What is unemployment income and how much can I expect from NYS Department of Labor?
I'm probably going to lose my job next month and I've never filed for unemployment before. Can someone explain what unemployment income actually is? Like how much money do you get and how long does it last? I work retail making about $18/hour and I'm trying to figure out if unemployment will cover my rent and bills. Also do I have to pay taxes on unemployment money? Any help would be appreciated since I'm totally new to this whole process.
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Freya Andersen
Unemployment income (also called UI benefits) is temporary financial assistance from NYS Department of Labor when you lose your job through no fault of your own. Your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months. For someone making $18/hour full-time, you'd probably get around $350-400 per week depending on your exact earnings history. Regular unemployment lasts up to 26 weeks in NY, and yes you do need to pay federal taxes on it though you can have taxes withheld automatically.
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Ravi Patel
•That's way less than I thought it would be. $350 a week is barely going to cover my rent. Is there any way to get more money or extend it longer?
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Omar Zaki
yeah unemployment doesn't pay much, I got like $280/week when I was on it last year and it was rough. you also have to do job searches every week and report them to keep getting paid
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Ravi Patel
•What kind of job searches do you have to do? Like how many applications per week?
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CosmicCrusader
The job search requirement is currently 3 work search activities per week. This can include applying for jobs, attending job fairs, networking events, or even informational interviews. You'll need to keep a log of all your activities in case NYS Department of Labor audits your claim. Make sure you're applying for suitable work - jobs that match your skills and pay at least 80% of what you were earning before.
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Chloe Robinson
•I had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to verify my job search requirements when my claim got flagged for review. Spent hours on hold getting disconnected. Finally used claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much time and stress dealing with the phone system.
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Diego Flores
Don't get your hopes up about unemployment being easy money. The system is designed to make it as difficult as possible. You'll spend half your time dealing with their broken website and the other half trying to prove you deserve the pittance they give you. And God forbid you make one small mistake on your weekly claim because they'll cut you off faster than you can blink.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•I mean it's not perfect but it kept me afloat when I got laid off. Better than nothing right?
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Freya Andersen
One important thing to remember is that you need to file your claim as soon as possible after losing your job. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file, so don't wait. Also make sure you have your recent pay stubs and employment information ready when you apply online through my.ny.gov. The whole process usually takes 2-3 weeks before you see your first payment if everything goes smoothly.
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