Understanding the 5 quarters NY unemployment uses to calculate my benefits - very confused!

They look at your base period which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. So they skip the most recent quarter. If you filed in June 2023, they'd look at January-December 2022. If that doesn't work for you, they can also use an alternate base period which is just the last 4 completed quarters. Hope that helps!

After banging my head against the wall trying to get someone on the phone for WEEKS, I finally tried this service called Claimyr. They got me connected to a real human at ny unemployment in like 10 minutes. Totally worth it to finally get my benefits sorted out quickly. Check out their explanation video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

The base period they use is NOT your most recent 5 quarters. Its actually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. So wierd but they basically ignore the quarter right before you file. If you dont qualify using that, they can look at your alternate base period which is the last 4 completed quarters before filing.

I'm in the exact same situation. Just got layed off from my programming job and trying to figure out my benefit amount. They told me on the phone that they use the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters. So if you filed in July 2023, they'd use January-December 2022. But you can request they use the alternate base period which would be April 2022-March 2023 if that helps you qualify.

So for NY unemployment, the term '5 quarters' is kinda misleading. They only actually USE 4 quarters to calculate your benefits. But they look at a 5-quarter period to determine which 4 quarters to use. Here's how it works: - They start by looking at the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed - Then they use the FIRST 4 of those 5 quarters (ignoring the most recent quarter) - This is called your "Base Period" For example, if you filed in August 2023: - The last completed quarter was April-June 2023 - The 5 quarters they look at would be: April-June 2022, July-Sept 2022, Oct-Dec 2022, Jan-March 2023, and April-June 2023 - But they only USE the first 4: April 2022 through March 2023 If you don't qualify using that method or if including your most recent quarter would give you a higher benefit amount, you can request they use your "Alternate Base Period" instead, which is just the 4 most recent completed quarters. If you're having trouble getting through to ask questions, I recommend using claimyr.com - they'll wait on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. Saved me HOURS of frustration and got my claim sorted quickly.

The DOL website explains this but tbh its confusing af. I think your internship would count as long as it was in one of the quarters they consider AND you were paid as a w2 employee (not 1099).

just to add something that nobody mentioned - if you don't have enough wages in your base period or alternate base period, there's also something called the extended base period which can be used if you were out of work due to an injury or illness. probably doesn't apply to your situation but good to know!

why does NY unemployment have to make everything so damn complicated 🤦‍♂️ you literally need a math degree to figure out your benefits

Went through this nightmare last year. Here's what I learned: they have two methods for calculating your base period. The standard base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters. If you don't qualify using that, they'll use the alternate base period which is just the last 4 completed quarters. For me, the alternate base period gave me a higher weekly benefit amount because I had gotten a raise in my most recent quarter.

DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED on the ny unemployment system!!! Ive been trying to get my benifits for 3 months. Every time I call I wait for 2+ hours just to get hung up on. RIDICULOUS!!!!!

FYI - quarters are: Q1: Jan-Mar Q2: Apr-Jun Q3: Jul-Sep Q4: Oct-Dec

If you were in school for some of those quarters, you might have issues qualifying. When I applied, I had been in school for 2 of my base period quarters, and they initially denied me because I wasn't "available for work" during those quarters. Had to appeal and prove I was working while in school.

I work in HR and deal with this all the time. Calendar quarters are Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, and Oct-Dec. NY looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you file. They need to see you earned at least $2,900 in the highest quarter of your base period for you to qualify. Your weekly benefit amount will be 1/26 of your highest quarter wages, up to the maximum benefit amount. If your internship was paid as an employee (not a contractor) and falls within those quarters, it would count toward your benefit calculation.

To add to what everyone else said - once you get your monetary determination letter, check it carefully! Mine had incorrect wage information from one employer. I had to call and have them fix it, which increased my weekly benefit amount by about $80.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who explained this! I was getting totally different numbers from the online calculator vs what I expected. Turns out I need to look at Q1 2022 through Q4 2022 since I filed in January 2023, not the most recent quarters like I thought. My internship from summer 2022 should count since it was W2 and falls in Q3 2022. Really appreciate all the detailed explanations - this system is way more confusing than it needs to be! Going to double-check my wage info when I get my determination letter too.

Hey Diego! I went through this exact same confusion when I got laid off from my marketing job last year. The "5 quarters" thing is super misleading - they actually only use 4 quarters to calculate your benefits, but they look at a 5-quarter window to pick which 4 to use. What really helped me was calling and asking them to walk through my specific situation. Since you mentioned you were in school for some of those quarters, definitely make sure they know you were working during that time. I had a similar issue where they initially flagged some quarters because I was taking night classes, but once I explained I was working full-time during the day, it was fine. Your summer internship should definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within the base period quarters they're looking at. That could actually help boost your weekly benefit amount significantly if it was good pay. One tip - when you get your monetary determination letter, go through it line by line. Mine had missing wages from a previous employer that I had to get corrected. Made a big difference in my final benefit amount!

Just went through this same process a few months ago after getting laid off from a fintech startup! The whole "5 quarters" thing threw me off too initially. What everyone's saying is correct - they look at a 5-quarter window but only use the first 4 of those quarters (skipping the most recent one). Since you mentioned starting work in September 2022 after graduating, you should have enough quarters of work history by now. Your summer internship will definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within those base period quarters they're considering. One thing I'd add - if you had any part-time work during school (even just a few hours a week), make sure that's reflected in your wage history too. Every bit helps with the calculation. Also, don't stress too much about the online calculator giving you different numbers - it's notoriously unreliable because it doesn't account for all the nuances of which quarters they actually use. The good news is that tech workers usually have decent wages that result in higher benefit amounts. Just make sure to review everything carefully when you get your determination letter. Good luck with the job search - the tech market is tough right now but there are still opportunities out there!