New York Unemployment Calculator 2026
New York pays $140–$869 per week for up to 26 weeks in 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter. Enter your quarterly wages below to estimate it — the math runs entirely in your browser, from figures verified against New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL).
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Enter your gross wages for each quarter of the base period — roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Your state's exact window is shown with the result.
Base period: P832: 'The Basic Base Period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the quarter in which you file for benefits.' (an alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard one).
File your claim with New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) — only the agency determines your actual benefit.
Verified 2026-07-31 against NYSDOL fact sheet P832 (2/26) 'How Your Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefit Payment Is Calculated' + NYSDOL Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook (TC 320, 1/26) + NYSDOL 'What is the Maximum Benefit Rate?' + N.Y. Labor Law Sec. 590 (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) — file a claim ↗
Working part-time? Partial benefits
New York disregards part of what you earn in a week before reducing your benefit. Estimate what a part-time week leaves you with:
How long benefits can last
Up to 26 weeks.
Who qualifies for benefits in New York
P832: 'To qualify for benefits, you must meet all three of the following earnings requirements during your base period (basic or alternate): You must have worked and been paid wages in jobs covered by Unemployment Insurance in at least two calendar quarters; For claims filed in 2026, you must have been paid at least $3,500 in one calendar quarter (this amount increased from $3,400 for claims filed in 2025); The total wages paid to you must be at least 1.5 times the amount paid to you in your high quarter. Exception: If your high quarter wages were $19,118 or more, you must have been paid a combined total of at least $9,559 in the other three quarters of your base period.'
- Minimum high-quarter wages
- $3,500
Meeting the wage test is not the same as being approved: New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) also rules on the reason for the separation and on your availability for work each week. File with New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) ↗
Base period in New York
P832: 'The Basic Base Period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the quarter in which you file for benefits.'. An alternate base period is available if you don’t qualify with the standard window. P832: 'If you do not have enough wages in your Basic Base Period, we use your Alternate Base Period ... the last four completed calendar quarters before the quarter in which you file for benefits.' NYSDOL does not automatically check whether the Alternate Base Period would give a higher rate - a claimant may request it, but 'if you choose to use the alternate quarter (5th quarter ...) wages for your current claim, you cannot use these wages again in the future.' 'For all base periods, the quarter in which you file for benefits does not count as part of your base period.'
See which quarters count for your filing date →Severance and your claim
Claimant Handbook (1/26), 'Reductions - Separation Pay': 'A severance package, pay in lieu of notice or a continuation of pay with full benefits from an employer may affect UI benefits. Be sure to report any separation payments when you file your weekly claim. You may be contacted by the agency for additional details to help determine if your separation pay will cause a change in your UI benefit amount.'
Source: NYSDOL fact sheet P832 (2/26) 'How Your Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefit Payment Is Calculated' + NYSDOL Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook (TC 320, 1/26) + NYSDOL 'What is the Maximum Benefit Rate?' + N.Y. Labor Law Sec. 590 (verified 2026-07-31).
New York unemployment: frequently asked questions
New York pays between $140 and $869 per week in 2026. Your amount is 1/26 of your highest-earning base-period quarter, and only New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) can determine it officially. These figures were verified against the agency's own publication on 2026-07-31.
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