NYS Department of Labor - when do you stop collecting unemployment benefits?
I've been on unemployment for about 4 months now and starting to get some job interviews lined up. I'm confused about when exactly I need to stop filing my weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor. Do I stop as soon as I accept a job offer, or when I actually start working? What if I get a part-time job - can I still collect some benefits? I don't want to mess this up and get hit with an overpayment later.
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Carmen Lopez
You stop collecting unemployment the week you start working full-time (30+ hours per week). If you accept a job offer but haven't started yet, you can still file your weekly claim. For part-time work under 30 hours, you can still collect partial benefits as long as you report the earnings on your weekly claim form. NYS Department of Labor will calculate the reduced benefit amount based on your earnings.
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Yuki Ito
•Thanks! So if I start a job on a Wednesday, do I file for the first part of that week or not file at all?
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Andre Dupont
Just went through this myself last month. You file for the days you were unemployed that week. So if you start Wednesday, you'd report 2 days of unemployment (Mon-Tue) and 3 days of work. NYS Department of Labor's system handles the partial week calculation automatically when you enter your work hours and earnings.
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QuantumQuasar
•Wait I thought you had to stop filing completely once you start any job? This is confusing
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Andre Dupont
•No, you can still get partial benefits if you're working less than full-time. The key is being honest about your earnings on the weekly claim form.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
Whatever you do, DON'T keep filing if you're working full-time! I made that mistake thinking I could collect for a few extra weeks and NYS Department of Labor hit me with a $2,800 overpayment notice. The fraud penalties are no joke. When in doubt, stop filing and you can always call them to clarify your situation.
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Yuki Ito
•Yikes, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.
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Jamal Wilson
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I used a 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. Was way easier than spending hours on hold trying to get through myself.
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Mei Lin
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they actually help you talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor?
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Jamal Wilson
•Yeah, got through to an agent within like 20 minutes when I couldn't get through on my own after trying for days. Really helped clear up my questions about partial benefits.
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Liam Fitzgerald
The general rule is you stop when you're no longer unemployed or underemployed. Full-time work = stop filing. Part-time work = keep filing but report everything honestly. NYS Department of Labor is pretty clear about this in their handbook, but I know it can be confusing when you're in the middle of it.
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Freya Thomsen
One thing to add - make sure you understand the difference between "accepting" a job offer and actually starting work. I learned the hard way that you can accept an offer on Monday but if you don't start until the following week, you're still unemployed for that entire week and should file your claim. The key date is when you actually begin working and earning wages, not when you shake hands on the deal. Also, keep all your paperwork (offer letter, start date confirmation, etc.) in case NYS Department of Labor ever needs to verify your timeline.
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