Who is entitled to unemployment benefits in NY - confused about eligibility requirements
I've been reading through the NYS Department of Labor website trying to figure out who is entitled to unemployment benefits and I'm getting more confused by the minute. I worked full-time for 8 months at a restaurant before they laid me off last week due to slow business. My friend says I might not qualify because I haven't worked long enough, but another coworker who got laid off at the same time already filed and got approved. I'm 22 and this is my first real job out of college. Do I need to have worked for a full year? What about people who quit vs get fired? I'm scared to file if I'm not entitled to it because I don't want to get in trouble later.
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Dana Doyle
You're definitely overthinking this! In NY, you're entitled to unemployment if you meet the base period requirements, which is having enough wages in your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). 8 months of full-time work should easily qualify you. The key is that you were laid off through no fault of your own - that's exactly what unemployment is for. You also need to be able and available for work and actively searching. People who quit voluntarily usually aren't entitled unless it's for good cause, and those fired for misconduct are disqualified.
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Darcy Moore
•Thank you! So being laid off definitely counts as 'no fault of your own' right? I was worried they might say it was performance related but they specifically said it was budget cuts.
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Liam Duke
Just file already! The worst they can say is no. I was in a similar situation last year - worked 10 months at a retail job before getting laid off. NYS Department of Labor approved my claim within a week. They calculate your benefit amount based on your wages during the base period, so even if you haven't worked super long, you'll still get something.
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Manny Lark
•This is good advice. The eligibility determination process will review your work history automatically. If you're not entitled for any reason, they'll let you know during adjudication rather than you trying to guess beforehand.
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Rita Jacobs
Wait I'm confused about the base period thing. I thought you needed to work for a full year to be entitled to unemployment? My sister told me that when I got laid off from my first job but maybe she was wrong?
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Dana Doyle
•No, there's no 'full year' requirement. The base period is calculated differently - it's about having sufficient wages in specific quarters, not consecutive employment. Your sister might have been thinking of other benefits or maybe older rules.
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Khalid Howes
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my eligibility last month. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally used 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. The agent was able to review my specific situation and confirm I was entitled to benefits. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone directly about your case.
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Darcy Moore
•That's really helpful, thank you! I might try that if I run into issues with my application.
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Ben Cooper
The whole system is so confusing honestly. They make it seem like you need a law degree just to figure out if you're entitled to benefits. I've been unemployed for 3 months and still don't fully understand all the rules about job search requirements and reporting.
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Manny Lark
•The job search requirements are actually pretty straightforward - you need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. But yeah, the initial eligibility stuff can be overwhelming when you're already stressed about losing your job.
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