Page 1

On January 18, 2021, Former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that under his direction NYS DOL will implement a new rule that redefines how part-time work impacts unemployment benefits. This change makes New York’s partial unemployment system fairer and more equitable for New Yorkers who have the opportunity to work part-time while collecting unemployment and pandemic benefits. Effective August 16, 2021, New York State has modified the rules for partial unemployment eligibility. This update will apply to the benefit week of Monday, August 16, 2021 to Sunday, August 22, 2021 and all benefit weeks going forward. When certifying for benefits, New Yorkers should refer the new guidelines for reporting part-time work, available below. 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 $869 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 claimants calculate the number of days they report working each week. Claimants should refer to the chart below to determine how their weekly hours worked translates to the number of days to report. For example, if a claimant works 10 hours or fewer in a week, they should report they worked 0 days when certifying. A claimant who works 30 hours, would report 3 days worked. Another change is that claimants are only required to report up to 10 hours worked each day. HOURS WORKED PER WEEK NUMBER OF DAYS TO REPORT TO UI % REDUCTION IN UI 0 - 10 0 DAYS 0 11 - 16 1 DAY 25% 17 - 21 2 DAYS 50% 22 - 30 3 DAYS 75% 31+ 4 DAYS 100% When calculating your hours worked, round up to the nearest whole hour. UPDATED PARTIAL UNEMPLOYMENT FAQS UPDATED: OCTOBER 2025