I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! A "break in claim" basically just means the system flagged that you missed certifying for one or more weeks. Since you only missed one week back in October, this shouldn't mess up your ongoing payments at all. Here's what happened in my case: I got the same scary-sounding "break in claim" message, but when I certified the following week like normal, my payment came through right on schedule. You'll just lose the payment for that one week you missed, but everything else should continue as usual. The key things to remember: - Keep certifying every week going forward without fail - Your Wednesday payment should still come through since you certified yesterday - The break doesn't automatically end your claim or require filing a new one That said, I'd definitely recommend trying to call them when you can just to confirm everything looks good on your account. If you can't get through (which is super common), some people here have had success with that claimyr service, though I personally was able to resolve mine just by continuing to certify normally. Try not to stress too much - the system makes it sound way worse than it actually is!

I'm in a very similar situation right now! I also missed a week of certification (was dealing with a family emergency) and got that same confusing "break in claim" message. Like everyone else has said, it really is just the system's way of flagging that you missed a week - not that your entire claim is broken. From what I've learned reading through all these responses, the key things are: 1. Keep certifying every week going forward (sounds like you did this already) 2. You should still get your regular payment tomorrow since you certified yesterday 3. You'll just lose the payment for that one missed week in October I've been in the same boat trying to get through on the phone - it's absolutely impossible! Seeing so many people recommend that claimyr service makes me think I should probably try it too. The peace of mind of actually talking to someone would be worth it. Don't stress too much though - it sounds like this is way more common than we think and the system handles single missed weeks pretty smoothly. Just make sure you don't miss any more going forward! Hope your payment comes through tomorrow 🤞

Just make sure you keep really good records of everything. I learned that the hard way when they audited my claim six months later and wanted to see all my business expenses and client contracts.

I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago when my freelance writing business took a hit. For the application, I used my business name as the employer since I operated as an LLC. The most important thing is consistency - whatever you put on your Schedule C for net earnings, use that same figure. Don't overthink the wage section, just break down your annual net income into weekly amounts. One tip: when they ask about "reason for unemployment," I put "lack of work/clients" rather than trying to explain the whole business situation. The system understood that better. Also, be prepared for them to ask for your business license or EIN documentation if you have one. Good luck!

The whole system is messed up honestly. Self-employed people pay tons of taxes but when we need help there's nothing available. Meanwhile people who work for companies get unemployment benefits. It's not fair at all.

I'm really sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, regular unemployment insurance through NYS Department of Labor is only available to employees who had unemployment taxes paid on their behalf by employers. Since you were self-employed, you wouldn't qualify for traditional UI benefits. The PUA program that helped self-employed people during COVID ended in September 2021. However, don't give up entirely - you might want to look into other assistance programs like SNAP, emergency rental assistance, or local food banks to help bridge the gap while you figure out your next steps. Also, if you do any contract work where you're misclassified as 1099 when you should be W2, that could potentially change things. It's a tough situation but there might be other resources available to help you through this difficult time.

honestly at 63 you might want to look into other options like bridge jobs or part-time work instead of trying to figure out unemployment. the job search requirements are pretty strict anyway and you have to apply to a certain number of jobs each week

I went through something similar when I was 62. The key thing to understand is that NYS Department of Labor will look at your intent and circumstances very carefully. If you voluntarily quit to retire, you're disqualified. But if your employer offers an early retirement package due to restructuring or downsizing, that's different - it's considered involuntary separation even if you "accept" the package. The other thing to consider is that even if you qualify, you'll need to prove you're actively seeking work each week, which means applying for jobs and being genuinely available. At our age, that can be challenging but not impossible. I'd suggest talking to your HR department to see if there are any upcoming workforce changes that might affect your situation before making any decisions.

I think they give employers like 10-14 days to respond and then they just proceed without them if they don't. Your employer probably knows this and figures why bother responding if they're just going to approve you anyway, especially for a layoff situation.

I went through something similar about 6 months ago when my previous employer laid off half the staff and then basically disappeared. NYS Department of Labor will typically wait for the employer response deadline (usually 10 business days) and then make their determination based on the information you provided in your initial claim. Since you mentioned you have documentation of the layoff and budget cuts, that should work in your favor. The non-response from your employer actually isn't uncommon - many employers don't bother responding to unemployment claims, especially for clear-cut layoff situations. Just keep filing your weekly claims and be patient. In my case, it took about 3 weeks total but I got approved and received all the backpay for the weeks I had been filing.