I'm really glad I stumbled across this thread because I'm dealing with almost the identical situation! I lost my primary W-2 job in March and have a small photography LLC that I started about 18 months ago. The income is incredibly sporadic - some months I might book a wedding or event and make $800-1000, but then I'll go 3-4 months with absolutely zero income. When I filed my UI claim, I was terrified about mentioning the LLC but knew I had to be honest since it's a legitimate business entity. What's been stressing me out is that even though most weeks I report $0 in business income, those occasional bigger months worry me. But reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like as long as I'm reporting everything accurately and the business doesn't prevent me from accepting full-time work (which it definitely doesn't - photography gigs are completely flexible), I should be okay. I've been collecting for about 8 weeks now without any red flags. The hardest part is definitely the uncertainty since you can't easily reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to get clear answers about these edge cases. But this community discussion has been incredibly valuable - seeing so many people successfully navigate similar situations by just being transparent and following the reporting requirements gives me much more confidence. Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences!

I'm so relieved to find this discussion! I just filed my UI claim two weeks ago after losing my job in late April, and I have a small dropshipping business that I started during the pandemic. Like many of you, the income is extremely inconsistent - some months I might make $300-500, but then I'll have months where it's completely dead and I make nothing at all. When I was filling out the initial claim, I went back and forth about whether to mention the business, but ultimately decided honesty was the best policy since I knew they'd probably find out eventually anyway. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief because I was convinced I was going to mess something up somehow. The dropshipping business is completely automated and doesn't require set hours, so it definitely doesn't interfere with my availability for full-time work or job searching. I've been diligently reporting all income on my weekly claims (including the $0 weeks), and it sounds like that's exactly what I should be doing based on everyone's success stories. It's incredible how this community provides the real-world guidance that you just can't get anywhere else. The NYS Department of Labor forms and website are so vague about these situations, but hearing from people who've been successfully managing similar small businesses while collecting benefits gives me so much confidence. Thanks to everyone for being so open about your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me navigate this confusing system!

I'm new to this community and just joined after getting laid off from my customer service job yesterday due to company downsizing. Reading through all these responses has been such an eye-opener! I honestly had no idea that filing timing was so critical - I was planning to take the weekend to decompress and file on Monday, but seeing all these stories about people losing hundreds or even over $1000 by waiting just days is absolutely shocking. The point about benefit years starting when you file rather than when you lose your job is something I never would have known without this thread. My layoff was definitely legitimate - whole call center got shut down due to cost cutting - so it sounds like I should have a straightforward approval process. I'm going to follow everyone's advice and file tonight on ny.gov instead of waiting. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their real experiences here, especially the detailed tips about having employment history organized and setting up direct deposit. This community guidance is infinitely more helpful than trying to navigate the confusing official websites alone. Time to stop overthinking and get this claim filed before I lose any more potential benefit days!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who went through this exact situation recently. I was laid off from my logistics job in March due to company restructuring and made the mistake of waiting almost a week to file because I thought I needed to "get organized" first. That delay cost me about $600 in benefits that I can never get back - lesson learned the hard way! The advice everyone is giving about filing immediately is absolutely correct. Your benefit year literally starts from the day you file your initial claim, not from when you lost your job. Even if you think you might find work quickly, file anyway - you can always stop claiming if you get hired, but you can't go backwards. For your layoff situation due to downsizing, approval should be straightforward. Just make sure when filling out the ny.gov application that you select "lack of work" or "company downsizing" as your separation reason. Have your Social Security number, employment history for the past 18 months, and bank info ready for direct deposit. The whole process took me about 45 minutes online. Don't make my mistake of overthinking it - file today if possible!

I'm in literally the exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! Got laid off from my full-time job last year, collected unemployment, then worked part-time for several months before getting laid off again last month. I've been so stressed about whether I qualify for benefits again and all the responses here have been incredibly helpful. The clarification about reopening vs. filing a new claim within your benefit year is huge - I had no idea about that distinction! And hearing that the part-time work won't hurt your benefit amount since it's based on the original higher-paying job is such a relief. I tried the online reopening twice this week but keep getting system errors. Definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy that everyone's recommending. It's frustrating how broken the system is when people are already dealing with job loss stress, but at least we have this community to help navigate it! @Eli Butler really hoping your call tomorrow works out! Please update us - there are clearly a bunch of us in the same boat who could benefit from hearing how it goes. Thanks for starting this thread, it's been way more helpful than any official DOL resources! 🙏

