My sisters boyfriends brother works for unemployment (not in NY but still) and he says their whole computer system is from like 1995 and crashes ALL THE TIME. They know it's a problem but the state won't pay to fix it properly. They just keep patching it together. It's ridiculous.

UPDATE: Just a heads-up to everyone in this thread - I've been told by several claimants that the website is working again as of this morning. They apparently fixed whatever was causing the crashes. @OP - try logging in now and see if you can certify! If not, definitely try that automated phone certification line that was mentioned.

My payment was a day late last week with no explanation, then suddenly appeared. The NY unemployment system is totally overloaded right now with the new claims processing system they implemented in January. I've heard they're having lots of technical glitches. My neighbor works for the state (not unemployment specifically) and said there's a lot of backend issues they're still working out with the new software. I wouldn't panic unless it goes beyond Thursday.

Just an update for everyone in this thread - NYSDOL just posted on their Twitter account that there was indeed a processing delay affecting some payments that were certified on Sunday. They expect all pending payments to be released by tomorrow morning. If anyone doesn't receive their payment by Thursday, they're recommending you call the payment processing line directly.

I got so confused about all this unemployment stuff too when I lost my job. The base periods and calculations are like reading a foreign language sometimes lol. I was approved for benefits but then had this weird issue where they kept saying I needed to upload more documents. Anyway, totally off topic but just wanted to say I feel your confusion!

Update: You guys were right! I just certified for my first week on the new claim and it went through fine. The payment is already showing as 'released' in my payment history. Thanks everyone for the help and advice! Such a relief.

To address your follow-up question about benefit amounts: The 3 days of work shouldn't reset or significantly change his benefit amount. NY calculates benefits based on a base period that looks at several quarters of past earnings. A few days of work in 2025 would be a very small part of this calculation.\n\nOne important thing to note: If his previous unemployment claim expired, and he hasn't worked much since then, he may need to use what's called an \

This is super helpful information, especially about the alternate base period. He hasn't had much work since his original layoff, so it sounds like that might apply to his situation. I'll make sure he mentions this when filing. Thank you!

anyone else notice how the system always seems to crash right around when benefits are supposed to be paid? feels like its not a coincidence...

Update from my experience: I just called again today (been about 10 days since my last successful call), and it seems like they've added more staff. Only waited about 40 minutes this time. So maybe the situation is improving? Try again with some of the tips shared here - calling right at opening time, being very specific about your issue, etc.