Question 1

Can you get unemployment if you were fired in New York?

Accepted Answer

If you lost your job through misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate. If you lost your job because of a job-related felony and are convicted or sign an admission, you are disqualified for 12 months, and wages from that employer before the act cannot be used for a new claim. The disqualification is not limited to one benefit year.

Question 2

Can you get unemployment if you quit in New York?

Accepted Answer

If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate. Quitting is not disqualifying if conditions developed that would have justified refusing the job in the first place, or for compelling family reasons: domestic violence (with documentation), caring for an ill or disabled immediate family member beyond the leave your employer allows, following a spouse whose job moved too far to commute, following a military spouse who was transferred, or providing child care after reasonable efforts to find other care. Leaving because of your marriage is disqualifying.

Question 3

Can you get unemployment if your hours were cut in New York?

Accepted Answer

You must have lost work through no fault of your own and be ready, willing and able to work. If your hours were reduced below your normal hours through no fault of your own, you may get partial benefits if you work 30 or fewer hours in a week and earn less than the maximum benefit rate.

Question 4

How much do you need to have earned to get unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

You must have been paid covered wages in at least two calendar quarters of your base period; for claims filed in 2026, at least $3,500 in one quarter; and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high-quarter wages (if your high quarter was $19,118 or more, you need at least $9,559 in the other three quarters combined). The basic base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters; if that does not qualify you, the last four completed quarters are used.

Question 5

How much is unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

If you were paid in all four base period quarters, your weekly benefit rate is your high-quarter wages divided by 26 (divided by 25 if the high quarter was $3,575 or less); if you were paid in only two or three quarters and your high quarter exceeded $4,000, it is the average of your two highest quarters divided by 26. The maximum benefit rate is $869 per week, effective October 6, 2025 (the first Monday of October 2025). The minimum benefit rate is $140 as of January 2026.

Question 6

How long can you get unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

Up to 26 weeks of benefits; total benefits cannot exceed 26 times your weekly benefit rate in a benefit year.

Question 7

Is there a waiting week for unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

Yes. New claims filed on and after June 28, 2021 include an unpaid waiting week: you are not paid for the first full week of your claim but must still claim weekly benefits and meet eligibility requirements.

Question 8

What are the work search requirements for unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

When you certify each week, you must confirm that you completed at least three work search activities that week or followed an official work search plan, and that you are complying with the work search requirements.

Question 9

Does severance pay affect unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

Benefits are suspended for any week in which your weekly dismissal (severance) pay exceeds your maximum weekly benefit rate plus your partial benefit credit, unless the first severance payment is made more than 30 days after your last day of work. Pension, retirement, accrued leave and health insurance payments do not count as dismissal pay. Pay for vacation days or holidays that were scheduled and fall in the week you claim counts as compensation, but payment for unused vacation or holiday credits because your job ended does not.

Question 10

How do I apply for unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

File online (best between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.) or by calling the Telephone Claim Center during business hours. Identity is verified through ID.me. After the Department notifies you, certify for benefits every week at labor.ny.gov/signin or by phone; the week runs Monday to Sunday and you certify from Sunday through the following Saturday. Turn off any VPN or proxy. The first payment generally arrives two to three weeks after the claim is processed.

Question 11

How do I appeal an unemployment denial in New York?

Accepted Answer

If you disagree with a determination, request a hearing within 30 days from the date of the determination. Keep certifying weekly while you wait.

Question 12

Can you work part-time and collect unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

If you work part time, your benefits are reduced in steps based on your total hours of work in the week. You must work 30 or fewer hours and earn less than the maximum benefit rate to receive partial benefits. Do not claim benefits for any day you worked, even before your first paycheck. The Department's online Partial Unemployment Benefit Calculator shows how to report your hours.

Question 13

Can self-employed or gig workers get unemployment in New York?

Accepted Answer

New York's Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) lets eligible people collecting unemployment benefits work full time on starting their own business instead of looking for a job, and business earnings are not deducted from benefits. To apply you must be at least 18, have at least 13 more weeks of benefits available, have received an invitation letter from the Department of Labor or be classified as a dislocated worker, and be new to SEAP; the business must be in New York, and you must be a first-time owner of that type of business. You must have written acceptance into SEAP before starting the business while collecting benefits.

Question 14

Where do I log in to my unemployment claim in New York?

Accepted Answer

New York unemployment claimants certify for (claim) weekly benefits online through their NY Department of Labor online services account, or by phone through Tel-Service at 1-888-581-5812 (Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-midnight; Saturday 12:01 a.m. through Sunday midnight), using the PIN created when first filing; press 2 for claim services, then 1 to certify. Tel-Service processes one week at a time; claim by the Sunday ending the week you are claiming. You can update your address and phone online when you claim weekly benefits. For a forgotten PIN, call the Telephone Claims Center at 888-209-8124.

