NYS Department of Labor unemployment calculation - what quarter is being used for my benefit amount right now?
I'm trying to figure out which quarter NYS Department of Labor is using to calculate my unemployment benefits. I started my claim in January 2025 and I'm getting $387 per week but I can't figure out how they came up with that amount. I had different jobs with different pay rates throughout 2024 and early 2024. Does anyone know what quarter unemployment is based on right now for new claims? I want to make sure they're using the right earnings.
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Zara Khan
For claims filed in 2025, NYS Department of Labor typically uses your highest earning quarter from the first four of the last five completed quarters before you filed. Since you filed in January 2025, they'd look at quarters from early 2024 through Q3 2024. The base period would be Q1 2023 through Q4 2024, and they pick your highest quarter from Q1-Q4 2024 to calculate your weekly benefit rate.
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Sean Murphy
•That makes sense! Q2 2024 was definitely my highest earning quarter, so that explains the $387. Thanks for breaking down how the base period works.
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Luca Ferrari
wait im confused about this too... i thought they used all four quarters? my benefit amount seems way lower than what i expected based on my 2024 earnings
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Nia Davis
•They use your total earnings from all qualifying quarters to determine if you're eligible, but your weekly benefit amount is calculated using just your highest quarter divided by 26. That's probably why your amount seems lower than expected. You can check your monetary determination letter on your my.ny.gov account to see exactly which quarters they used.
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Mateo Martinez
I had the same question last month and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone to ask. Ended up using Claimyr.com to get connected directly to an agent who explained my whole calculation. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way easier than trying to call the regular number and getting hung up on.
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Sean Murphy
•How much does that service cost? I might try it if I have more questions about my claim.
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Mateo Martinez
•It's worth it just to avoid the frustration of calling NYS Department of Labor directly. Much faster than waiting on hold for hours.
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QuantumQueen
The whole quarter system is confusing AF. Like why can't they just use your last year's W-2? Would be so much simpler than this base period nonsense
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Aisha Rahman
I think there might be different rules if you don't have enough earnings in the regular base period? Something about an alternate base period that uses more recent quarters but I'm not sure how that works.
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