What percentage of your pay does unemployment pay in NY - need to know before filing
I'm about to get laid off from my warehouse job next month and trying to figure out if I can survive on unemployment benefits. I was making $18/hour working about 35 hours a week. Does anyone know what percentage of your regular pay the NYS Department of Labor actually gives you? I keep seeing different numbers online and want to know what to expect so I can budget accordingly. Also do they count overtime when calculating your benefit amount?
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Amara Chukwu
In New York, unemployment benefits are calculated at 50% of your average weekly wage, but there's a maximum cap. For 2025, the maximum weekly benefit is $504. So if you were making around $630 per week ($18 x 35 hours), you'd get about half of that, which would be $315 per week. The NYS Department of Labor looks at your highest quarter of earnings in your base period to determine this.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•That's actually better than I thought! So it's based on my highest earning quarter, not just my most recent pay? That's good because I had a lot of overtime last spring.
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Giovanni Conti
yeah its about half but they also look at all your wages including overtime when they calculate your base period. just filed my claim last week and they counted everything from my W2s
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•That's correct - they use your total wages reported to them by employers, including overtime, bonuses, commissions, etc. The base period is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim.
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NeonNova
Been on unemployment for 3 months now and getting $298 a week. Was making about $22/hour but only worked part time. The 50% thing is accurate but remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits too so budget for that.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Oh crap I didn't think about taxes! Do they take it out automatically or do I have to pay at the end of the year?
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NeonNova
•You can choose to have 10% withheld for federal taxes when you certify your weekly claim, or just pay it all when you file your tax return. I chose to have it withheld.
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Dylan Campbell
The whole system is confusing honestly. I've been trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation because something seems off. The phone lines are always busy and when I do get through I get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Never heard of that service before, does it actually work? I'm getting frustrated trying to reach them about my pending claim.
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Dylan Campbell
•Yeah it worked for me. I was able to talk to someone within a couple hours instead of spending all day redialing. Definitely worth it if you're stuck like I was.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
Just remember the maximum is $504 per week no matter how much you were making. So if you were pulling in $60k+ per year, you're still capped at that amount. It's not really enough to live on for most people which is why you're supposed to be actively looking for work.
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QuantumLeap
Thanks everyone for the helpful info! Just want to add that you can also check your potential benefit amount before filing by using the NYS DOL benefit calculator on their website. It'll give you an estimate based on your wages from the past 18 months. Also, @Liam O'Sullivan make sure you file as soon as you're laid off - there's a one week waiting period before benefits start, and you can't get benefits for weeks you don't file. The sooner you start the process the better!
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Gael Robinson
•Great tip about the benefit calculator! I didn't know that existed. @QuantumLeap do you happen to know if the calculator is pretty accurate or is it just a rough estimate? I want to make sure I'm planning my finances correctly for when I get laid off next month.
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