What is the criteria for unemployment benefits in NYS - need clarification on eligibility

The basic eligibility criteria for NYS unemployment benefits are: 1) You must have sufficient work history and earnings in your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters), 2) You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, 3) You must be able and available for work, and 4) You must actively search for work. Part-time work can qualify you as long as you meet the earnings threshold. For 2025, you need at least $3,300 in wages in your highest-earning quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount.

store closure definitely counts as unemployed through no fault of your own so you should be good there. the able and available thing just means you're physically and mentally capable of working and you're not turning down suitable job offers

You can check your wage history by logging into your my.ny.gov account and looking at your NYS Department of Labor wage record. This will show you exactly what employers reported for your wages each quarter. If you don't have enough in the standard base period, NYS Department of Labor will automatically check if you qualify using an alternate base period which uses more recent quarters.

You'll need to create the my.ny.gov account as part of filing your initial claim. The whole application process is online now. Just make sure you have your Social Security card, driver's license, and information about your last employer handy when you apply.

I had a similar situation when my restaurant closed permanently last year. Even though I was only working 25 hours a week, I still qualified because I had been working consistently for over a year. The key is having enough total wages, not necessarily working full-time. Your 8 months of work should be enough if you were working regularly.

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to start looking for work immediately and document your job search activities. NYS requires you to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep records of where you applied. The job search requirements are pretty strict now compared to during COVID.

When I was having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about my eligibility, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have this video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. It was super helpful because I could get real answers about my specific situation instead of just guessing from the website.

For job search requirements, you need to apply for suitable work which generally means jobs that match your skills, experience, and pay rate (though the acceptable pay rate decreases over time). You don't have to stay in retail forever, but early on you should focus on similar positions.

Just to add to what everyone's said - don't stress too much about the application process! I was super nervous when I applied for the first time after getting laid off from my warehouse job. The online system walks you through everything step by step. One tip: apply as soon as possible after your last day of work because there's usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start, and you want to get that clock ticking. Also, if you're unsure about any of the questions during the application, it's better to answer honestly and let them determine your eligibility rather than guess. Good luck!