NYS Department of Labor claim approved but when minimum wage results unemployment benefit amount seems wrong
Finally got my unemployment claim approved after weeks of waiting but something doesn't add up with my benefit amount. I was making $15.50/hour at my retail job (just above minimum wage) working about 32 hours per week before getting laid off in December. My weekly benefit amount is showing as $182 but when I calculate it based on what I earned, it seems like it should be higher? I know they use your highest quarter earnings but I'm confused about how minimum wage jobs factor into the calculation. Has anyone else had issues with benefit amounts when working minimum wage or close to it?
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Sophia Carter
The benefit calculation uses your base period earnings, which is usually the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed. NYS Department of Labor takes your highest quarter earnings and divides by 26 to get your weekly benefit rate. With part-time minimum wage work, your base period earnings might be lower than you expect, especially if you had periods of reduced hours or gaps in employment.
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Aaron Boston
•That makes sense actually. I did have some weeks where I was only scheduled 20 hours instead of my usual 32. Do they count those weeks at the lower hours in the calculation?
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Chloe Zhang
yeah i had the same problem when i got laid off from my restaurant job. was making minimum wage plus tips but they only counted my base wage for unemployment, not the tips. ended up getting way less than i thought i would
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Brandon Parker
•Tips aren't included in unemployment calculations unless they were reported as wages on your W-2. Most tip income is unreported so it doesn't count toward your base period earnings unfortunately.
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Adriana Cohn
I'm dealing with something similar! My claim shows pending for 2 weeks now and I can't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about my benefit amount. The phone system just hangs up on me after being on hold forever. How did you finally get yours approved?
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Jace Caspullo
•If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, you might want to check out claimyr.com - they help people get through to unemployment agents. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it last month when I couldn't get anyone to answer about my adjudication issue and actually got connected to a real person within a few hours.
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Adriana Cohn
•Thanks! I'll definitely look into that. I'm getting desperate trying to reach someone about my claim status.
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Melody Miles
Check your online account for the monetary determination notice - it breaks down exactly how they calculated your benefit amount using your quarterly earnings. If you think there's an error, you can request a hearing to dispute it.
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Aaron Boston
•I found the monetary determination but the numbers still don't make sense to me. It shows my highest quarter as $6,240 but I know I earned more than that in Q2 when I was working full time for a few months.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
The minimum wage thing is SO frustrating! I worked two part-time minimum wage jobs and when I got laid off from both, my unemployment was barely enough to cover rent. The system is rigged against low-wage workers who need help the most.
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