What does excessive earnings mean on unemployment claim - NYS Department of Labor flagged me
I just got a determination letter from NYS Department of Labor saying I have 'excessive earnings' for week ending 12/15/24 and they're reducing my benefits. I worked 18 hours that week at my part-time job and made $420. I thought I could work part-time while collecting unemployment? I've been filing my weekly claims correctly and reporting all my earnings. Can someone explain what excessive earnings actually means and how they calculate this? I'm really confused because I thought as long as I worked under 4 days I'd still get some benefits.
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Omar Hassan
Excessive earnings means your gross pay for that week exceeded your weekly benefit rate by a certain amount. NYS Department of Labor uses a formula - if you earn more than 25% of your weekly benefit rate, they start reducing your UI payment dollar for dollar. So if your weekly benefit is $400 and you made $420, that's definitely over the threshold. You can still work part-time but there are earnings limits.
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Freya Pedersen
•Oh wow I had no idea about the 25% rule! My weekly benefit is $385 so I can only make about $96 before they start deducting? That seems really low for part-time work.
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Chloe Anderson
yeah this happened to me too last month, made $300 in one week and they cut my whole payment. the earnings limit is really strict in NY. you basically cant make more than like 1/4 of your benefit amount or they start taking it away
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Diego Vargas
•Actually it's a bit more complicated than that. You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction. After that, they reduce your benefit payment by the amount you earned over that threshold. So it's not an all-or-nothing situation, but the earnings limits are definitely tight.
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CosmicCruiser
I had the same confusion when I first started working part-time while on unemployment. The key is understanding that NYS Department of Labor wants to encourage work, but they also don't want you earning too much while collecting benefits. Keep detailed records of your hours and earnings for each week - you'll need them if there are any discrepancies. Also make sure you're reporting gross earnings, not net pay.
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Freya Pedersen
•I've been reporting gross earnings like they asked. Should I try to limit my hours to stay under the threshold or is it worth working more even if they reduce my benefits?
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CosmicCruiser
•That depends on your total income. Sometimes it's worth working more hours even with the benefit reduction because you'll still end up with more money overall. Just do the math - compare your total weekly income with benefits vs without.
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Anastasia Fedorov
The whole excessive earnings thing is so frustrating! I've been trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks to get clarification on my situation but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a real person there?
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Sean Doyle
•I actually found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. They basically wait on hold for you and connect you when someone picks up. I used it last week to resolve an adjudication issue and it worked great. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did it actually work? I'm getting desperate trying to reach someone about my claim.
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Sean Doyle
•Yeah it really did work for me. I was skeptical at first but I got connected to an agent within a few hours instead of calling for days. Definitely worth trying if you need to speak with someone urgently.
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Zara Rashid
this whole system is ridiculous they want you to work but then penalize you for working too much its like they dont want people to get back on their feet
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Diego Vargas
•I understand the frustration, but the earnings limits are designed to provide a safety net while encouraging full-time employment. The goal is to transition people back to full-time work, not to supplement part-time income indefinitely.
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Giovanni Rossi
I went through this exact same situation a few months ago! The "excessive earnings" determination can be really confusing at first. What helped me was calling the NYS DOL appeals line to get clarification on my specific case. They were able to explain that in my situation, I had miscalculated my allowable earnings for that week. Make sure you're also factoring in any deductions they allow - sometimes there are work-related expenses you can subtract from your gross earnings. Also, keep in mind that even if you have excessive earnings one week, it doesn't affect your future eligibility as long as you report everything correctly going forward. The key is being completely transparent about all income sources.
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Freya Larsen
•Thanks for sharing your experience! I didn't realize there might be work-related deductions I could claim. What kind of expenses are typically allowed? Also, when you called the appeals line, were you able to get through easily or did you have the same issue with busy phone lines that others have mentioned?
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Kara Yoshida
•@Giovanni Rossi That s'really helpful about the work-related deductions! I had no idea those existed. For the appeals line, did you find a specific number that worked better than the main unemployment line? I ve'been trying to reach someone for over a week and I m'wondering if there s'a better time of day to call or a different department that might be less busy. Also curious about what documentation you needed when you called - did they ask for pay stubs or just verbal confirmation of your earnings?
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