NYS Department of Labor earnings limits - how much money can you make and still collect unemployment?
I'm confused about the earnings rules while collecting unemployment benefits. I've been getting part-time work here and there but I'm scared I'm going to mess up my claim if I earn too much. What's the actual limit for how much you can make in New York and still get your weekly unemployment payment? I tried reading the NYS Department of Labor website but it's really confusing with all the calculations. Anyone know the simple answer?
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Anastasia Popova
In New York, you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction to your unemployment payment. Anything above that gets deducted dollar-for-dollar from your benefits. So if your weekly benefit is $400, you can earn up to $100 without penalty. If you earn $150, they'll reduce your benefit by $50 that week.
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Diego Mendoza
•Wait so if I make more than my full weekly benefit amount, I get nothing that week? That seems harsh.
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Sean Flanagan
yeah i think thats right but you still need to report ALL earnings even if its just $20 or whatever. the nys department of labor will find out anyway if you dont report it
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Zara Shah
You absolutely have to report every penny you earn. The 25% rule is correct, but remember you need to report gross earnings before taxes, not what you actually take home. I learned this the hard way when I got an overpayment notice for not reporting correctly. Make sure you're logging into your my.ny.gov account every week and being honest about your earnings.
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NebulaNomad
•This is exactly why I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone last month! I was getting conflicting information about whether to report gross or net pay. I ended up using claimyr.com to actually reach an agent who explained it properly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling.
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Diego Mendoza
•Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to call for weeks but can never get through.
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Luca Ferrari
The NYS Department of Labor system is so frustrating with these earnings calculations. I've been doing gig work and some weeks I make $50, other weeks $200. It's impossible to predict what my unemployment payment will be each week. Why can't they just have a simple chart or calculator on their website?
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Nia Wilson
•totally agree the whole system is confusing as hell
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Anastasia Popova
One more important thing - if you're doing freelance or gig work, you need to report that income in the week you performed the work, not when you got paid. This trips up a lot of people with unemployment claims.
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Laura Lopez
•This is such an important point that I wish the NYS Department of Labor made clearer! I made this mistake early on with some consulting work - I reported the income when I got paid two weeks later instead of when I actually did the work. Ended up having to call and straighten it out, which was a nightmare given how hard it is to reach someone. For anyone doing gig work, keep detailed records of when you actually performed the work, not just when payment hit your account.
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Butch Sledgehammer
Just want to add that if you're consistently earning close to or over your benefit amount, it might be worth considering whether to pause your unemployment claim temporarily. I had a few good weeks where I was making decent money from freelance work, and it made more sense to just not certify for those weeks rather than deal with the reduced benefits and potential complications. You can always resume your claim later as long as you're still within your benefit year. Just make sure to understand the rules about when you need to reopen vs. continue your existing claim.
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Connor Rupert
•That's really smart advice about pausing your claim! I didn't know you could do that. Is there a specific process for pausing it, or do you just skip certifying for those weeks? I'm worried about accidentally messing up my claim status if I don't certify when I'm supposed to. Also, do you know if there's a limit to how many weeks you can skip before it affects your eligibility?
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