NY Unemployment Payments Extended To 59 Weeks

NEW YORK — It's not all bad news for out-of-work New Yorkers sweating through the summer and the potential loss of a $600 extra unemployment payment.

Extended benefits for certain New Yorkers on unemployment took effect July 5. That could give workers up to 59 weeks of state benefits.

To qualify, workers must exhaust the 26 weeks of traditional unemployment and 13 weeks of coronavirus Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, according to a state fact sheet.

Workers who are under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — which is available to those who can't work because of the pandemic but don't qualify for traditional unemployment — can't collect the extended benefits. But they are eligible for up to 46 weeks of benefits, according to the fact sheet.

So how does this all fit in with the $600 unemployment payment under the stimulus? Well, that supplemental payment came from the federal government at a flat amount per week starting in April.

New York state benefits themselves can differ person-to-person. And they're the ones that are being extended.

The $600 weekly federal payment itself expires the week ending July 26 unless Congress acts to keep it — and those prospects are mixed.

Forbes reported the amount could be slashed to $300 to $400, but noted other alternatives.

Read more about the extended benefits here.