What is the income limit for unemployment benefit eligibility in NY?
I'm trying to figure out if there's an income limit that would disqualify me from getting unemployment benefits. I was making about $75,000 a year at my previous job before getting laid off last month. My friend said something about there being income caps but I can't find clear info on the NYS Department of Labor website. Does anyone know if high earners can still qualify for UI benefits? I'm worried my salary might have been too high to be eligible.
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Haley Bennett
There's no income limit that would disqualify you from unemployment benefits in NY. What matters is that you earned enough in your base period to establish a claim and that you lost your job through no fault of your own. Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest quarter earnings, but there's no upper income threshold that would make you ineligible. You should definitely file - worst case they deny it and you can appeal.
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Rami Samuels
•That's a relief! I was really worried I made too much money. So the base period is the first four of the last five quarters before I filed, right?
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Douglas Foster
yeah no income limit but they do cap how much you can get weekly. i think max benefit in ny is like $504 per week now? so even if you made 100k you wouldnt get more than that
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Nina Chan
•The maximum weekly benefit rate for 2024 is actually $504, you're right. It gets adjusted annually. But the important thing is there's no income ceiling that prevents you from filing a claim at all.
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Ruby Knight
I had the same worry when I got laid off from my finance job making $85k. Filed anyway and got approved. The NYS Department of Labor looks at whether you have sufficient wage credits in your base period and if your separation was qualifying. Income level doesn't disqualify you, but it does determine your benefit amount up to the state maximum.
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Rami Samuels
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That makes me feel much better about filing. How long did it take for your claim to get processed?
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Ruby Knight
•About 2 weeks for initial approval, but I know some people are waiting longer if their claim goes into adjudication for any reason.
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Diego Castillo
Wait I'm confused about this whole thing. If there's no income limit then why do they ask about your previous wages? And what's this base period everyone keeps mentioning?
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Haley Bennett
•They ask about your wages to calculate your weekly benefit amount and to verify you have enough wage credits to qualify. The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. You need to have earned at least $2,700 in your base period to establish a claim.
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Logan Stewart
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about your specific situation, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself when I had questions about my base period wages.
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Rami Samuels
•Interesting, I've never heard of that service. Is it legit? I might need to talk to someone if my claim gets complicated.
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Logan Stewart
•Yeah it's legitimate, they just help you get through the phone queue. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked when I couldn't reach anyone for weeks about an issue with my weekly claim certification.
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Julian Paolo
Just wanted to add that you should definitely file your claim as soon as possible since there's a waiting period before benefits start. New York has eliminated the unpaid waiting week, but there can still be processing delays. Also, make sure you have all your employment documentation ready - W-2s, pay stubs, and any separation paperwork from your employer. The $75k salary you mentioned shouldn't be an issue at all for eligibility, and you'll likely qualify for close to the maximum weekly benefit amount.
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CosmicCommander
•This is really helpful advice! I didn't realize NY eliminated the waiting week - that's great news. I do have all my employment docs ready since I just got laid off last month. One quick question though - when you say I'll likely qualify for close to the maximum weekly benefit, is that because my $75k salary puts me in the higher benefit tier? I'm still trying to understand how they calculate the actual dollar amount.
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Luca Ferrari
•Yes, exactly! Your weekly benefit amount is calculated as roughly half of your average weekly wage during your highest-earning quarter in the base period, up to the state maximum. With a $75k salary, you're likely earning around $1,440 per week, so half of that would be about $720 - but since NY caps it at $504, you'd get the maximum weekly benefit. The formula can be a bit more complex depending on how your earnings were distributed across quarters, but higher earners like yourself typically hit that $504 ceiling pretty easily.
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