What is a good rate of unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I'm filing for unemployment for the first time and wondering what counts as a decent weekly benefit amount from NYS Department of Labor. I made about $52,000 last year working retail management but not sure how they calculate the rate. Is there a minimum or maximum they pay? My friend said she got like $400 something per week but that was a couple years ago. Just trying to figure out what to expect when my claim gets processed.
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Jacob Smithson
NYS Department of Labor calculates your weekly benefit rate based on your highest earning quarter in your base period. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $504 and minimum is $104. With your salary of $52k, you'll probably get somewhere in the $350-450 range depending on how your earnings were distributed throughout the year.
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Sophia Nguyen
•That's actually better than I expected! How long does it usually take for them to determine the rate once you file?
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Isabella Brown
i got $387 per week when i filed last summer, made about $48k the year before so yours should be similar or maybe a bit higher
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Maya Patel
The formula is roughly 1/26th of your highest quarter earnings, but capped at $504 max. You can actually estimate it yourself by looking at your quarterly earnings on your last pay stub or tax documents. NYS Department of Labor uses your base period which is usually the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file.
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Aiden Rodríguez
•Wait I'm confused about the base period thing. If I file in January 2025, which quarters do they look at? And what if I had a gap in employment?
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Maya Patel
•For a January 2025 claim, they'd typically look at January-March 2024, April-June 2024, July-September 2024, and October-December 2024. Employment gaps don't matter as long as you have sufficient wages in your base period to qualify.
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Emma Garcia
Just remember whatever rate they give you, you still have to do the weekly claims and job search requirements. The money isn't automatic even after your claim is approved. I learned that the hard way when I missed filing one week and lost that payment completely.
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Ava Kim
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status or ask questions about your benefit rate, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.
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Ethan Anderson
•honestly the nys system is so backed up right now, anything that helps you actually talk to someone is worth it
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