NYS Department of Labor weekly benefit amount - how does minimum wage affect unemployment calculations?
I'm trying to understand how minimum wage jobs factor into my NYS Department of Labor weekly benefit amount. I worked mostly minimum wage retail positions for the past 18 months before getting laid off last month. My benefit calculation seems really low compared to what I expected. Does working minimum wage hurt your unemployment benefits? I made $15/hour at my last job which was above NY minimum wage but not by much. My weekly benefit is only showing $182 which seems like nothing. Is this normal for people who worked lower wage jobs? I'm having trouble making ends meet with this amount.
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Kevin Bell
Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your earnings during your base period, which is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. NYS Department of Labor uses a formula that takes your highest quarter earnings and divides by 26. If you worked minimum wage jobs, your base period wages would be lower, resulting in a lower weekly benefit amount. The minimum weekly benefit in NY is $104 and maximum is $504 for 2025.
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Ella Cofer
•That makes sense why mine is so low then. I was only working part-time at some of those jobs during my base period. Is there any way to get it recalculated if I had higher earnings in more recent quarters?
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Savannah Glover
You might want to check if you qualify for an alternate base period calculation. Sometimes if your regular base period doesn't give you enough credits or a high enough benefit amount, NYS Department of Labor can use a more recent four-quarter period. You'd need to contact them directly to request this review. Fair warning though - getting through on the phone is nearly impossible with their call volume.
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Felix Grigori
•I had the same phone problem when I needed to talk to someone about my benefit calculation. Ended up using Claimyr.com to get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have this system that calls for you and gets you connected when someone picks up. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of redialing.
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Ella Cofer
•How much does that service cost? I'm already struggling with the low benefit amount.
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Felix Grigori
•It's worth checking out their site for current info. For me it was worth it just to avoid the endless busy signals and getting hung up on. I needed to get my benefit amount reviewed and couldn't waste days trying to call.
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Felicity Bud
the whole system is rigged against working people!! i worked my butt off at minimum wage jobs for years and when i finally need help the benefits are basically nothing. meanwhile rich people get bailouts and tax breaks. NYS Department of Labor acts like $182 a week is supposed to cover rent and food in this economy
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Max Reyes
•I get the frustration but unemployment insurance is meant to be temporary assistance, not full wage replacement. The system is designed to encourage people to return to work quickly.
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Felicity Bud
•easy to say when you probably never had to live on unemployment benefits. try paying $1200 rent with $182 a week and tell me how temporary you want it to be
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Mikayla Davison
Wait I'm confused about the base period thing. I thought it was based on your last job? I got laid off from a $18/hour job but my benefits are calculated from when I was making $12/hour at my previous job. This doesn't make sense to me at all.
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Kevin Bell
•No, it's not based on your most recent job. NYS Department of Labor looks at a specific four-quarter period to calculate your weekly benefit amount. Your most recent wages might not even be included in that calculation depending on when you filed your claim.
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Adrian Connor
same boat here, worked mostly part time minimum wage and my benefits are terrible. but hey at least we get something right? could be worse
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Mikayla Davison
Actually just realized I might be eligible for other assistance programs since my unemployment is so low. Anyone know if you can get food stamps while collecting unemployment? This whole thing is so confusing.
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