Why is my NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefit amount so low compared to what I expected?
I just got approved for unemployment after working at a restaurant for 2 years making about $18/hour. My weekly benefit amount is only $182 which seems really low compared to what I was making. I thought unemployment was supposed to replace most of your income? I used to bring home around $550-600 per week after taxes. Is there something wrong with my claim or is this normal? I'm really confused about how NYS Department of Labor calculates these amounts.
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Dylan Fisher
Unfortunately that sounds about right. NYS unemployment benefits are calculated using your highest quarter earnings from the base period, which is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. The maximum weekly benefit rate is around $504 in 2025, but most people get much less. Your benefit amount is roughly half of your average weekly wage during your highest earning quarter, up to the maximum. Restaurant work can be tricky because tips often aren't fully reported.
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Kelsey Hawkins
•That makes sense about the tips not being reported. I probably only claimed about half of what I actually made in tips on my taxes. So does that mean my benefit calculation is based on the lower reported income?
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Edwards Hugo
yep same thing happened to me when i worked at a bar, got like $160/week even though i was making way more with tips. the system only sees what was reported to IRS
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Gianna Scott
You can request a monetary redetermination if you think there's an error in your wage records. Log into your my.ny.gov account and check the quarterly wages they have on file. If any legitimate W-2 wages are missing, you can submit documentation to have them included. However, unreported tip income can't be added after the fact. For future reference, it's worth reporting more of your tips since it affects both your unemployment benefits and Social Security credits.
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Kelsey Hawkins
•How do I check my wage records? I don't see that option when I log into my account.
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Gianna Scott
•Go to 'Unemployment Services' then 'View Benefit Payment History' and there should be a link to view your base period wages. If you can't find it, you might need to call NYS Department of Labor.
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Alfredo Lugo
Ugh the whole system is designed to screw over service workers. I've been fighting with NYS Department of Labor for months about missing wages from a job that closed down. They act like it's your fault when employers don't report properly!
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Sydney Torres
•I had a similar issue with getting through to someone about missing wages. If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of being on hold and getting disconnected.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
Wait I'm confused - I thought you could appeal your benefit amount? What if you have proof you made more money than what they calculated??
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Dylan Fisher
You can appeal if there are errors in your reported wages, but you can't appeal the calculation formula itself. The formula is set by state law. If you have W-2s or pay stubs showing wages that aren't reflected in your base period, definitely submit those for a redetermination.
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Axel Bourke
I'm in a similar situation and just wanted to add that you should also check if your employer properly reported all your regular wages, not just tips. I discovered my previous employer had misclassified some of my hours, which reduced my benefit amount. Also, if you worked multiple jobs during your base period, make sure all employers are showing up in your wage records. Sometimes smaller employers or restaurants don't report correctly to NYS Department of Labor, and you can get those wages added if you have documentation like pay stubs or W-2s.
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Freya Thomsen
•This is really helpful advice! I never thought about checking if my employer properly reported all my regular wages. I worked some catering shifts on top of my regular restaurant hours and I'm wondering if those got reported correctly. Do you know if there's a time limit for submitting additional wage documentation? Also, how long did it take to get your wages corrected once you submitted the proof?
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Hunter Brighton
•@Freya Thomsen From my experience, you generally have 30 days from when you receive your monetary determination to request a redetermination, but NYS Department of Labor can sometimes accept late requests if you have a good reason. When I submitted my additional wage documentation, it took about 2-3 weeks to get a response and have my benefit amount adjusted. Make sure to keep copies of everything you submit and follow up if you don t'hear back within a reasonable time. The catering shifts should definitely be included if they were legitimate W-2 wages reported to the state.
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Amelia Cartwright
I went through something similar when I first applied. One thing that really helped me was creating a spreadsheet with all my pay periods, hours worked, and what was actually reported vs what I earned. It made it much easier to spot discrepancies when I compared it to what NYS Department of Labor had on file. Also, don't forget that your base period might not include your most recent earnings - there's often a lag, so your highest earning quarters might not even be in the calculation period. You can check this by looking at exactly which quarters they used for your base period in your determination letter.
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