NYS Department of Labor minimum wage changes affecting unemployment eligibility - need clarification
I'm really confused about how the recent minimum wage increases in NY are affecting my unemployment claim. I was working part-time at $14/hour before getting laid off, and now I'm seeing different wage requirements for benefit calculations. My weekly benefit amount seems lower than I expected based on what I earned. Does anyone know if the minimum wage changes create different thresholds for unemployment eligibility? I'm worried I might not qualify for the full amount I should be getting from NYS Department of Labor.
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Andre Rousseau
The minimum wage changes don't directly affect unemployment eligibility, but they do impact how NYS Department of Labor calculates your base period wages. Your benefits are based on earnings from your highest quarter during the base period, not current minimum wage rates. If you worked at $14/hour, that's what gets used in the calculation regardless of what minimum wage is now.
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Carmen Ortiz
•Thanks, that makes more sense. So they're looking at what I actually earned during my base period quarters, not adjusting it to current wage levels?
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Zoe Papadakis
wait im confused too... doesnt higher minimum wage mean we should get more unemployment money?? my claim is pending and idk if they're calculating it right
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Jamal Carter
•No, unemployment benefits are calculated from your actual work history during the base period. The current minimum wage doesn't factor into existing claims - only into what you'd need to earn at future jobs to maintain eligibility.
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AstroAdventurer
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my benefit calculation too. Spent hours on hold trying to understand why my amount seemed off. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual agent who explained the whole base period calculation process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made it so much easier than trying to decipher the automated system.
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Carmen Ortiz
•Did they help you figure out if your calculation was correct? I'm still not sure if mine is right.
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AstroAdventurer
•Yes, the agent walked through my quarterly earnings and showed me exactly how they arrived at my weekly benefit amount. Turned out it was calculated correctly, I just didn't understand the formula.
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Mei Liu
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing about this stuff! I thought minimum wage going up would automatically boost everyone's unemployment but apparently that's not how it works at all. Wish they explained this better when you file.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
I went through the same confusion when I first filed! The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor uses your actual wage history from the "base period" (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). So if you earned $14/hour during those quarters, that's what they use - not the current minimum wage. Your weekly benefit is typically about half of your average weekly wage during your highest-earning quarter, up to the state maximum. The minimum wage changes only affect future earnings requirements, not past wage calculations for existing claims.
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