NYUnemployment insurance worksheet
New York Unemployment Calculator: Weekly Award & Balance
New York paid up to $869 a week for up to 26 weeks on claims filed through October 4, 2026; the New York State Department of Labor has not yet published the schedule for newer claims, so use the award on your notice.
Checked against primary sources · updated See the sources
How much does unemployment pay in New York?
For a claim filed after October 4, 2026, use the weekly amount and account balance on your NYSDOL determination in the worksheet below. The agency's maximum-benefit page still lists the earlier rate; it does not identify a successor schedule. For an earlier claim, choose its filing date to estimate from wages. Actual payments also depend on eligibility.
How New York works out your amount
New York: both the number of quarters with wages and the high-quarter band change the formula. The $869 cap and 2026 wage tests are modeled for claims filed through October 4, 2026; a later cap is not assumed.
Weekly earnings reduction is not modeled here unless your state source gives a rule. Optional withholding is separate from the gross estimate.
The New York State Department of Labor decides eligibility, base-period wages, payable weeks, reductions, withholding and the final award. Use the official record below to verify this scenario.
New York: NYSDOL P832 February 2026: quarter-count and wage-band formulas, $3,500 high-quarter threshold, capped high-quarter earnings test and the $869 weekly ceiling for claims filed through October 4, 2026; the next cap period is unresolved. https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/03/p832-how-your-weekly-ui-benefits-are-calculated-2-26.pdf (verified 2026-10-01)
New York benefit rates for a fixed weekly wage
Equal weekly pay puts wages in all four quarters, and once the best quarter is above $3,575 the rate is that quarter divided by 26. That gives $250 at $500 a week, $500 at $1,000 and $750 at $1,500. The table is computed for a claim filed October 4, 2026, the last day of the schedule NYSDOL has published, so on those claims a $3,000 paycheck stopped at the $869 maximum. For a claim filed after that date, the weekly rate on your monetary determination decides.
| Pay every week | Each quarter | Weekly benefit | Share of pay | Weeks | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $6,500 | $250 | 50% | 26 | $6,500 |
| $1,000 | $13,000 | $500 | 50% | 26 | $13,000 |
| $1,500 | $19,500 | $750 | 50% | 26 | $19,500 |
| $3,000 | $39,000 | $869 (cap) | 29% | 26 | $22,594 |
Four quarters of wages can produce a different rate
New York's standard wage formula depends on how many quarters contain covered earnings. If wages appear in all four quarters and the highest quarter exceeds $3,575, divide that high quarter by 26. With wages in only two or three quarters, a high quarter over $4,000 uses the average of the two highest quarters, divided by 26.
For example, $6,500, $3,500, $100 and $100 gives four paid quarters. The weekly formula is $6,500 ÷ 26, or $250. If the last two quarters instead contain zero, the top-pair average is $5,000; dividing by 26 and dropping the dollar fraction gives $192. Both wage records meet the basic monetary tests, but their standard weekly amounts differ.
The $3,575 and $4,000 boundaries matter
When the highest quarter is $3,575 or less, use that quarter divided by 25. Above $3,575, the standard weekly benefit cannot be below $143. For two or three paid quarters with a high quarter above $3,575 but no more than $4,000, use the high quarter divided by 26; above $4,000, use the two-quarter average instead. Round the resulting weekly amount down to a whole dollar, then apply the maximum: $869 on claims filed through October 4, 2026.
These thresholds can cause a discontinuity. With two paid quarters of $4,000 and $2,000, the weekly formula produces $153. With $4,000.01 and $2,000.01, the formula changes to the two-quarter average and the $143 floor applies. The form follows the published branches instead of smoothing that change into a single wage percentage.
Check earnings before applying the weekly ceiling
For 2026 claims, NYSDOL requires covered wages in at least two quarters and at least $3,500 in one quarter. Normally, total base-period wages must equal at least 1.5 times the highest quarter. When the high quarter is $19,118 or more, the other three quarters instead need a combined $9,559.
A $40,000 high quarter plus $9,559 in another quarter passes that exception and, on a claim filed by October 4, 2026, reaches the $869 ceiling. Reducing the other-quarter total by one cent fails. A single $40,000 quarter with no other covered wages fails. The form applies these checks before showing an eligible weekly estimate.
A $3,500 high quarter and $1,750 in another meet the lower earnings thresholds and yield $140 weekly. Missing wages remain unknown; use zero only when you have confirmed the quarter contains none.
Regular benefits stop after 26 weekly payments
Labor Law §590 limits regular benefits to 26 times the weekly rate, subject to statutory exceptions outside this model. At $250 weekly, a full constant-rate scenario totals $6,500; at $192 it totals $4,992. On a claim filed by October 4, 2026, the $869 maximum would produce $22,594 over 26 full eligible weeks.
This model supports the schedule from January 5 through October 4, 2026. A blank date uses your current local date. The law provides for the next annual maximum calculation on October 5, 2026; this worksheet has not verified that amount. Labor Law §590(5) sets that maximum at half of the state average weekly wage and never below the previous year's figure, but NYSDOL's maximum-benefit page still listed only the $869 rate when read on October 25, 2026, so claims filed from October 5, 2026 use the award on the notice. After the supported wage calendar ends, the automatic rate remains unverified and the form uses an official-award worksheet. Enter the agency's confirmed weekly award, account and authorized weeks. The modeled total does not forecast a future rate increase or freeze an existing claim's benefit rate.
Use the period and wages selected by NYSDOL
The agency normally starts with the four completed quarters that precede the most recent one, then may consider an alternate period. This worksheet does not choose the period, evaluate a requested recalculation based on weeks worked, or determine whether an employer's wages are covered. Copy the wage record on the monetary determination and ask NYSDOL to correct omissions.
The calculation assumes full eligible weeks. Part-time hours, earnings, severance, pensions, work search, offsets and separation decisions can change eligibility or payment. Optional withholding shows an entered percentage, not tax liability. See the input-preparation guide or model an official award.
New York primary references
- NYSDOL P832, February 2026: formulas and earnings tests
- Labor Law §590: weekly rounding, cap periods and regular duration
- NYSDOL current maximum benefit rate
- Before filing: qualifying wages and base periods
Verified October 1, 2026. Review methodology and source coverage.
Worked in a nearby state too?
Each state pays from the wages reported to it, so a claim follows where the covered work was done. If some of your base-period wages were earned in one of these states, open its worksheet, or compare every state on the unemployment benefits calculator.
Supported claim periods and annual handoff
The New York wage-estimate calendar supports 2026-01-05 to 2026-10-04. Source dates describe when evidence was checked; they do not create a legal expiration. A blank claim date uses the current local date. After a finite schedule ends, the form shows an explicit official-award worksheet. Enter the weekly award, maximum account and authorized weeks from the determination. An unverified successor rate is never copied from the previous annual table.
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