How Much Unemployment Will I Get in New York
The Short Answer
Your weekly benefit in New York is roughly your highest-earning quarter divided by 26, capped at $869 per week and floored at $140 per week as of 2026. The exact formula depends on how many quarters you worked and how much you earned in each. The maximum rose from $504 to $869 in October 2025 — a 72% increase — so older calculators and articles showing $504 are out of date.
How NYSDOL Picks Your Base Period
Your benefit amount comes from wages you earned during a four-quarter window called the base period. NYSDOL checks two versions:
Basic Base Period — the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the quarter you file. If you file in Q4 2026 (October–December), the basic base period is Q3 2025 through Q2 2026.
Alternate Base Period — the last four completed calendar quarters before the quarter you file. Same Q4 2026 filing would use Q4 2025 through Q3 2026.
NYSDOL starts with the basic period. If you don't qualify under it, or if the alternate gives you a higher weekly rate, you can request a switch by submitting Form TC403HA within 10 calendar days from the date your Monetary Determination was mailed.
Wages earned in the quarter you actually file cannot count in either base period.
The Qualification Tests
To qualify monetarily, you need all three:
- Earnings in at least two quarters of your base period
- At least $3,500 in your highest-earning quarter (the high quarter) — this threshold rose from $3,400 in 2025
- Total base period wages at least 1.5 times your high quarter earnings — if your high quarter was $10,000, your total across all four quarters must be at least $15,000
There's one exception to the 1.5x rule: if your high quarter wages reach or exceed $19,118, the remaining three quarters must total at least $9,559.
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The Benefit Calculation Formula
If you worked all four quarters of your base period:
- High quarter earnings above $3,575 → high quarter ÷ 26 (minimum $143)
- High quarter earnings $3,575 or below → high quarter ÷ 25
If you worked only two or three quarters:
- High quarter above $4,000 → average of your two highest quarters ÷ 26 (minimum $143)
- High quarter between $3,575 and $4,000 → high quarter ÷ 26 (minimum $143)
- High quarter $3,575 or below → high quarter ÷ 25
Quick Examples
Example 1: You earned $18,000 per quarter for four quarters. High quarter is $18,000. Calculation: $18,000 ÷ 26 = $692 per week.
Example 2: You earned $25,000 in your best quarter, $15,000 in the next, and $5,000 in two others. High quarter is $25,000. Since $25,000 ÷ 26 = $961, but the cap is $869, your weekly benefit is $869.
Example 3: You earned $3,500 in your one qualifying quarter and $2,000 in another. High quarter is $3,500. Since it's $3,575 or below: $3,500 ÷ 25 = $140 per week.
When Your Determination Looks Wrong
NYSDOL's Monetary Determination letter lists the wages it found in each quarter. If earnings are missing — often because an employer reported late — you have options:
- Request for Reconsideration (Form TC403HR) — within 30 days. Attach W-2s or pay stubs showing the missing wages
- Alternate Base Period request (Form TC403HA) — within 10 days if the alternate period gives a higher rate
- Rate based on weeks worked (Form LO403.5) — within 10 days, if you worked at least 20 weeks and a weekly average calculation yields at least $5 more per week
The 10-day deadlines run from the mailing date on the determination, not when you receive it. Don't wait.
Benefit Duration
New York pays up to 26 weeks of regular benefits within a 52-week benefit year. Your benefit year starts on the first Monday after you file a valid original claim. Extended benefits only activate during periods of elevated statewide unemployment under specific statutory triggers — they're not available by default.
Making Sense of Your Numbers
The formulas above are mechanical, but the stakes are real: the difference between qualifying under the basic base period and the alternate can be hundreds of dollars per week. Our New York Unemployment Claim Guide includes a wage-tracking worksheet that maps your quarters so you can check NYSDOL's math and catch missing wages before a deadline passes.
Free help is available: NYSDOL's Claimant Advocate Office at 1-855-528-5618 can walk you through your Monetary Determination at no cost.
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