What's the current unemployment benefit amount NYS Department of Labor is paying right now in 2025?
Just got laid off from my retail job last week and wondering what I can expect for weekly benefits. I know it depends on your earnings but I'm seeing conflicting info online about current rates. My last job paid about $18/hour working 35 hours a week. Does anyone know how much unemployment is paying right now? Also heard there might have been changes to the maximum benefit amount recently but can't find clear info on the NYS Department of Labor website.
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Mateo Hernandez
The maximum weekly benefit rate in NY for 2025 is $504 per week. Your actual amount depends on your earnings history - typically around 50% of your average weekly wage up to that maximum. Based on your $18/hour at 35 hours, you'd be earning about $630 weekly, so you'd likely get close to $315 per week in benefits. You can get an estimate by logging into your my.ny.gov account once you file your claim.
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NebulaNova
•Thanks! That's actually more than I expected. Do I need to file right away or can I wait a few days?
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Aisha Khan
file asap! you can't get benefits for weeks before you actually file your claim. i made that mistake and lost 2 weeks of payments. the sooner you start the process the better
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Ethan Taylor
•This is correct - there's no retroactive payments for weeks you delay filing. The NYS Department of Labor starts your benefit year from when you actually submit your initial claim, not when you became unemployed.
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Yuki Ito
Just want to add that even though the max is $504, most people don't get the full amount. I was making decent money and still only get $385 weekly. Also remember you'll need to do job searches and file weekly claims to keep getting paid.
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NebulaNova
•What are the job search requirements like? Is it hard to meet them?
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Yuki Ito
•You need to apply to 3 jobs per week and keep a log. It's not too bad but you have to actually apply, not just browse listings.
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Carmen Lopez
Had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone to ask about my benefit calculation. If you need to speak with someone about your specific situation, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get connected to agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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AstroAdventurer
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like it might be expensive.
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Carmen Lopez
•Actually wasn't bad at all, especially compared to taking time off work to keep calling. Worth it when you need answers about your claim.
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Andre Dupont
The whole system is confusing honestly. I've been on unemployment twice and still don't fully understand how they calculate the amounts. Good luck getting straight answers from anyone at NYS Department of Labor too.
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