How long to you have to work to get unemployment

To receive benefits, you have to meet a minimum earnings requirement during your “base period.”  The base period is the timeframe used to determine if you qualify for UI benefits and to calculate your benefit amount.

The regular base year period consists of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the week you file an initial claim.

Your regular base year period consists of 52 weeks and is determined by the date you apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits, as outlined in the chart below:

To be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits in 2021, you must have earned at least $220 per week during 20 or more weeks in covered employment during the base year period, or you must have earned at least $11,000 in total covered employment during the base year period.

To be eligible in 2022, you must have earned at least $240 per week during 20 or more weeks in covered employment during the base year period, or you must have earned at least $12,000 in total covered employment during the base year period. 

The wages earned during your base year will determine the amount of weekly benefits you may receive, and the total amount you can claim in a given year.

For workers who don't qualify with a standard base year, we have other ways of calculating a base year. Click here for more information on these alternate base years, including if you are filing for Unemployment Insurance benefits after a period of disability.

If you have employment in between your base year period and your date of claim, it is called lag employment. The employer or employers you worked for during that time are called your lag employers.

Q: What changes have been made to partial unemployment? 
A: NYS DOL’s new partial unemployment system uses an “hours-based” approach. Under the new rules, claimants can work up to 7 days per week without losing full unemployment benefits for that week, if they work 30 hours or fewer and earn $504 or less in gross pay excluding earnings from self-employment. With this change, claimants’ benefits will not be reduced for each day they engage in part-time work and will be reduced in increments based on total hours of work for the week.

For comparison, NYS DOL’s previous system for partial UI counted part-time work in full-day increments. Under this approach, a claimant who worked part time would lose 25% of their weekly benefits for each day worked regardless of the number of hours worked on each of those days. For example, a claimant who earned just $45 during a three-hour shift would have lost a quarter of their weekly benefits.

Q: What has changed with my weekly certification?
A: This system update modifies how you calculate the number of days you report working each week. Please refer to the chart above to determine how your weekly hours worked translates to the number of days to report. For example, if you worked 10 hours or fewer in a week, you should report that you worked 0 days when certifying. If you worked 30 hours, you would report 3 days worked.

Another change is that you are only required to report up to 10 hours worked each day.

Q: What has not changed with my weekly certification?
A: You are still required to certify your weekly claim for benefits online or through the automated phone system. When certifying, the system will still ask for the number of days you worked. You should refer to the chart above to determine how your weekly hours worked translate to the number of days to report.

In addition, you are still required to report the amount of money you earned during the week for which you are claiming. If you earned more than $504 in weekly gross pay (excluding earnings from self-employment), you will not be eligible for unemployment or pandemic benefits regardless of hours worked.

Q: How should I calculate my hours if I work more than 10 hours on one day? 
A: When totaling hours for the week, you should use a maximum of 10 hours per calendar day. To determine how many days of work to report, you should add together all hours worked for each calendar day (with a maximum of 10 hours for any day you worked more than 10 hours) and refer to the chart.

For example, if you worked a total of 11 hours in a week, you should report one day of employment, and if you worked a total of 17 hours in a week, you should report two days of employment if you worked more than one day. If the 17 hours of work occurred on one calendar day, then you should report one day of employment because of the 10-hour maximum rule.

Note: This formula does not change the $504 gross weekly payments rule – you must still report your total earnings for the week. If you earned more than $504 in weekly gross pay (the amount of money earned before taxes and deductions are taken out) excluding earnings from self-employment, you will not be eligible for unemployment or pandemic benefits regardless of hours worked.

Q: When does this change to partial unemployment go into effect? 
A: Starting Sunday, January 24, 2021, New Yorkers will report using the new method for the benefit week of Monday, January 18, 2021 to Sunday, January 24, 2021 – and all benefit weeks going forward.

Note: Starting Sunday, August 22, 2021, New Yorkers will report using the updated hours matrix for the benefit week of Monday, August 16, 2021 to Sunday, August 22, 2021 – and all benefit weeks going forward

Q: Is there still an earnings cutoff for partial unemployment benefits? 
A: Yes. If you earn more than $504 in weekly gross pay (the amount of money earned before taxes and deductions are taken out excluding earnings from self-employment), you will not be eligible for unemployment or pandemic benefits for that week no matter how few hours you worked.

Q: If I work ten hours in a week over four days, should I still report that I worked 0 days? 
A: Yes. Under NYS DOL’s new partial unemployment system, ten hours of work in a week - regardless of the total days worked - is equivalent to less than one day worked for certification purposes, as long as you do not earn more than $504 in gross pay (excluding earnings from self-employment) for those ten hours worked.

Q: How does this change impact my benefits if I am not working part time? 
A: NYS DOL’s change in how partial unemployment benefits are calculated will not impact you if work 0 hours in a week.

Q: How will this change to partial unemployment impact the overall time that I can receive unemployment benefits? 
A: NYS DOL’s change in how partial unemployment benefits are calculated will not impact the number of weeks of unemployment available to you.

Q: I’m on Shared Work. How does this change affect my benefits? 
A: Partial unemployment benefits for claimants enrolled in the Shared Work program are calculated differently. See additional information about certifying for Shared Work benefits.

Q: What should I do if I reported the wrong number of hours worked while certifying? 
A: If you mistakenly reported the number of days worked for weeks starting January 18, 2021 or later, instead of the using the new formula or if you use the outdated reporting guidelines for weeks starting August 16, 2021 or later, you should let NYS DOL know so we can ensure you are paid all the benefits you are entitled to.

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