If you were fired	If you lost your job through misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate. If you lost your job because of a job-related felony and are convicted or sign an admission, you are disqualified for 12 months, and wages from that employer before the act cannot be used for a new claim. The disqualification is not limited to one benefit year. Source: N.Y. Labor Law § 593(3), (4), (5)
If you quit	If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate. Quitting is not disqualifying if conditions developed that would have justified refusing the job in the first place, or for compelling family reasons: domestic violence (with documentation), caring for an ill or disabled immediate family member beyond the leave your employer allows, following a spouse whose job moved too far to commute, following a military spouse who was transferred, or providing child care after reasonable efforts to find other care. Leaving because of your marriage is disqualifying. Source: N.Y. Labor Law § 593(1)
Layoffs and reduced hours	You must have lost work through no fault of your own and be ready, willing and able to work. If your hours were reduced below your normal hours through no fault of your own, you may get partial benefits if you work 30 or fewer hours in a week and earn less than the maximum benefit rate. Source: NYS DOL, How Your Weekly UI Benefit Payment Is Calculated (P832, 2/26); Calculators
Earnings needed to qualify	You must have been paid covered wages in at least two calendar quarters of your base period; for claims filed in 2026, at least $3,500 in one quarter; and total base period wages of at least 1.5 times your high-quarter wages (if your high quarter was $19,118 or more, you need at least $9,559 in the other three quarters combined). The basic base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters; if that does not qualify you, the last four completed quarters are used. Source: NYS DOL, How Your Weekly UI Benefit Payment Is Calculated (P832, 2/26)
Self-employed, 1099 and gig workers	New York's Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) lets eligible people collecting unemployment benefits work full time on starting their own business instead of looking for a job, and business earnings are not deducted from benefits. To apply you must be at least 18, have at least 13 more weeks of benefits available, have received an invitation letter from the Department of Labor or be classified as a dislocated worker, and be new to SEAP; the business must be in New York, and you must be a first-time owner of that type of business. You must have written acceptance into SEAP before starting the business while collecting benefits. Source: New York State Department of Labor, Self-Employment Assistance Program

Weekly benefit amount	If you were paid in all four base period quarters, your weekly benefit rate is your high-quarter wages divided by 26 (divided by 25 if the high quarter was $3,575 or less); if you were paid in only two or three quarters and your high quarter exceeded $4,000, it is the average of your two highest quarters divided by 26. The maximum benefit rate is $869 per week, effective October 6, 2025 (the first Monday of October 2025). The minimum benefit rate is $140 as of January 2026. Under Labor Law § 590(5), the maximum is set at 50% of the state average weekly wage starting in October 2026 and each year after; the Department's maximum benefit rate page still showed $869 when checked. Source: NYS DOL, What is the Maximum Benefit Rate?; How Your Weekly UI Benefit Payment Is Calculated (P832, 2/26)
How many weeks	Up to 26 weeks of benefits; total benefits cannot exceed 26 times your weekly benefit rate in a benefit year. Source: NYS DOL, Unemployment claimant benefit process; N.Y. Labor Law § 590(4)
Waiting week	Yes. New claims filed on and after June 28, 2021 include an unpaid waiting week: you are not paid for the first full week of your claim but must still claim weekly benefits and meet eligibility requirements. Source: NYS DOL, Certify for Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Working part-time on benefits	If you work part time, your benefits are reduced in steps based on your total hours of work in the week. You must work 30 or fewer hours and earn less than the maximum benefit rate to receive partial benefits. Do not claim benefits for any day you worked, even before your first paycheck. The Department's online Partial Unemployment Benefit Calculator shows how to report your hours. The specific hour bands and reduction percentages were not shown on the page read. Source: NYS DOL, Calculators; Certify for Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Severance and vacation pay	Benefits are suspended for any week in which your weekly dismissal (severance) pay exceeds your maximum weekly benefit rate plus your partial benefit credit, unless the first severance payment is made more than 30 days after your last day of work. Pension, retirement, accrued leave and health insurance payments do not count as dismissal pay. Pay for vacation days or holidays that were scheduled and fall in the week you claim counts as compensation, but payment for unused vacation or holiday credits because your job ended does not. Source: N.Y. Labor Law § 591(3), (6); NYS DOL, Certify for Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits

How to apply	File online (best between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.) or by calling the Telephone Claim Center during business hours. Identity is verified through ID.me. After the Department notifies you, certify for benefits every week at labor.ny.gov/signin or by phone; the week runs Monday to Sunday and you certify from Sunday through the following Saturday. Turn off any VPN or proxy. The first payment generally arrives two to three weeks after the claim is processed. Source: NYS DOL, Unemployment claimant benefit process; Certify for Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Work search requirements	When you certify each week, you must confirm that you completed at least three work search activities that week or followed an official work search plan, and that you are complying with the work search requirements. Source: NYS DOL, Certify for Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Appealing a denial	If you disagree with a determination, request a hearing within 30 days from the date of the determination. Keep certifying weekly while you wait. Source: NYS DOL, Unemployment claimant benefit process
Logging in and filing weekly claims	New York unemployment claimants certify for (claim) weekly benefits online through their NY Department of Labor online services account, or by phone through Tel-Service at 1-888-581-5812 (Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-midnight; Saturday 12:01 a.m. through Sunday midnight), using the PIN created when first filing; press 2 for claim services, then 1 to certify. Tel-Service processes one week at a time; claim by the Sunday ending the week you are claiming. You can update your address and phone online when you claim weekly benefits. For a forgotten PIN, call the Telephone Claims Center at 888-209-8124. Source: New York State Department of Labor, Using the Tel-Service Line

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