just be prepared for the system to be a nightmare. took me 6 weeks to get my first payment even though everything was supposedly fine with my claim. the my.ny.gov website crashes constantly and good luck ever talking to a human being

Don't forget you'll owe taxes on unemployment benefits! They don't automatically withhold federal taxes unless you request it. I learned this the hard way and owed a bunch at tax time. You can have them withhold 10% when you file your weekly claims.

Ugh the whole system is broken. I've been unemployed for 6 months and the NYS Department of Labor job search requirements feel like busy work. Most of the jobs I apply to don't even respond. It's all about who you know, not what qualifications you have.

Just wanted to add - make sure you're keeping detailed records of all your job search activities! I got audited by NYS Department of Labor and had to provide documentation for every application and contact I made. They're pretty strict about the work search requirements.

To answer your question about job search audits - yes they absolutely can and do ask for documentation. You need to keep records of where you applied, when you applied, what type of position it was, and contact information. I recommend keeping a spreadsheet or using their online job search log if they have one. The 3 job contacts per week requirement is current as of 2025 and includes things like submitting applications, attending job fairs, networking events, or even informational interviews.

One more thing - if you have trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone for questions about your claim, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it when my claim got stuck in adjudication and couldn't get through the regular phone lines. Pretty straightforward and actually got me connected to an agent who could help resolve my issue.

same boat here, trying to figure out all the rules. is there a difference between being laid off vs fired for attendance issues? asking for a friend... 😬

Been through this twice unfortunately. Key things: always file on your assigned day of the week, never lie about anything even small stuff, keep copies of EVERYTHING, and if you work part-time while claiming report every penny. The NYS Department of Labor will eventually find out about unreported income and hit you with an overpayment that's way worse than just being honest upfront.

The whole unemployment system is designed to confuse people and trip them up. They add these random questions hoping you'll mess up so they can deny your claim. It's ridiculous that we have to guess what they want to hear just to get benefits we're entitled to.

omg yes! I got that same question last week and had no idea what to put. I ended up calling my cousin who works in HR and she said just answer honestly about how being unemployed affects you personally and professionally