I'm another one dealing with almost this exact situation! Lost my full-time job last spring, collected unemployment through the summer, then picked up a part-time retail job that just ended last week. This whole thread has been incredibly enlightening - I had no clue about the benefit year rules or that I could reopen my existing claim instead of starting fresh! The system errors when trying to reopen online seem to be a common theme here, which is both frustrating and oddly reassuring that it's not just me. Definitely going to join everyone else in trying the 8 AM calling strategy - seems like that's the secret sauce for actually getting through to a human. It's honestly wild how many of us are in this same boat right now. Makes you wonder how broken the system really is when so many people are struggling with the same confusing process. But I'm grateful for this community because y'all have explained things better than any official resource I've found! @Eli Butler - adding my voice to everyone wishing you luck with your call! Please do update us on how it goes. And thanks for asking the question that so many of us needed answered. Here's hoping we all get this sorted out soon! 🤞

I'm going through almost the exact same thing right now - got hit with 35 forfeit days for "unreported income" from a side gig that I absolutely DID report correctly back in May. It's so infuriating when you know you followed all the rules! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful though. I was honestly panicking about whether to keep certifying or not, but now I understand it's absolutely essential. Going to start that calendar countdown method everyone's suggesting - seems like having that visual progress tracker really helps mentally. Has anyone noticed if there's a pattern to when they hand out these forfeit day penalties? Like do they do big audits at certain times of year? Just trying to understand how this all works since getting actual info from the DOL is basically impossible. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this community is a lifesaver when dealing with NY unemployment! 🙏

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I went through the exact same thing last year - got 35 forfeit days for "unreported income" that I absolutely DID report correctly. The whole system is so broken and designed to punish people who are already struggling. Here's what you need to know: YES, you absolutely MUST keep certifying every single week during your forfeit period! I cannot stress this enough - if you stop certifying, they'll close your claim completely and you'll have to start the entire application process over again when your forfeit days are done. Think of it this way - each weekly certification covers 7 days, so your 30 forfeit days will take about 4-5 weeks of certifying to complete. It sucks certifying for $0, but you're basically keeping your place in the system while serving your "penalty time." The good news is once you've served all 30 days, your payments will automatically resume with your next certification - no additional steps needed! I just went through this process and got my first payment back two weeks ago. My advice: make a simple calendar and cross off each week as you complete your certification. It really helps mentally to see that progress! And from now on, screenshot EVERYTHING when dealing with NY unemployment. The system is definitely working against us, but don't let them break you down. You've got this! 💪

I'm dealing with this exact same anxiety right now! Just got laid off from my cashier position at a grocery store three days ago and filed my unemployment claim yesterday. My former manager was really frustrated during the layoff meeting and made some pointed comments about people "gaming the system" which has me really worried about how they'll react when they get that notification from NYS Department of Labor. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a relief though - it sounds like most legitimate layoffs don't face any real pushback even when former employers are bitter about it. I have my termination letter that clearly states "position eliminated due to reduced hours and staffing cuts" so hopefully that's good enough documentation if they try to contest it. It's already stressful enough dealing with unexpected unemployment without having to worry about drama from your former employer, but I'm trying to remember what everyone said about how we paid into this system through our paychecks. Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories - it really helps knowing so many others have successfully gone through this process even with difficult managers making harsh comments!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just got laid off from my hotel front desk job last Friday and filed for unemployment on Monday. My former manager was really upset about having to do layoffs and made some comments about people "taking advantage of government handouts" which has me super anxious about them receiving that notification from NYS Department of Labor. But reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like most legitimate layoffs don't face any real challenges even when former employers are bitter about the whole process. I have my official layoff notice that states "position eliminated due to reduced occupancy and budget constraints" so I'm hoping that's solid documentation if needed. It's tough enough dealing with sudden job loss without having to worry about potential drama from your former employer, but I'm trying to focus on what everyone has said about this being exactly what unemployment benefits are designed for. We all paid into this system through our paychecks, so we shouldn't feel guilty about using it when we genuinely need it. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories - it really helps to know so many others have successfully navigated this process even with difficult former managers making harsh comments!