What percent of your salary do you get on unemployment benefits in NY?
I might be getting laid off next month and trying to figure out my budget. Does anyone know what percentage of your regular salary you actually get from NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits? I was making about $65k at my marketing job. Also wondering if there's a maximum amount they pay out regardless of what you were earning before?
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Justin Chang
In New York, unemployment benefits are calculated at roughly 50% of your average weekly wage, but there's a cap. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $504. So if you were making $65k annually, that's about $1,250 per week, which means you'd get the maximum $504 since 50% of $1,250 would be $625. The NYS Department of Labor uses your highest earning quarter from the past 18 months to calculate this.
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Wesley Hallow
•Thanks! So basically I'd get about $504 x 4 = roughly $2,016 per month? That's way less than I expected but at least it's something while I job search.
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Grace Thomas
yeah the max is pretty low compared to other states honestly. been on UI for 3 months now and its tough to make ends meet on $504/week especially with rent in NY
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Hunter Brighton
The calculation can be confusing because they don't just take 50% of your annual salary. NYS Department of Labor looks at your base period wages (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) and divides by 26 to get your weekly benefit rate. If you had any gaps in employment or part-time work during that period, it could affect your benefit amount. You can get an estimate by logging into your my.ny.gov account even before you file a claim.
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Wesley Hallow
•Good point about the base period calculation. I had a brief period between jobs about 8 months ago, so I should probably check what quarters they'll actually use for my calculation.
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Dylan Baskin
Wait, I'm confused - I thought unemployment was like 60% or 70% of your pay? This seems really low. How is anyone supposed to survive on half their income, especially in NYC?
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Justin Chang
•Unfortunately 50% is correct for New York. Some states do have higher replacement rates, but NY has been at 50% for years. The idea is that it's temporary assistance while you actively search for new employment, not a full salary replacement.
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Lauren Wood
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get your exact benefit calculation, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get hung up on. The agent was able to walk me through exactly how my benefits were calculated based on my work history.
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Wesley Hallow
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Did they charge you for it?
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Lauren Wood
•They do charge but it was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain my specific situation instead of guessing or getting conflicting info online.
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Ellie Lopez
Also remember you can collect for up to 26 weeks in NY (longer if there are extensions), and you need to do the weekly job search requirements. Make sure you keep track of your job applications because they can ask for proof at any time.
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Sophie Duck
Just wanted to add that if you're in marketing like Wesley, you might want to look into freelance or contract work while collecting benefits. In NY, you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without it affecting your unemployment payments. So with a $504 weekly benefit, you could earn about $126 per week from side work. This can help bridge the gap financially while you're job hunting. Just make sure to report any earnings when you do your weekly certification.
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Sara Hellquiem
•That's really helpful info about the partial work allowance! I didn't know you could earn up to 25% without affecting benefits. As someone in marketing, I do have some contacts who might have small projects I could take on. Do you know if there's a specific way you need to report that freelance income when you certify? Like do they need invoices or just the dollar amount?
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