New York Unemployment Benefit Eligibility Requirements

A: You must have worked and been paid wages for work in at least two calendar quarters in your base period,
AND
You must have been paid at least $1,700 in wages in one of the calendar quarters in your base period,
AND
The total wages paid to you in your base period must be one and one-half times your high quarter wages.We use no more than $8,910 of your high quarter earnings to determine if you qualify. You must have earned at least half that amount ($4,455) in the other base period quarters.
If you qualify using the Basic base period, we use that period to establish your claim.
- If you do not qualify in the Basic base period, we will calculate using the Alternate base period.
- If you qualify under the Basic base period, you may think that using the Alternate base period would give you a higher benefit rate. You can ask us to recalculate your rate using the Alternate base period. You have 10 days from the date of the initial notice to make the request.
- If you do not qualify using either base period
AND
You received Workers’ Compensation payments
OR
Volunteer Firefighters’ benefits during the Basic base period,
THEN
We may extend the Basic base period back up to 2 calendar quarters. This will depend on how many base period quarters you received these benefits. - If you do not qualify in any of these base periods,
AND
You worked for pay in the calendar quarter when you filed,
AND
You are still unemployed after that quarter ends,
AND
You think that you may qualify using the latest work,
THEN
You should apply again for benefits after this calendar quarter ends.
Please note:
- Once you use wages to establish a claim, they are void for the next claim. You cannot use them again. This may affect your entitlement to a later claim.
- If you were fired for misconduct or a criminal act, you may not use any wages paid to you for that work to establish a claim or to calculate your benefit rate.
- If you are filing a repeat unemployment insurance claim, you must have earned new wages of at least ten times your benefit rate in the benefit year to qualify for a new claim. read more
One Comment
Please call me
I received an email form DOL asking to upload documents to proof I was in the workforce when. Covid-19 and the lockdown hits us in march18th 2020 in NY state.
I cannot upload this documents from ny.gov account I need HELP
It says they can provide me with alternative methods such as an email or a physical address to send such documents requested
But I had called, wrote, no answers ! please (917)***-8298