NYS Department of Labor regular UI vs other programs - what unemployment benefits exist?
I'm really confused about all the different unemployment programs that exist. I keep hearing people mention different types but I only know about regular unemployment insurance through NYS Department of Labor. My friend said there used to be other federal programs but I don't understand what's available now vs what existed before. Can someone explain what unemployment benefits are currently available in New York? I'm self-employed part-time and lost my main contract work, so I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for anything through NYS Department of Labor or if there are other options I should know about.
11 comments
Join the conversation
Isla Fischer
In New York, the main program is regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) through NYS Department of Labor. There used to be federal pandemic programs like PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) and PEUC (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation) but those ended in September 2021. Now it's basically just regular UI, which covers traditional employees who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Self-employed and gig workers generally don't qualify for regular UI unless they've been paying into the system as employees.
0 coins
Logan Chiang
•So if I'm self-employed I can't get any unemployment benefits at all? That seems really unfair compared to regular employees.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
yeah the pandemic programs were way better for freelancers and stuff but they're gone now. regular unemployment is only for people who had W2 jobs and got laid off or fired without cause
0 coins
Ruby Blake
You might want to check if you've had any W2 employment recently that could establish a claim. NYS Department of Labor looks at your base period earnings from traditional employment. Even if you're primarily self-employed, if you had some W2 work in the past 15 months, you might be able to file a regular UI claim. You can also look into other assistance programs through the Department of Social Services, though those aren't unemployment benefits specifically.
0 coins
Logan Chiang
•I did have a part-time W2 job for about 6 months last year but only worked like 15 hours a week. Would that be enough to qualify?
0 coins
Ruby Blake
•It depends on how much you earned. NYS Department of Labor requires minimum earnings during your base period. You can check your potential eligibility by creating an account on my.ny.gov and seeing if you can start a claim application.
0 coins
Micah Franklin
The whole system is ridiculous honestly. They had all these special programs during COVID that actually helped people who needed it and then just cut everyone off. Now if you're a freelancer or contractor you're basically screwed.
0 coins
Ella Harper
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get answers about your specific situation, I had good luck using a service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They help you get through to actual agents when the phone lines are jammed. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals when I needed to ask about my base period earnings.
0 coins
PrinceJoe
•Thanks for sharing that! I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for days with no luck.
0 coins
Brooklyn Knight
I was in a similar situation last year - mostly freelance work but had some regular employment mixed in. The key is understanding what counts toward your base period. NYS Department of Labor only considers W2 wages from employers who paid unemployment taxes on your behalf. 1099 income doesn't count at all unfortunately.
0 coins
PrinceJoe
this is so helpful thank you everyone!! I had no idea about the base period thing
0 coins