


Ask the community...
Don't forget you still have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits! A lot of people forget that and get surprised come tax time. You can have them withhold 10% federal taxes when you certify your weekly claims.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A NIGHTMARE! They make it impossible to figure out how much you'll get until AFTER you file and then half the time the adjudication takes forever. I waited 6 weeks just to find out my benefit amount because they had to verify my previous employer info.
same boat as OP, filed my claim yesterday and already anxious about when I'll see money. bills don't wait for government bureaucracy
My timeline was: Filed on Tuesday, approved Friday, filed first weekly claim Sunday, got my debit card the following Wednesday, first payment hit Thursday. So about 9 days total but that was without any complications. Your mileage may vary depending on if NYS Department of Labor needs to verify anything with your employer.
Actually had to deal with this exact situation last year when I got laid off after 2 years of steady work. The NYS Department of Labor rep I finally got through to explained that my consistent employment actually worked in my favor - higher benefit amount and no complications with previous claims to sort through. If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor when you need them, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask specific questions about your situation, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach an agent by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck in adjudication for weeks and couldn't get anyone on the phone until I tried this. Really helped me get clarity on my job search requirements.
I was in a similar situation last year when I was transitioning from teaching to corporate training. NYS Department of Labor was fine with me focusing on training and development roles for the first few months, but I did have to show I was networking and applying consistently. The important thing is demonstrating active job search efforts, not just waiting for the perfect opportunity to appear.
Juan Moreno
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to file your claim or get answers about the process, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that explains how it works. Really helped when I couldn't get anyone on the phone during peak times.
0 coins
Savanna Franklin
•Thanks for the suggestion! I haven't had trouble filing yet but good to know there are options if I run into issues with NYS Department of Labor.
0 coins
Amy Fleming
bottom line - file your claim and don't worry about it. thats what unemployment insurance is for and your employer knew the deal when they hired people
0 coins