NYS Department of Labor weekly benefit amount - how much unemployment can you get in 2025?
I'm trying to figure out what my weekly unemployment benefit will be if I file a claim with NYS Department of Labor. I've been working full-time making about $55,000 a year for the past three years. Does anyone know how they calculate the weekly benefit amount? I heard there's a maximum but I'm not sure what it is for 2025. Also wondering how long you can collect - is it still 26 weeks or did that change?
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Sean O'Connor
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $504. They take your highest quarter, divide by 26, then you get about half of that amount. So if you made $16,000 in your highest quarter, you'd get around $308 per week. The standard duration is 26 weeks of benefits.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Thanks! So with my salary I should qualify for close to the maximum then. Do you know if there are any deductions from that weekly amount?
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Zara Ahmed
wait i thought it was based on all four quarters not just the highest one? i'm so confused by how they calculate this stuff
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Sean O'Connor
•No, it's specifically your highest earning quarter. They use all four quarters to determine if you're eligible, but the benefit calculation uses just your best quarter divided by 26.
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Luca Conti
Just went through this process last month. NYS Department of Labor will send you a monetary determination letter that shows exactly how they calculated your weekly benefit rate. Mine took about 10 days to get after I filed my initial claim. The letter breaks down which quarters they used and shows the math. If you think there's an error you can request a hearing to challenge it.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Good to know about the determination letter. Did you have any issues with the calculation or was it pretty straightforward?
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Luca Conti
•Mine was accurate but I had a friend who had to appeal because they missed some W-2 income from a second job. NYS Department of Labor only uses what employers report to them, so if there's missing wages you need to provide documentation.
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Nia Johnson
The whole system is so confusing and they make it impossible to get answers when you call! I've been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my benefit calculation and just get busy signals or get hung up on after waiting on hold forever.
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CyberNinja
•I had the same problem trying to reach NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. Someone on here mentioned claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to actual agents without the endless hold times. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to resolve an adjudication issue with my claim.
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Nia Johnson
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Might be worth trying since I'm getting nowhere with the regular phone system.
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Mateo Lopez
Don't forget you also have to meet the job search requirements to keep getting benefits. NYS Department of Labor requires 3 job search activities per week and you have to log them in the system. Missing those can disqualify you even if you're otherwise eligible.
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Aisha Abdullah
yeah the job search thing is annoying but not hard to do. just apply to jobs online and log them in your weekly claim. took me like 10 minutes each week
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Honorah King
Another thing to keep in mind is that your weekly benefit amount might be subject to federal taxes. NYS Department of Labor gives you the option to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you certify each week, which can save you from owing a big chunk at tax time. I learned this the hard way my first time on unemployment - ended up owing about $1,200 in taxes because I didn't have anything withheld. The gross benefit amount stays the same but it's something to consider for your budgeting.
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Javier Morales
•That's really helpful advice about the tax withholding! I hadn't even thought about that aspect. With my income level, I'm definitely going to opt for the 10% federal withholding to avoid any surprises come tax season. Better to get a smaller weekly amount than owe a bunch later. Thanks for sharing your experience - probably saved me from making the same mistake!
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