


Ask the community...
Just to add - unemployment isn't 'free money' like some people think. You earned this benefit through working and your employer paying into the system. Don't feel bad about filing if you're eligible! The worst part is dealing with the NYS Department of Labor phone system when you have questions.
That's a good point about earning it through working. I feel less weird about applying now knowing it's not charity.
I remember being so confused when I first heard about unemployment benefits too! The amount you get is calculated based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. So if you made good money recently, your weekly benefit will be higher. Just make sure to file your claim as soon as possible after losing your job because there can be a waiting period.
The whole system is ridiculous if you ask me. They make you jump through hoops to get unemployment benefits when you're already struggling, then they tax you on it like it's some kind of bonus income. Meanwhile rich people get tax breaks for their investments. Sorry for the rant but this stuff makes me so angry.
wait so if i file today but i lost my job 2 months ago i cant get any money for those 2 months?? that seems really unfair
The whole system is designed to screw people over. They make it confusing on purpose so you miss deadlines and lose money. Classic NYS Department of Labor bureaucracy at work.
If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask about your situation, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get connected to an actual agent instead of sitting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me time when I needed to check on my claim status last month.
I'll check that out, thanks! I've heard the phone lines are impossible to get through to.
ugh the whole system is so messed up... minimum wage goes up and small businesses suffer while big corporations just pass the costs to customers. then workers end up unemployed anyway and have to deal with the nightmare that is NYS Department of Labor bureaucracy
I feel you on the bureaucracy part. The NYS Department of Labor system is definitely not user friendly.
Liam O'Reilly
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your eligibility status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
0 coins
Chloe Delgado
•Never heard of that before, does it actually work? I've been trying to call for weeks about my adjudication status.
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
•Yeah it worked for me. Got connected to an actual person who could explain why my claim was being reviewed instead of just guessing.
0 coins
Ava Harris
The whole system is designed to trip you up honestly. They'll find any excuse to deny benefits even when you legitimately deserve them. I got disqualified once because I missed ONE weekly claim certification deadline by like 6 hours. Had to go through the whole appeal process just to get my benefits back.
0 coins
Isabella Russo
•that's brutal... did the appeal work at least?
0 coins
Ava Harris
•Eventually yes but it took months and I had to provide tons of documentation. The whole thing was ridiculous.
0 coins