What amount of weekly benefits can I expect from NY unemployment in 2025?

Your NY unemployment benefit amount is calculated based on your earnings during your base period. The current formula is approximately 50% of your average weekly wage, up to the maximum benefit of $625 per week in 2025. With a $55k annual salary, your average weekly wage would be about $1,058. Half of that would be $529, so you'd likely receive around that amount weekly, before taxes (if you choose to have them withheld). The minimum weekly benefit is currently $124. Once approved, most people receive their first payment within 2-3 weeks, assuming you certify your benefits weekly as required.

The amount depends on how much you made during your "base period" - which is basically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. I got laid off in January and was making about $60k, and I'm getting $544 weekly. It took almost 3 weeks after approval for my first payment to hit my account. The NYSDOL phone lines are impossible though - I tried calling like 50 times to ask a question about my certification and never got through. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - was totally worth it because I had an issue that would have delayed my payments for weeks.

it depends on what u made before. i was only getting like $300/week cause i had a part time job before. they take ur highest quarter and do some math. but u made good money so u should get close to the max which i think is like $600 or something

OK I HATE to be the bearer of bad news but DO NOT count on getting your benefits quickly!!! I was laid off in February and it took SEVEN WEEKS for my first payment!!! They kept saying my claim was "pending review" and there was NOTHING I could do. By the time I got paid I had to use credit cards for everything and now I'm in debt. The system is BROKEN and they don't care at all about us!!! And when you DO get paid they take taxes out so you get EVEN LESS than the calculation. My advice is plan for the worst case scenario and hope for the best. The amount sounds good until you actually try to live on it!

I just went through this last month! The benefit amount totally depends on your previous earnings, but with $55k salary you'll probably get around $530-540 weekly. You don't have to submit any pay stubs because they already have your wage information from your employer's quarterly reports. One tip: make sure you certify for benefits every single week, even while your application is still processing. I missed a week of certification because I didn't realize I needed to do it before being approved, and I had to go through this whole separate process to claim that missing week. Such a headache!

when i was on unemployment last yr they told me one amount but then i got less money in my account??? i called them and they said something about withholding taxes but i never asked for that. u might wanna check if they automatically take taxes out or if u have a choice.

Something nobody mentioned yet - the benefit calculator on the NY unemployment website is actually pretty accurate. You can use it to get an estimate before you even apply. Just Google "NY unemployment calculator" and it should come up. When I used it in February, it estimated I'd get $512 weekly and my actual benefit ended up being $508. Pretty close! With your salary, you're definitely not going to get the maximum ($625), but you should get a decent amount - I'm guessing around $530-550 based on what others with similar salaries have reported.

I forgot to mention the BEST tip - if you have any issues AT ALL with your claim, don't wait!!! Try to call them IMMEDIATELY because it will only get worse and more complicated the longer you wait. My sister waited 3 weeks to call about a problem with her claim and then had to wait another 2 weeks just to talk to someone who could help!!! The phone system is an absolute NIGHTMARE designed to make you give up!!!

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to check out that calculator right now and make sure I understand the certification process. I really appreciate all the tips about calling early if there are issues - I don't want to end up waiting for weeks. I'm feeling a bit less stressed about the whole thing now, though I'm still nervous about how long it might take to get that first payment. Fingers crossed it's closer to 2-3 weeks than 7!