NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefit calculation - how do they determine how much unemployment you get?
I just got approved for unemployment benefits after being laid off from my retail job last month, but I'm confused about how they calculated my weekly benefit amount. My payment is $320 per week which seems random to me. I made about $42,000 last year working full time but had some gaps when I switched jobs. Does anyone know exactly how NYS Department of Labor figures out your benefit amount? I can't find a clear explanation anywhere and when I try to call they just say it's based on my earnings history.
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Theodore Nelson
The NYS Department of Labor uses your highest earning quarter from your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). They take that quarter's earnings and divide by 26 to get your weekly benefit rate. There's also a minimum and maximum - in 2025 the max is $504 per week. Your $320 sounds about right if your highest quarter was around $8,300.
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Carmella Fromis
•That makes more sense! I did have a really good quarter last spring when I was working overtime. Thanks for explaining the formula.
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AaliyahAli
wait so its not just based on your last job? i thought it was whatever you were making when you got fired
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Ellie Simpson
•No, it looks at your entire earnings history during the base period, not just your most recent job. That's why some people are surprised by their benefit amount - it might be higher or lower than their last paycheck depending on their earning pattern over the past year.
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Arjun Kurti
I had the same confusion when I filed! The NYS Department of Labor calculation seemed off to me too. What helped was looking at my monetary determination letter that shows exactly which quarters they used and what wages they counted. You should have gotten one in your online account or by mail. It breaks down all the math so you can see where your number came from.
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Carmella Fromis
•I'll check my online account for that letter. I probably missed it in all the paperwork.
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Raúl Mora
If you think there's an error in your benefit calculation, you can appeal it. I had to do this when they missed wages from a job I had early in my base period. The process took about 6 weeks but they corrected my weekly benefit amount and gave me back pay for the difference. Just make sure you have your pay stubs and tax documents ready if you go that route.
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Margot Quinn
Honestly the whole system is confusing on purpose. I spent hours trying to figure out my calculation and even when I called NYS Department of Labor they couldn't explain it clearly. At least you got approved though - that's the hardest part these days with all the adjudication delays.
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Arjun Kurti
•I totally get the frustration with reaching them by phone. When I had questions about my calculation, I actually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Made the whole process way less stressful than trying to call myself.
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Evelyn Kim
ya mine was like $287 and i have no idea why lol. as long as the money comes in every week im not complaining
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