NYS Department of Labor unemployment quarters work - confused about base period calculation
I'm trying to figure out how the quarterly system works for unemployment benefits and I'm completely lost. I know NYS Department of Labor looks at your earnings from previous quarters to determine your benefit amount, but I don't understand which quarters they actually use. Is it the last 4 quarters before you file? And what if you worked part-time in some quarters but full-time in others? My friend said something about a 'base period' but I have no idea what that means. I've been working for about 18 months but had some gaps between jobs. Will those gaps hurt my benefit calculation?
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Oliver Becker
The base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would be January-March 2024, April-June 2024, July-September 2024, and October-December 2024. NYS Department of Labor uses your highest quarter earnings to calculate your weekly benefit rate. Part-time work counts as long as you earned enough in your base period quarters.
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Amina Bah
•Oh wow that makes more sense! So they don't use the most recent quarter at all? That seems weird since that's probably when I was making the most money.
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Natasha Petrova
Actually there's also something called alternate base period if your regular base period doesn't qualify you. That uses the last 4 completed quarters instead of skipping the most recent one. It's worth checking if your earnings were higher in more recent quarters.
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Amina Bah
•How do I know if I should use the alternate base period? Do I have to request that specifically when I file?
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Oliver Becker
•NYS Department of Labor will automatically check the alternate base period if you don't qualify under the regular one. But you can also request it if you think it would give you a higher benefit amount.
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Javier Hernandez
I had the same confusion when I filed last year! The quarter thing is so confusing because it's not based on when you worked, it's based on when your employer actually paid the unemployment taxes on your wages. Sometimes there can be delays in reporting that affect which quarter your earnings show up in.
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Emma Davis
•This is exactly why I couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about my quarters. The phone system is impossible! I ended up using Claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent who explained my base period calculation. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Finally got answers about my benefit amount.
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LunarLegend
wait so if I only worked 3 quarters in my base period am I screwed?? I was unemployed for like 6 months before my last job
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Oliver Becker
•You need earnings in at least 2 quarters of your base period to qualify, and your total base period earnings need to be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. The gaps don't matter as long as you meet the earnings requirements.
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Malik Jackson
The whole quarterly system is designed to screw workers over if you ask me. Why should some arbitrary calendar quarters determine your benefits instead of just looking at your most recent work history? Makes no sense.
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Isabella Oliveira
•I mean I get the frustration but there has to be some consistent way to calculate benefits. At least the alternate base period helps people who worked more recently.
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Noah Lee
The base period calculation definitely seems confusing at first! One thing that helped me understand it was thinking of it like this: NYS Department of Labor needs time to process all the wage data from employers before they can use it for benefit calculations. That's why they skip the most recent quarter - the wage reports might not be complete yet. Also, don't worry too much about gaps between jobs - what matters is having enough earnings in at least 2 quarters of your base period. If you worked steadily for 18 months, you should be in good shape. You can always call or check online to see what quarters and earnings they have on file for you before filing your claim.
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Owen Devar
•That's a really helpful way to think about it! I never considered that they need time to process the wage data. That makes the timing make more sense. Is there a way to check what earnings they have on file before filing, or do you have to wait until you actually submit the claim? I'm worried there might be some missing quarters from when I switched jobs.
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