NYS Department of Labor unemployment - what determines how much unemployment you get weekly?
Just got approved for unemployment after being laid off from my warehouse job and I'm confused about my weekly benefit amount. My friend who made way less than me is getting almost the same amount I am. I made $52,000 last year but my weekly benefit is only $380. How exactly does NYS Department of Labor calculate what you get? Is it based on your highest earning quarter or your total yearly income? I can't find a clear explanation anywhere and the my.ny.gov portal doesn't break down the calculation.
9 comments
Join the conversation
Natalie Adams
NYS Department of Labor uses your highest earning quarter from your base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). They take that quarter's wages, divide by 26, then apply the benefit formula. There's also a maximum weekly benefit amount - I think it's around $504 for 2025. Your total yearly income doesn't matter as much as that one highest quarter.
0 coins
Jordan Walker
•That makes sense why my amount seems lower than expected. I had a really good Q4 last year but the other quarters were lower because I switched jobs mid-year.
0 coins
Elijah O'Reilly
yeah the calculation is weird, i made 45k and get 365 weekly so your amount sounds about right for 52k
0 coins
Amara Torres
The NYS Department of Labor benefit calculator on their website can give you an estimate if you know your quarterly wages. You need your wages from each quarter in your base period. The formula is roughly 1/26th of your highest quarter but there are some adjustments based on your total base period wages too.
0 coins
Olivia Van-Cleve
•I tried that calculator but it kept giving me error messages. Is there a way to see the actual quarterly breakdown they used for my claim calculation?
0 coins
Amara Torres
•You should be able to see your wage history in your my.ny.gov account under claim details. If it's not showing up there or the amounts look wrong, you might need to call NYS Department of Labor to verify they have the correct wage information.
0 coins
Mason Kaczka
ugh the whole system is so confusing, I've been trying to figure out why my benefits are so low compared to what I was making. Been on hold with NYS Department of Labor for hours trying to get someone to explain it
0 coins
Sophia Russo
•I had the same problem with getting through to NYS Department of Labor. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way easier than sitting on hold forever.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
Also remember that your benefit amount is before taxes if you chose to have them withheld. That might be why it seems lower than you expected.
0 coins