what happens if you get unemployment while working - NYS Department of Labor consequences?
I'm really confused about something and need help understanding the rules. I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now, but last week I picked up some part-time work at a restaurant - just two shifts, made about $180. I reported it on my weekly claim like I'm supposed to, but now I'm worried I did something wrong. What exactly happens when you work while getting unemployment benefits? Will NYS Department of Labor reduce my payment or cut me off completely? I'm scared I messed up somehow even though I was honest about the earnings.
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Charlie Yang
You did the right thing by reporting your earnings! NYS Department of Labor allows you to work part-time while collecting unemployment. They use a formula to calculate your partial benefit - basically they subtract 25% of your gross earnings from your weekly benefit rate. So if your weekly benefit is $300 and you earned $180, they'd subtract $45 (25% of $180) from your $300, leaving you with $255 in unemployment benefits plus your $180 in wages.
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Olivia Martinez
•Oh thank god, I thought I was going to get in trouble! So as long as I keep reporting everything honestly I should be okay?
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Grace Patel
yeah you have to report all work, even if its just one day. i learned this the hard way when i didnt report a small job and they found out later. got hit with an overpayment notice
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Olivia Martinez
•How did they find out? That's exactly what I'm worried about happening to me.
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ApolloJackson
The key thing is there's a threshold - if your total earnings exceed 25% of your weekly benefit rate, then your unemployment gets reduced. But if you earn too much (more than your weekly benefit rate), you won't get any unemployment for that week. It's all about staying under that limit if you want to keep getting partial benefits. The restaurant work sounds perfect for this since it's just part-time.
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Isabella Russo
•Wait I'm confused about the math here. Can someone explain this more simply? I thought any work means no unemployment.
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Rajiv Kumar
I had a similar situation last year and was having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about partial benefits. Someone here recommended claimyr.com and it actually worked - they helped me get connected to an agent who explained exactly how the partial benefit calculation works. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Definitely worth checking out if you need to talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor about your specific situation.
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Aria Washington
•Never heard of that before but honestly anything that helps you actually talk to a real person at NYS Department of Labor sounds worth trying
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Liam O'Reilly
Just make sure you keep track of your hours and earnings! NYS Department of Labor cross-references with employer wage reports so they WILL find out if you don't report correctly. I've seen people get massive overpayment bills because they thought they could hide small jobs.
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