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Breakdown of Unemployment Benefits

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Regular, Emergency and Extended

Updated January 3, 2013

Regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits run for 26 weeks (plus one unpaid waiting week). For people who have not yet found a job, these programs offer more weeks of benefits:

  • Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) and
  • Extended Benefits (EB)

Each of the programs has a different deadline. As a result, the number of weeks that claimants get will depend on when they filed their original claim. This chart is based on the timelines and deadlines in the current federal law. Also, benefits under EUC Tiers 2, 3 & 4, and under EB take effect only when the 3-month average Total Unemployment Rate meets required levels. (See chart below). **

Here is the most claimants could receive, based on the date of the Original Claim (OC)* so long as they:

  • Have claimed full weeks of benefits since the start of the claim, and
  • Had no breaks in their claim

(You can use this chart or our Benefits Calculator.)

*OC effective date June 24, 2013 and later: 26 weeks of regular UI only
*OC effective date Mar 18, 2013 - June 17, 2013 26 weeks of regular UI
  1 - 14 weeks of EUC - Tier 1 (depending on OC date)
  27 - 40 weeks total
*OC effective date Dec 10, 2012 - Mar 11, 2013 26 weeks of regular UI
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  1 - 14 weeks of EUC - Tier 2 (depending on OC date)
  41 - 54 weeks total
*OC effective date Oct 15, 2012 - Dec 3, 2012 26 weeks of regular UI
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  1-8 weeks of EUC - Tier 3 (depending on OC date)
  55 - 62 weeks total
*OC effective date Feb 27, 2012 - Oct 8, 2012 26 weeks of regular UI
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  9 weeks of EUC - Tier 3
  63 weeks total
*OC effective date Oct 17, 2011 - Feb 20, 2012 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  14 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  9 weeks of EUC - Tier 3
  69 weeks total
*OC effective date Aug 8, 2011 - Oct 10, 2011 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  10 weeks of EUC
   (9 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  69 weeks total
*OC effective date July 11, 2011 - Aug 1, 2011 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  10 weeks of EUC
   (9 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  1-4 weeks of EB (depending on OC date)
  70-73 weeks total
*OC effective date April 11, 2011 - July 4, 2011 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  1-13 weeks of EB (depending on OC date)
  74-86 weeks total
*OC effective date Jan 3, 2011 - April 4, 2011 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4
  8-13 weeks of EB (depending on OC date)
  87-92 weeks total
*OC effective date Nov 22, 2010 - Dec 27, 2010 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  14-19 weeks of EB (depending on OC date)
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4
  93-98 weeks total
*OC effective date Aug 16, 2010 - Nov 15, 2010 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  20 weeks of EB
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4
  99 weeks total
*OC effective date March 23, 2009 - Aug 9, 2010 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  20 weeks of EB
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4, only available beginning June 4, 2012
  99 weeks total
*OC effective Sept. 15, 2008 – March 16, 2009 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4
  20 weeks of EB
  99 weeks total
*OC effective May 1, 2006 – Sept. 8, 2008 26 weeks of regular UI
  20 weeks of EUC - Tier 1
  13 weeks of EUC - Tier 2
  20 weeks of EB
  14 weeks of EUC
  (13 weeks Tier 3 and 1 week Tier 2)
  6 weeks of EUC - Tier 4
  99 weeks total

* An Original Claim's (OC) effective date is the Monday of the week in which the claim is filed.

** Benefits under EUC Tiers 2, 3 & 4 and under EB are available only when the Total Unemployment Rate (based on a 3-month average) meets required levels. In addition, EB is available only when the Total Unemployment Rate is at least 110% of the average for any or all of the corresponding three-month periods ending in the three preceding calendar years.

 The week ending December 9, 2012 was the last payable week for EB in New York State.  The 3-month seasonally adjusted unemployment rate as of October 2012 no longer met the criteria necessary for New York State to continue paying EB past this date.  (The EB program was previously scheduled to end on December 30, 2012).

Program Rate
EUC Tier 2 at least 6% (applies as of June 2012)
EUC Tier 3 at least 6%, increased to 7% in June 2012 
EUC Tier 4 at least 8.5%, increased to 9% in June 2012
EB Regular (13 weeks) at least 6.5%**
EB High (7 weeks) at least 8%**
  • UI = Regular Unemployment Insurance Benefits
  • EUC = Emergency Unemployment Compensation
  • EB = Extended Benefits

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