NYS Department of Labor earnings limits - how much money can you make and still collect unemployment?

Wait so if I make more than my full weekly benefit amount, I get nothing that week? That seems harsh.

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.

Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to call for weeks but can never get through.

totally agree the whole system is confusing as hell

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.

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?

@0e1d091045f1 can probably give you the exact details, but from what I understand you just don't certify for the weeks you don't want benefits. The key thing is to make sure you're not claiming benefits for weeks when you're earning good money - that's when people get into trouble with overpayments. I think as long as you're within your benefit year (which is usually 52 weeks from when you first filed), you should be able to resume. But definitely double-check this with NYS Department of Labor or maybe try that claimyr service @cc9ed8de0a02 mentioned if you can't get through on the phone.

@Connor Rupert You just skip certifying for the weeks you don t'want to claim benefits - there s'no special pause "button" or anything. But be careful because if you skip too many weeks in a row I (think it s'4 consecutive weeks in NY ,)your claim goes dormant and you have to reopen it. Also, your benefit year is still ticking down even when you re'not certifying, so you re'essentially wasting "those" weeks if you think about it that way. I usually only skip weeks when I m'making significantly more than my weekly benefit amount, otherwise it s'not worth it.

You just skip certifying for those weeks - there's no formal "pause" process. When you don't certify, that week just doesn't count toward your benefit year total. But be careful because if you skip too many weeks (I think it's 4 consecutive weeks in NY), your claim becomes inactive and you'll need to reopen it, which can be a hassle. I usually skip certification when I know I'm going to earn more than my weekly benefit amount anyway. Just make sure to start certifying again as soon as your income drops back down. The key is keeping track of your benefit year end date - you don't want to run out of time to collect your remaining benefits.

@0e1d091045f1 might have better details, but from what I understand you just don't certify for those weeks when you're earning too much. The key is being strategic about it - if you know you're going to make more than your weekly benefit amount, it often makes sense to skip certification rather than get $0 and still have to report all that income. Just make sure you restart certification as soon as your earnings drop back down. I think you can skip several weeks without issues as long as you're within your benefit year, but definitely double-check the NYS Department of Labor guidelines on this.