What are my unemployment benefits - NYS Department of Labor weekly benefit amount confusion
I'm really confused about what my actual unemployment benefits are supposed to be. I got approved for NYS Department of Labor unemployment about 2 weeks ago but I can't figure out what my weekly benefit amount should be. The letter they sent me has all these numbers and percentages but nothing clearly says 'this is what you get each week.' I made about $52,000 last year at my job and worked there for almost 3 years before getting laid off. When I try to look it up on the my.ny.gov website it just shows my claim is active but doesn't break down the payment details. Has anyone else had trouble understanding what their actual weekly benefit amount is? I don't want to mess up my weekly claims by expecting the wrong amount.
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Omar Mahmoud
Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. For NYS Department of Labor, they take your highest quarter and divide by 26. So if your highest quarter was around $13,000, your weekly benefit would be about $500. The maximum weekly benefit in NY is currently $504. You should see your exact amount listed in your monetary determination letter or when you log into your my.ny.gov account under 'Payment History' or 'Claim Summary.
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Freya Nielsen
•Thank you! I'll check that section again. I think I was looking in the wrong place on the website.
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Chloe Harris
yeah the nys department of labor website is confusing as hell. took me forever to find where they actually show your benefit amount. its buried in like 3 different menus
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Diego Vargas
If you're still having trouble finding your benefit information, you might need to call NYS Department of Labor directly. I know their phone lines are always busy, but I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to unemployment agents faster. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to get through myself when I needed to verify my benefit calculation.
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Freya Nielsen
•Thanks for the tip! The phone system is ridiculous - I've been trying to call for days.
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NeonNinja
Don't forget that your benefits might be subject to taxes too! I didn't realize that when I first started collecting and it was a surprise at tax time. You can choose to have taxes withheld from your weekly payments through your my.ny.gov account settings.
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Anastasia Popov
Same boat here! Got my approval but the paperwork is like reading hieroglyphics. Why can't they just send you a simple letter that says 'You get $X per week for Y weeks' instead of all this legal jargon??
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Omar Mahmoud
•I know it's frustrating, but the detailed breakdown is actually helpful once you understand it. It shows your base period wages, benefit year dates, and maximum benefit amount available. Keep that letter safe - you'll need it if there are ever any issues with your claim.
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