NYS Department of Labor eligibility for unemployment benefits - confused about requirements

The basic NYS Department of Labor eligibility requirements are: 1) You must have worked and earned wages in at least two quarters during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters), 2) You must be totally or partially unemployed through no fault of your own, 3) You must be physically able and available for work, and 4) You must be actively seeking work. For your situation with reduced hours, you might qualify for partial benefits. The part-time work and evening classes shouldn't disqualify you as long as you're available for work during normal business hours.

Yeah I was in a similar situation last year - had my retail hours cut way down and NYS Department of Labor approved me for partial UI benefits. You just have to report your earnings each week when you do your weekly claim. The classes might be okay but make sure you can prove you're available for full-time work if offered.

Thanks both of you! So when you say 'base period' - how do I figure out what quarters that covers? I started working in March 2024 so I'm trying to calculate if I have enough work history.

Your base period would typically be January 2024 through December 2024 if you're filing now in 2025. You need to have earned at least $2,700 in your highest quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter amount. NYS Department of Labor will calculate this automatically when you file, but you can estimate it beforehand. If you don't qualify under the standard base period, they'll check your alternate base period which uses more recent quarters.

ugh the base period calculation is so confusing!! I filed last month and had no idea if I qualified until after I submitted everything. took like 3 weeks to get approved

If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to verify your eligibility before filing, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent. They helped me understand my work history requirements and whether my school schedule would affect my benefits. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected.

One thing to watch out for - if you're taking classes you need to make sure NYS Department of Labor doesn't think you're unavailable for work. I had a friend who got denied because they thought her college schedule meant she couldn't accept full-time employment. Just be ready to explain how your class schedule works with job availability.

The system is such a pain honestly. I've been fighting with adjudication for weeks over something that should be simple. But yeah definitely file if you think you might qualify - they'll tell you yes or no and at least you'll know for sure. Better than wondering and missing out on benefits you're entitled to.