When to stop certifying for NY unemployment after getting 1099 gig work?

Thanks for the quick response! So I should keep certifying and just report the days I worked? What counts as a 'day worked' with freelance stuff? Sometimes I only work 2-3 hours in a day.

@Sean Flanagan This is not true at all. It is now hours based for the whole week, not per day. "As of January 18, 2021, New York State has implemented a new rule that redefines how part-time work impacts unemployment benefits. This change makes New York’s partial unemployment system fairer and more equitable for New Yorkers who have the opportunity to work part-time while collecting Unemployment Insurance (UI). NYS DOL’s new partial unemployment system uses an “hours-based” approach. Under the new rules, you can work up to 7 days per week without losing full unemployment benefits for that week, if you work 30 hours or fewer and earn $504 or less in gross pay excluding earnings from self-employment. With this change, your benefits will not be reduced for each day you engage in part-time work. Instead, benefits will be reduced in increments based on your total hours of work for the week.

Seriously? That seems really unfair for gig workers. So if I work 1 hour every day, I'd get no benefits at all even though I'm making way less than my regular job?

This is correct but incomplete advice. While it's true any amount of work counts as a full day, the key is understanding the partial benefit calculation. For each day you work, your weekly benefit rate is reduced by 25%. Work 1 day, get 75% of your benefit. Work 2 days, get 50%. Work 3 days, get 25%. Work 4+ days, you get zero for that week.

@NebulaNinja Not correct advice. It is hours based now in NYS for partial employment. https://dol.ny.gov/unemployment/partial-unemployment-eligibility

Thank you! Did your brother have trouble getting through to someone when he needed to restart? I've heard the phone lines are impossible.

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely reorganize my work schedule to fewer days. I checked out that video - looks helpful if I need to reach someone. Did they give you any trouble about restarting after your contract ended?

THIS!!! The Department of Labor actively looks for fraud and they WILL catch you eventually. I know someone who didn't report side gig income correctly in 2023 and got hit with a massive overpayment notice in 2025. Always report accurately!

Thank you so much for this clear breakdown! This is exactly what I needed. One last question - do I need to call them when my gig ends, or just start certifying normally again?

Perfect! This has been so helpful. I'm going to consolidate my work hours into fewer days and keep certifying weekly. Thanks everyone for all the guidance!

@Alex Wade Thank you for clearing this up! I was getting really confused with all the conflicting information. So based on the link you shared, it s'hours-based now - I can work up to 30 hours per week and earn up to $504 without losing my full benefits? That s'way better than what others were saying about losing benefits for any work day. I really appreciate you posting the official source!

@Alex Wade Thanks for sharing the official link! This is really helpful and clears up a lot of confusion. So just to make sure I understand correctly - under the new hours-based system, as long as I work 30 hours or less per week and earn $504 or less, I keep my full unemployment benefits? And I can work up to 7 days without it affecting my benefits as long as I stay under those thresholds? This is much better news than what I was hearing about losing benefits for any work day!

@Alex Wade Wow, thank you so much for correcting the misinformation! I was getting really worried reading all those comments about losing benefits for working just a few hours. So if I understand the current rules correctly - I can work my 1099 gig for up to 30 hours per week and earn up to $504 without any reduction in my unemployment benefits? And it doesn t'matter how many days I spread those hours across? This is such a relief! I was planning to cram everything into 2-3 days based on what others were saying, but now I can work a more normal schedule. Thanks for sharing the official source!

This is such a game changer! I'm new to this whole unemployment/gig work situation and was really stressed about potentially losing all my benefits. It's so confusing when there's outdated info floating around - I almost made some really bad scheduling decisions based on the old rules. Thanks to everyone who shared the correct current information about the hours-based system. It's really reassuring to know I can work a reasonable schedule with my 1099 gig and still maintain my unemployment benefits as long as I stay under the 30 hour/$504 thresholds. This community is amazing for helping newcomers navigate these complicated systems!

This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing your real experience with the hours-based system! I love the idea of keeping a spreadsheet to track everything. That seems like it would make the weekly certification process so much smoother and give me peace of mind that I'm reporting accurately. It's such a relief to hear from multiple people who have actually navigated this successfully under the current rules. I was honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out how to balance my new 1099 work with my unemployment benefits, but now I feel much more confident about moving forward. Thanks to everyone in this thread who took the time to share the correct information and clear up all the confusion!

I'm also really grateful for @Alex Wade jumping in with the correct information! As someone who just started receiving unemployment benefits last month, I was getting pretty anxious reading all those comments about losing benefits for working even a few hours. The hours-based system is such a relief - it actually makes it possible to take on small gigs without completely destroying your safety net. I bookmarked that official DOL link too because I have a feeling I ll'need to reference it again. It s'wild how much bad information gets passed around about unemployment rules. Thanks everyone for helping newcomers like me understand how this actually works!

@Laila Fury I m'in almost the exact same situation! Just started receiving benefits a few weeks ago and was offered a part-time remote social media gig. I was literally about to turn it down after reading those early comments about losing all benefits for working any hours. Thank you so much to @Alex Wade for sharing the correct current information - the hours-based system makes it actually feasible to take on some work while still having that unemployment safety net. I m definitely'going to start that spreadsheet tracking system too. It s scary'how much outdated info is out there - I almost made a really bad financial decision based on rules that haven t been'in effect for years! This thread has been a lifesaver for understanding how the system actually works now.

@Aisha Khan I m'so glad you found this thread helpful! I m'also pretty new to unemployment started (about a month ago and) was in the exact same boat - almost turned down a small consulting project because I thought any work would kill my benefits. It s'really frustrating how much outdated information is still out there from the pre-2021 rules. The hours-based system is such a relief - being able to work up to 30 hours and earn up to $504 while keeping full benefits actually makes it possible to rebuild without losing that crucial safety net. I ve'already started using a simple spreadsheet to track my hours and earnings like others suggested. Thanks to @Alex Wade and everyone else who jumped in with the correct current information - this discussion has been invaluable for newcomers like us trying to navigate this system!