What's the most you can get from NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?
I'm trying to figure out the maximum weekly benefit amount I could qualify for with NYS Department of Labor. I've been working for 8 years making decent money but I'm not sure how they calculate it. Does anyone know what the highest weekly payment is right now? Also do they look at your last job or your whole work history when deciding the amount?
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Katherine Harris
The maximum weekly benefit rate for regular unemployment insurance in New York is $504 per week as of 2025. This is calculated based on your highest quarter earnings during your base period, which is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. They take your highest quarter, divide by 26, and that's your weekly benefit rate up to the maximum.
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Sophia Clark
•Thanks! So if I made like $30,000 in my best quarter I'd get the max? That seems like a lot.
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Madison Allen
wait i thought it was higher than that?? my friend said she was getting like $600 a week but maybe that was during covid
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Katherine Harris
•Your friend might have been getting the federal unemployment supplements during the pandemic, but those ended a while ago. The regular state maximum is $504.
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Joshua Wood
You also need to meet the minimum earnings requirements in your base period to qualify at all. You need at least $2,600 in one quarter and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter amount. The NYS Department of Labor has a benefit calculator on their website that can give you an estimate if you know your quarterly earnings.
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Sophia Clark
•Good to know about the calculator! I'll have to dig up my pay stubs to figure out my quarterly amounts.
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Justin Evans
I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks to ask about my benefit calculation because something seems off with my amount. The phone system is impossible - I either get disconnected or sit on hold for hours. Recently found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than fighting with the phone system myself.
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Emily Parker
•How much does that cost though? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay extra just to talk to someone about our own benefits.
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Justin Evans
•I get the frustration but honestly it was worth it for me. The stress of not being able to get answers was killing me and this actually worked when nothing else did.
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Ezra Collins
just a heads up the $504 is before taxes. they'll take out federal taxes if you elect to have them withheld, which i recommend unless you want a surprise bill next april
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Sophia Clark
•Oh yeah good point, I forgot unemployment is taxable income now.
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William Rivera
Also worth noting that the $504 maximum assumes you had pretty high earnings - you'd need to have made around $13,104 in your highest quarter to qualify for the full amount. Most people get less than the maximum. The formula is your high quarter earnings divided by 26, so if you made $10,000 in your best quarter, your weekly benefit would be around $385. The system looks at your base period wages, not just your most recent job, so if you had a higher-paying job earlier in that timeframe it could help your benefit calculation.
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