NYS Department of Labor earnings limit - how much can you make and still collect unemployment?
I'm getting mixed information about the income limits for part-time work while collecting unemployment in NY. I found a part-time job that pays about $250 per week but I'm scared to take it if it'll mess up my benefits. My weekly benefit amount is $420. Can anyone explain the exact rules for how much you can earn and still get partial unemployment? I don't want to accidentally lose everything.
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PixelPioneer
The general rule in NY is you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction. So if your WBR is $420, you can earn up to $105 with no penalty. For earnings above that, they deduct 25% of what you earn over the threshold from your weekly benefit. At $250 per week, you'd lose some benefits but still receive partial unemployment.
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Yara Abboud
•Thank you! So if I make $250, they'd subtract 25% of $145 (the amount over $105) which is about $36, leaving me with $384 in unemployment plus the $250 from work?
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Keisha Williams
wait i thought it was different than that? i've been working 15 hours a week making like $180 and they've been taking money off my benefits every week
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PixelPioneer
•You have to report ALL earnings when you file your weekly claim, even if it's under the threshold. The system calculates the deduction automatically based on what you report.
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Paolo Rizzo
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact question last month. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent who explained everything clearly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to call myself.
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Yara Abboud
•That's interesting, I might check that out. I've been dreading having to call them about this.
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Amina Sy
The key thing is to ALWAYS report your earnings accurately on your weekly claim. I made the mistake of not reporting some cash work thinking it wouldn't matter and ended up with an overpayment notice months later. Not worth the risk.
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Oliver Fischer
•How did they find out about the cash work? That's scary.
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Natasha Ivanova
Just wanted to add that you also need to make sure you're still meeting the job search requirements even with part-time work. The NYS Department of Labor still expects you to be actively looking for full-time employment unless you're on standby status.
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AstroAce
I'm in a similar situation and found that the NY DOL website has a helpful earnings calculator tool that shows exactly how much your benefits will be reduced based on your part-time earnings. It's buried in their resources section but really useful for planning ahead. Also, make sure to report your gross earnings (before taxes) when filing your weekly claim, not your take-home pay - that's a common mistake that can cause issues later.
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Hattie Carson
•Thanks for mentioning the earnings calculator! I've been trying to find that on their website but couldn't locate it. Do you happen to remember what section it's under? I want to double-check my calculations before I accept this job offer.
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Samantha Howard
•I think it's under the "Claimant Resources" section, then look for "Benefit Rate Calculator" or something similar. If you can't find it, try searching "partial benefits calculator" on their site. Also wanted to add - make sure you understand the difference between your gross weekly earnings and your weekly benefit rate when doing these calculations. The $105 threshold mentioned earlier is 25% of your weekly benefit amount, not a flat number for everyone.
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Alexander Evans
Just went through this exact scenario a few months ago! The math works out like PixelPioneer explained - at $250/week you'd keep about $384 in unemployment benefits plus your $250 earnings, so around $634 total. That's actually better than just collecting the full $420 unemployment alone. One thing to watch out for though is that you need to report your earnings for the week you actually performed the work, not when you get paid. So if you work Monday-Friday but get paid the following week, report it for the week you worked. Also keep all your pay stubs - NYS DOL sometimes does audits and you'll want documentation. The part-time work won't hurt your claim as long as you stay honest about reporting it!
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