One thing to keep in mind is that partial unemployment might be an option for you since your hours got cut rather than being completely laid off. NYS allows you to collect partial benefits if you're working reduced hours, as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit rate. You'd report your earnings each week and they'll reduce your benefit accordingly, but you could still get some assistance. This might be worth looking into since you mentioned your hours were cut to "practically nothing" rather than being completely unemployed. Just make sure to report all earnings honestly when you file your weekly claims.

Also wanted to mention that if you do decide to file, make sure you have all your employment information ready - employer names, dates of employment, reason for separation, and your Social Security number. The application asks for detailed work history for the past 18 months. I made the mistake of starting my application without gathering all this info first and had to stop halfway through to look everything up. The system times out if you take too long, so it's better to have everything organized beforehand. Good luck!

Yeah definitely report it all. I learned this the hard way when I was doing Instacart last year while on benefits.

I'm in a similar situation and have been researching this extensively. From what I've found, NYS Department of Labor has access to various databases that can flag unreported income, especially from major platforms like Uber Eats. They receive quarterly wage reports and can cross-reference 1099s issued by gig companies. Even if you think you're flying under the radar, it's not worth the risk. I'd recommend calling them directly to ask about the partial benefit calculation for your specific weekly benefit amount - that way you know exactly how much you can earn before it starts reducing your UI payments. Better to be upfront and keep some benefits than lose everything later.

Just went through this whole process myself! That monetary determination letter is basically them saying "here's what we calculated you'd get based on your work history, BUT we still need to decide if you actually qualify." It's like getting a pre-approval letter - shows the amount but not the final decision. I was laid off from my accounting firm due to downsizing and got my monetary letter in December showing $412/week. The waiting after that was brutal - took almost 4 weeks to get my actual eligibility decision. But since you were laid off due to budget cuts with employer confirmation, that's about as straightforward as it gets for approval. Keep doing those weekly certifications religiously even though you're not getting paid yet - that backpay will come through when you're approved. The NY unemployment system is designed to confuse people, but your situation sounds very similar to mine and I ended up getting approved with full backpay. Hang in there!

I'm in the EXACT same situation right now! Got my monetary determination letter this week showing $435/week but that disclaimer totally freaked me out too. I was laid off from my graphic design job due to company downsizing and have been so anxious about whether I'd actually get approved. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief - it sounds like this is just how their confusing system works. I've been doing my weekly certifications even without payments, which seems to be the key thing based on all the advice here. The waiting is absolutely brutal when rent is due and bills are piling up, but at least now I know this is normal and not a sign that something went wrong with my application. Thanks for posting this question - you definitely helped a lot of us who are going through the same stressful process!

I can add another data point to help ease your worries! I was on NYS unemployment for about 7 months after getting laid off from a tech company, and I just completed the hiring process at a new job that required a pretty extensive background check (they even looked into my social media presence). Unemployment benefits never came up at all. The background check company only had access to verify the employment history I provided on my application - they confirmed my previous job titles, dates, and whether I was eligible for rehire, but there was absolutely no record of me receiving unemployment benefits during the gap. The key thing to remember is that unemployment insurance is exactly that - insurance that you and your employer paid into. There's nothing shameful about using it when you need it, and it's completely separate from employment verification systems. Best of luck with your interviews - you should feel confident that this won't be an issue!

Adding to what everyone else has said - I just went through this exact situation about 2 months ago! Was on NYS unemployment for 4 months after a layoff and was super stressed about background checks too. Went through the hiring process at 3 different companies and not one background check showed any unemployment benefit history. The most thorough one even included a credit check and financial review, but unemployment never appeared anywhere. What really helped me was realizing that unemployment benefits are handled by a completely different government agency (NYS Department of Labor) than what background check companies have access to. They're literally looking at different databases. The only employment info they can verify is what you give them permission to check. Don't let this worry derail your interview prep - you're going to do great!

Just to add some numbers to this - in NY, employers typically pay between 0.6% to 9.9% of their first $12,300 in wages per employee annually, depending on their experience rating. New employers start at around 4.1%. So for a company with 50 employees making $50k each, they might pay around $25,000-$30,000 per year into the unemployment fund. It really is a significant business expense that employers have to budget for, which explains why they're so careful about how they handle layoffs and terminations.

This thread has been really helpful! I had no idea the funding was so complex. One thing I'm curious about - does the amount I receive ($425/week) depend on how much my specific employer paid in, or is it just based on my previous wages? Like if I worked for a company that had a really low experience rating vs a high one, would that affect my benefit amount at all?