What happens to unused unemployment money from NYS Department of Labor benefits?
I was laid off from my marketing job in October and filed for unemployment right away. My claim got approved and I've been collecting $485 weekly. However, I just got hired for a new position that starts Monday! I'm thrilled but now I'm wondering - what happens to the remaining weeks of benefits I haven't used yet? I was approved for 26 weeks total and only used about 12 weeks. Does NYS Department of Labor just keep that money or can I somehow save it for later if I need it again? I tried looking this up on my.ny.gov but couldn't find a clear answer.
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Connor Murphy
Congratulations on the new job! Unfortunately, any unused unemployment benefits don't carry over or get saved for later use. Once you return to work and stop filing weekly claims, those remaining weeks basically disappear from your benefit year. The NYS Department of Labor benefit year lasts one year from when you first filed, but you can't bank unused weeks for future unemployment periods.
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QuantumQuest
•That's what I figured but wanted to make sure. Thanks for confirming! At least I'm back to work so I won't need them anyway.
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Yara Haddad
yeah thats how it works, you use em or lose em. i had like 8 weeks left when i went back to work last year and they just vanished
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Keisha Robinson
The unused benefit weeks expire at the end of your benefit year, which is 52 weeks from your original claim date. However, if you become unemployed again during that same benefit year, you can potentially use those remaining weeks IF you meet the eligibility requirements again. But once that benefit year ends, any unused weeks are gone forever. You'd need to file a completely new claim based on your recent work history.
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Paolo Conti
•Wait so if she loses this new job in like 3 months, she could still use those leftover weeks? That's actually good to know!
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Keisha Robinson
•Yes, as long as it's within the same benefit year and she meets all the regular eligibility requirements (available for work, job search, etc.). The NYS Department of Labor would reactivate the existing claim rather than starting fresh.
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Amina Sow
This is exactly why the unemployment system is broken! You pay into it your whole working life and then if you don't use every single week they just pocket the money. Meanwhile people who actually need help can't even get through to talk to anyone at NYS Department of Labor. It's completely backwards.
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GalaxyGazer
•I get the frustration but unemployment insurance works like any other insurance - you pay premiums hoping you'll never need to use it. The unused weeks help keep the system funded for people who do need the full 26 weeks.
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Connor Murphy
Speaking of getting through to NYS Department of Labor - if anyone needs to actually talk to someone there about their claim, I recently discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get connected to agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to reach someone about an adjudication issue for weeks and they got me through in one day. Might be helpful for people dealing with complex claim situations.
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QuantumQuest
•Interesting, I'll keep that in mind if I ever need to file again. Hopefully this new job works out long term though!
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Oliver Wagner
Just make sure you stop filing your weekly claims once you start working! I made the mistake of filing one more week after I started my new job and it caused a whole mess with overpayment notices.
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Charity Cohan
Congratulations on landing the new job! As others mentioned, those unused weeks don't roll over to a savings account or anything like that. However, I'd recommend keeping documentation of your original claim details (benefit year dates, weekly amount, etc.) just in case you need to reference them later. Also, when you stop filing, you might want to call or check online to confirm your claim is properly closed to avoid any potential issues down the road. Good luck with the new position!
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