What is benefit year ending date for NYS Department of Labor unemployment - when does my year reset?

Your benefit year is exactly 52 weeks from when you first filed your initial claim. So if you started in March 2024, your benefit year ends in March 2025. After that date, you'll need to file a new initial claim if you're still unemployed and want to continue receiving benefits. The remaining balance from your old claim doesn't carry over - you get a fresh determination based on your wages from the new base period.

yeah this happened to me last year, super confusing. i had like $2000 left but when my benefit year ended i had to start all over again with a new application. took about 3 weeks to get approved for the new claim

The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor uses your benefit year ending date to determine eligibility for a new claim. You can file a new claim during the week your benefit year ends, but you cannot collect benefits on both the old and new claim for the same week. If you're still unemployed when your benefit year is about to end, file your new claim right away to avoid any gaps in payments.

Ugh the whole benefit year thing is so unnecessarily complicated. I went through this nightmare last summer when mine ended and I couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to explain what was happening. Spent weeks calling that stupid phone number getting hung up on every time. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual agent who walked me through the whole new claim process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much stress and time.

Just a heads up - make sure you keep filing your weekly claims right up until your benefit year ends even if you're planning to file a new claim. Some people stop filing thinking they'll just start fresh, but that can create issues with your payment timeline.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with this - it's really helpful to hear from people who've actually gone through the benefit year ending process. I'm in a similar situation where my year is coming up in a few months and I was getting stressed about potentially losing benefits. It sounds like the key is to file the new claim right when the benefit year ends and not wait. @Anastasia Sokolov that's interesting about the Claimyr service - I might look into that if I can't get through to NYS Department of Labor directly. Has anyone here had success getting through to them on the phone recently or is it still impossible?

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago and can confirm what others are saying - you absolutely need to file a new claim when your benefit year ends, even if you have money left. The system doesn't automatically roll you over. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that you should file your new claim during the last week of your benefit year, not after it ends. This helps prevent any gaps in payments. Also, gather all your employment info beforehand because you'll need to provide details about any work you did during your benefit year. The new claim uses a different base period to calculate your benefits, so your weekly amount might change. Don't panic if the online system shows confusing information during the transition - it takes a few days to update properly after you file the new claim.