). If you were on unemployment for a significant portion of your base period for this new claim, your earnings were likely lower, resulting in a lower benefit rate. The system automatically uses your highest-earning quarters to calculate your benefit, but if those quarters included unemployment rather than full wages, you'll see a reduction.

same thing happend to me in february! went from max to $395 which SUCKS especially with rent being so high now

wait i thought there was some rule that your new claim cant be more than 10% lower than your old one?? maybe call and ask about that??

I went through EXACTLY this situation in January. Was getting the max $540 weekly benefit, then my benefit year ended and my new claim got approved at only $372! I was FREAKING OUT because that's a huge difference when you're trying to pay bills. I called NYSDOL like 50 times trying to get through to someone. Wasted three days just hitting redial. Eventually I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Anyway, the agent explained that since I was on unemployment for most of 2024, my wages from that period were super low, so my new benefit calculation was based on the limited work I did. Nothing they could do about it - it's just how the system calculates benefits. At least I got a clear answer instead of wondering what happened.

This is a common issue when transitioning between benefit years. Your new weekly benefit amount (WBA) is calculated based on your wages during the base period for your new claim. If you received unemployment benefits during a significant portion of this period, those quarters will show reduced earnings, resulting in a lower WBA calculation. Unfortunately, the system doesn't account for the fact that your lower earnings were due to being on unemployment - it simply calculates based on the wages reported to the system. This creates a cascading effect where benefits can decrease with each successive claim year if you remain on unemployment for extended periods. I recommend reviewing your monetary determination letter carefully. It should show which quarters were used in your calculation and the reported wages for each. If you believe there's an error in the wage reporting, you can request a reconsideration with proof of additional wages not included in the calculation.

I had the same thing happen but I was able to get mine adjusted higher! Check if you had any other employment during the last 18 months that might not be showing up on your monetary determination. Even part-time work can sometimes help. Also look into alternate base period calculation - sometimes they can use more recent quarters if it would benefit you.

THIS SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN!! This happens to SO MANY people and NYSDOL knows it but doesn't care! They calculate your new benefit based on earnings periods when THEY KNOW you were on unemployment! How does that make ANY sense?? It's designed to gradually push people off benefits by making the amount smaller and smaller until you can't survive on it anymore. Complete BS!!

Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread: The benefit reduction isn't intended as a penalty, but is a mathematical result of how the system calculates benefits. Your weekly benefit in NY is approximately 1/26th of your earnings in your highest-paid quarter during the base period, up to the maximum benefit. If your highest-paid quarter during your new base period shows significantly lower earnings than your previous claim's calculation (because you were receiving unemployment instead of full wages), then your benefit amount will naturally be lower. If you worked even part-time during your benefit year, make sure that all wages are accurately reflected in your monetary determination. Sometimes employers are late reporting wages, which can affect your calculation.

have u checked if ur eligible for the Self-Support Reserve adjustment? i think if ur benefits drop below a certain amount they might increase them especially if u have dependents

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I just got off the phone with NYSDOL after using the Claimyr service that someone mentioned (which did work really well btw). The agent confirmed exactly what most of you said - my new benefit amount is lower because I didn't have much work income during the base period they used for calculation. She checked all my reported wages and everything is correct. I guess I'll have to adjust my budget to the new reality of $408/week instead of $540. Hopefully I can find a good job soon and not have to worry about any of this anymore!