Why am I not eligible for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I applied for unemployment last month after losing my job and got a determination letter saying I'm not eligible. The letter mentions something about 'insufficient work history' but I worked for almost 8 months at my last job. I don't understand what went wrong. Has anyone else dealt with this? I thought 8 months would be enough to qualify for benefits but apparently not according to NYS Department of Labor.
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Jessica Nolan
The work history requirement isn't just about how long you worked at your last job - it's about your base period earnings. NYS Department of Labor looks at the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. You need to have earned at least $2,600 in your highest quarter and total wages of at least $3,900 in your base period. Even if you worked 8 months, if those months don't fall in the right quarters or you didn't earn enough, you won't qualify.
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Leo McDonald
•Oh wow I had no idea about the quarterly thing. My job started in March so maybe that's the issue? How do I figure out what my base period actually is?
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Angelina Farar
same thing happened to my cousin!! she worked part time for like 10 months but still didnt qualify because she didnt make enough money in the right quarters. its so confusing
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Sebastián Stevens
You can request an alternative base period if the standard one doesn't work for you. Sometimes using the most recent 4 quarters instead of the first 4 of the last 5 helps people qualify. You should call NYS Department of Labor to ask about this option, though good luck getting through on the phone.
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Bethany Groves
•I've been trying to call for weeks about my own issue and can never get through. The phone system is impossible. Does anyone know a better way to reach an actual person at NYS Department of Labor?
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KingKongZilla
•I had the same problem reaching NYS Department of Labor until someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI) and decided to try it. Got through in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. Totally worth it for getting answers about eligibility issues.
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Rebecca Johnston
The NYS Department of Labor eligibility requirements are ridiculous. I know people who worked full time for years and still got denied for stupid technicalities. Meanwhile other people seem to get approved no problem. The whole system is broken.
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Nathan Dell
•I feel your frustration but there are specific rules for good reasons. The base period requirements ensure people actually worked enough to contribute to the unemployment insurance system.
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Angelina Farar
wait so if i started working in january this year would i qualify now? im so confused about these quarters
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Jessica Nolan
•It depends on when you file and how much you earned. If you file now in 2025, your base period would be Q1 2024 through Q4 2024. So if you started in January 2024, you'd have Q1-Q4 2024 earnings to count toward eligibility.
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Fatima Al-Rashid
I went through something similar last year. The base period calculation is definitely confusing - I recommend checking your wage statement on the NYS Department of Labor website to see exactly what quarters and earnings they're counting. You can log into your NY.gov account and view your wage and benefit statement to see if you meet the minimum requirements. If you're close but not quite there, definitely ask about the alternative base period like Sebastián mentioned. Also, if you had any other jobs during that time period, even short-term ones, those wages might count toward your total too.
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