NYS Department of Labor weekly benefit calculation - if I make 1000 a week how much will I get unemployment
Hey everyone, I've been working at a marketing company making about $1000 per week ($52k annually) for the past year and a half. My position is getting eliminated next month and I'm trying to figure out what my weekly unemployment benefit would be through NYS Department of Labor. I know it's based on your wages but I can't find a clear calculator anywhere. Has anyone had similar earnings and can tell me roughly what to expect? I need to start budgeting for this transition period.
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NightOwl42
The NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate (WBR) using your highest quarter earnings from your base period, which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. For someone making $1000/week consistently, you're looking at roughly $13,000 per quarter. Your weekly benefit would be approximately 1/26th of your highest quarter, so around $500 per week. But there's a maximum weekly benefit of $504 in 2025, so you'd likely hit that cap.
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Dylan Hughes
•Thanks! So I'd basically get the maximum amount? That's actually better than I expected. Do I need to do anything special when filing to make sure they calculate it correctly?
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Sofia Rodriguez
Yeah you'll definitely max out at $504/week. I was making similar money and that's exactly what I got. Just make sure when you file your initial claim that all your employers from the past 18 months are listed correctly. NYS Department of Labor will verify your wages automatically but if something's missing it can delay your claim.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•How long did it take for your claim to get approved? I'm worried about the waiting period.
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Ava Thompson
Wait hold on, isn't there some kind of waiting week where you don't get paid for the first week? And don't you have to do job searches too?
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NightOwl42
•New York eliminated the waiting week a few years ago, so you can get benefits starting from your first week of unemployment. And yes, you need to complete 3 job search activities per week and log them in the system.
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Miguel Herrera
I was making about $950/week and got the full $504. But here's the thing - if you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status or resolve any issues, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually gets you connected to a real agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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Dylan Hughes
•Interesting, I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues. Hopefully the online system works smoothly for filing.
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Zainab Ali
Just remember you can work part-time and still collect some benefits as long as you don't earn more than $504 in a week. They'll reduce your benefit dollar for dollar over $504 but you can earn up to that amount without penalty.
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StarSailor}
•That's really helpful to know about the partial benefits! @Dylan Hughes this might be useful for you too - if you find some freelance or consulting work while job hunting, you could potentially still get some unemployment benefits as long as you stay under that threshold.
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