NY unemployment reporting question - do I claim 0-10 or 11-16 hours for 10.25 hours worked?

You should select 11-16 hours. The NYSDOL is very specific about reporting accurate hours, and since you worked over 10 hours (even if it's just by 15 minutes), you need to report in the 11-16 hour range. They don't want you to round down in this case.

I actually had the EXACT same question a few months ago!! I worked 10 hrs and 20 min and called them to ask. The rep told me that for NY unemployment you need to report in the higher bracket if you go even 1 minute over. So definitely use 11-16 hours bracket for your 10h15m!! Don't round down or you might get flagged for misreporting.

WRONG INFORMATION BEING SHARED HERE. You actually round to the nearest hour. So 10 hours and 15 minutes would be 10 hours (0-10 bracket). 10 hours and 30+ minutes would be 11 hours (11-16 bracket). I've been on unemployment 3 times in NY and this is how it works.

In my experience trying to call the NY unemployment office to get a simple answer to questions like this is IMPOSSIBLE. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone when I had a similar question. The phone system is the worst. Busy signals, disconnects, or being on hold for hours only to get cut off.

To actually answer your specific question: you should always select the higher bracket if you exceed the lower one at all. In your case, report 11-16 hours for your 10h15m worked. This is direct from the handbook. If you report incorrectly (even accidentally), it could be considered misrepresentation and potentially affect your benefits or even lead to an overpayment situation later.

this happened to my cousin last year & she put the wrong hours (rounded down) and got a notice saying she had misreported. had to pay back some $ and couldnt claim for 2 weeks as penalty. be careful!!

I work as a benefits counselor and can confirm that NY requires you to select the higher bracket when you exceed the lower threshold, even by minutes. For 10.25 hours, you must select 11-16 hours. The system is designed this way because partial unemployment benefits are calculated based on these brackets, and underreporting (even accidentally) can trigger fraud investigations. Keep detailed records of your exact hours worked each week - this will protect you if there are ever any questions about your certifications later.

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I've been dealing with NY unemployment for over a year now and had to learn this the hard way. The key thing to remember is that NYSDOL uses these hour brackets to determine your partial benefit amount, so they're very strict about accurate reporting. Even though it feels weird to report 11-16 hours when you only worked 10.25, that's exactly what you need to do. I made the mistake of rounding down early on and got flagged for review - it delayed my payments for weeks while they investigated. Save yourself the headache and always report the higher bracket when you go over, no matter how small the amount.

I had this exact same situation last month! I worked 10 hours and 45 minutes and was so confused about which bracket to choose. After reading through all the official NYSDOL documentation I could find, I went with the 11-16 hours option and it was definitely the right choice. The way I think about it now is that these brackets represent ranges, not rounding rules - if you worked ANY time that falls within the 11-16 hour range (which 10.25 hours technically does since it's over 10), then that's the bracket you select. It's counterintuitive but that's how the system works. Better to overreport slightly than underreport and risk issues later!

I just went through this exact same situation a couple weeks ago! I worked 10 hours and 18 minutes and was stressing about which bracket to choose. After calling NYSDOL (took me 2 days to get through), the representative confirmed that you absolutely must select 11-16 hours for 10.25 hours worked. She explained that the system doesn't round - it's about which range your actual time falls into. Since you exceeded 10 hours, even by 15 minutes, you're technically in the 11-16 hour range. The rep also mentioned that underreporting hours is one of the most common mistakes that triggers benefit reviews, so it's definitely worth being accurate even if it feels strange to report such a wide range for barely going over. Good luck with your certification!