United States · New York · Unemployment insurance · 2026
New York maximum weekly unemployment benefit 2026.
The $869 maximum, the 1/26 and 1/25 divisors in Labor Law section 590, and what the statute schedules for October 2026.
Short answer: New York’s maximum weekly benefit rate is $869. Labor Law section 590(5) names “eight hundred sixty-nine dollars” as the maximum benefit amount in its October 2025 schedule step, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s July 2026 table lists New York at $140 to $869. The weekly rate is one twenty-sixth of the wages paid in your highest calendar quarter, or one twenty-fifth when that quarter is $3,575 or less, lowered to the next dollar, with a $143 minimum when the high quarter is over $3,575 and a $100 floor otherwise. Benefits are limited to 26 times the weekly rate in a benefit year.
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The 2026 figures in one line
Maximum weekly benefit rate $869; minimum $143 when high-quarter wages exceed $3,575, and never below $100; divisor 26, or 25 when the high quarter is $3,575 or less; 26 times the weekly rate in a benefit year; monetary test in the DOL table: 1.5 times high-quarter wages and $3,500 in the high quarter; employer taxable wage base $17,600.
| Item | Figure | Where it is stated |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum weekly rate | $869 | Labor Law 590(5) schedule (October 2025 step); DOL July 2026 table |
| Minimum for high quarter over $3,575 | $143 | Labor Law 590(5) |
| Absolute floor | $100 | Labor Law 590(5), from October 2014 |
| Divisor | 1/26, or 1/25 at $3,575 or less | Labor Law 590(5) |
| Rounding | Lowered to the next dollar | Labor Law 590(5) |
| Duration | 26 x the weekly rate | Labor Law 590(4) |
| Monetary test | 1.5 x high quarter; $3,500 in the high quarter | DOL July 2026 table |
How the rate is computed
Section 590(5) sets the weekly benefit amount at one twenty-sixth of the remuneration paid in the highest calendar quarter of the base period. A claimant whose high-quarter remuneration is $3,575 or less uses one twenty-fifth instead. When wages fall in only two or three quarters, the rate is one twenty-sixth of the average of the two highest quarters, with the same low-wage exception. The result that is not a multiple of one dollar is lowered to the next dollar. A claimant with a high quarter over $3,575 cannot have a rate below $143, and from October 2014 the weekly benefit cannot be less than $100.
The maximum follows a schedule keyed to the first Monday of October each year: $425 in 2015, $430 in 2016, $435 in 2017, $450 in 2018, then a rising percentage of the state average weekly wage from 2019 to 2024. The version of the statute in force sets the October 2025 maximum at $869, and for October 2026 and later it says the maximum “shall be fifty percent of the average weekly wage.” The statute also says the maximum shall not be increased in a year when the fund balance is below 30 percent of the average high cost multiple on any day between April 1 and June 30, and that “in no event shall the maximum benefit amount be reduced from the previous year.” The DOL table effective July 2026 lists $869. Whether a higher figure took effect on the first Monday of October 2026 is for the New York State Department of Labor to announce; this page does not assume it.
Worked examples
High-quarter wages $20,000: $20,000 / 26 = $769.23, lowered to $769 a week. The benefit-year maximum is 26 x $769 = $19,994. With $40,000 of base-period wages the DOL monetary test (1.5 x $20,000 = $30,000, and $3,500 in the high quarter) is met.
High-quarter wages $3,575: the low-wage divisor applies, $3,575 / 25 = $143, which is also the minimum for a quarter at that level. High-quarter wages $3,600: $3,600 / 26 = $138.46, lowered to $138, then raised to the $143 minimum because the quarter is over $3,575.
High-quarter wages $30,000: $30,000 / 26 = $1,153.85, above the maximum, so the rate is $869 and the benefit year can pay up to 26 x $869 = $22,594.
How many weeks
Section 590(4) says benefits shall not be paid in an amount greater than twenty-six times the claimant’s weekly benefit rate in any benefit year, apart from the exceptions it names in sections 599 and 601. The DOL table records New York as a uniform-duration state at 26 weeks, which means every monetarily eligible claimant has the same number of full weeks available rather than a number that varies with base-period wages.
Method
The estimator divides the high-quarter wages you type by 26, or by 25 when the quarter is $3,575 or less, lowers the result to the next dollar, applies the $143 minimum for quarters over $3,575 and the $100 floor, and caps the rate at $869. It reports 26 times the rate as the benefit-year maximum and checks the DOL monetary test. Statute text read from nysenate.gov and the DOL table on November 11, 2026; the New York State Department of Labor’s own pages were not readable by our tools that day.
What this does not cover
- Any maximum above $869 announced for claims filed after the first Monday of October 2026; check the New York State Department of Labor.
- Non-monetary eligibility, the partial-benefit rule (up to 10 hours of work with earnings at or below the weekly rate, per the DOL table) and the waiting period.
- The two-highest-quarter averaging for claimants with wages in only two or three quarters; the estimator uses the single high quarter.
- Dependents’ allowances, which New York does not pay.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- New York State Senate: Labor Law section 590, Benefits (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026 (PDF) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedNew York’s maximum benefit is still $504 a week.
What the source saysThe DOL table effective July 2026 lists New York’s maximum weekly benefit amount as $869, the same figure the statute’s schedule names at its October 2025 step. [2]
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Often assumedThe weekly rate is always one twenty-sixth of the high quarter.
What the source saysSection 590(5) uses one twenty-fifth when high-quarter remuneration is $3,575 or less, and one twenty-sixth of the average of the two highest quarters when wages fall in only two or three quarters. [1]
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Often assumedA small high quarter means a benefit of a few dollars.
What the source saysThe statute sets a $143 minimum for claimants whose high quarter exceeds $3,575 and says the weekly benefit shall not be less than $100 from October 2014. [1]
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Often assumedThe maximum rises automatically every October.
What the source saysSection 590(5)(b) suspends the scheduled increase in a year when the fund balance is below 30 percent of the average high cost multiple between April 1 and June 30, while never reducing the maximum from the previous year. [1]
- New York State Senate: Labor Law section 590, Benefits
- U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, July 2026
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum weekly unemployment benefit in New York in 2026?
$869 a week, the figure in Labor Law 590(5) and in the DOL’s July 2026 table.
What is the minimum weekly benefit in New York?
$143 when your high quarter is over $3,575; the statute also says the weekly benefit shall not be less than $100.
How is the New York weekly benefit rate calculated?
One twenty-sixth of your highest calendar-quarter wages, or one twenty-fifth when that quarter is $3,575 or less, lowered to the next dollar.
How many weeks does New York pay?
Benefits are limited to 26 times the weekly rate in a benefit year under section 590(4); the DOL lists New York as a 26-week uniform-duration state.
Will the maximum change in October 2026?
The statute schedules 50 percent of the average weekly wage from the first Monday of October 2026 unless the fund-balance rule suspends the increase; this page shows $869 and does not assume a change.
How much do I need to have earned?
The DOL table lists 1.5 times your high-quarter wages in the base period and $3,500 in the high quarter.
Does New York pay a dependents’ allowance?
The DOL table shows a single figure for New York rather than a range, and its footnote says a range marks a dependents’ allowance, so the $869 is the full maximum.
Not legal or financial advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal or financial advice, and it is not run by any state workforce agency. The estimator applies the published formula to the figures you type; the agency decides eligibility and the real amount from employer-reported wages. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.