NYS Department of Labor - how is unemployment payment calculated for my benefits?
I just got approved for UI benefits after waiting through adjudication for 6 weeks. My weekly benefit amount is $347 but I have no idea how they came up with that number. I worked two jobs last year - one full time making $52K and a part time weekend job making about $8K. Does anyone know the actual formula NYS Department of Labor uses? I want to make sure they calculated it right because this seems lower than what my coworker got and she made less than me.
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Tate Jensen
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings from your base period (first 4 of last 5 completed quarters). They take that amount, divide by 26, then calculate 50% of that weekly average. There's also a minimum of $104 and maximum of $504 per week for 2025. With your income levels, you should double-check they used the right quarters in their calculation.
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Marcelle Drum
AuthorThanks! So they look at my best 3-month period, not my total yearly earnings? That makes more sense. I had some overtime in Q2 2024 that pushed that quarter higher.
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Adaline Wong
mine seemed wrong too when i first got it but turns out they dont count certain types of income like bonuses or commission the same way. did you have any of that?
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Marcelle Drum
AuthorYes I got a $3000 bonus in December! Maybe that's why the calculation seems off.
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Gabriel Ruiz
The tricky part is getting through to NYS Department of Labor to verify your wage records if you think there's an error. I spent weeks trying to reach someone about my calculation. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Turns out my employer had reported my wages incorrectly and I was owed an extra $89 per week.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
How much does that service cost? I've been calling for 3 weeks straight and can never get through.
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Gabriel Ruiz
It was worth it for me since I was losing money each week with the wrong calculation. Way easier than spending hours on hold only to get disconnected.
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Peyton Clarke
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing with these calculations. They sent me a monetary determination letter but the math still doesn't add up even after reading it 5 times. Why can't they just explain it in plain English?
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Tate Jensen
Your monetary determination should show exactly which quarters they used and the wage amounts. If those wages don't match your pay stubs or W-2, that's when you need to file an appeal or contact them to correct the records.
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Vince Eh
One thing people miss is that if you worked in multiple states during your base period, you might be able to combine wages for a higher benefit amount. NYS Department of Labor has interstate agreements for this but you have to specifically request it.
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