To address your follow-up question - yes, 'pending' status means they haven't made a determination on your claim yet. This is normal for partial unemployment claims where hours fluctuate, as the system requires additional verification. Regarding the averaging question you asked someone else - New York doesn't technically use an 'averaging' system. Instead, they calculate your benefits on a week-by-week basis. For each week, they check if you worked fewer than 4 days AND earned less than $595 (the current maximum threshold for 2025). If you meet both criteria for a given week, you qualify for partial benefits for that week only. So your one 40-hour week won't disqualify you for other weeks, but you won't receive benefits for that specific week.

Exactly. Keep claiming week by week. For any week you work 4+ days OR earn $595+, you'll report that and won't receive benefits for that week only. But you'll still be in the system and can claim for future weeks when your hours are reduced again. As for speeding up your pending status - contacting an agent can help, as they can sometimes release payments that are stuck in review. Based on current processing times, if you're still pending after 3-4 weeks, it's definitely worth trying to speak with someone.

Update: I finally got through! I tried the Claimyr service that was mentioned, and I was connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. The agent was able to help me file my new claim over the phone. She said the system is totally swamped right now because of layoffs in the tech and manufacturing sectors. She also said that because I had a claim in 2023, there was some confusion in my account that was causing the website to time out. They had to do some kind of manual override. For anyone else having similar issues, definitely try getting through to a live person - the website might not work for certain situations like mine.

heyy just checking in - did u get paid yet? im still waiting on mine after 2 weeks

Quick follow-up about the backdating process: once you do get through to a specialist, make sure you request form UI-44.2 (Backdating Special Circumstance Review). This form specifically addresses identity theft situations and can help expedite your case. Also, when they do resolve it, double-check that they've properly credited you for the waiting week - many identity theft victims report that this gets missed in the recalculation.

Update: I finally got through to someone in the fraud department this morning! They said my case is actually being processed but could still take 3-4 more weeks. They also confirmed I need to fill out that UI-FTC form that someone mentioned earlier. Apparently, they can't complete the investigation without it. Wish they'd told me that weeks ago! Going to fill that out today and upload it to my account.

just curious how much did u make at ur part time job? cuz if u made too much u might not have gotten anything anyway

Based on your part-time earnings, you would likely have qualified for partial benefits. In NY, you can earn up to 30% of your maximum benefit rate without reduction (that would be about $151 in your case). After that, benefits are reduced by 25% for each dollar earned. With $250-300 weekly income, you would have received roughly $204-229 in partial benefits each week. This is why it's worth pursuing the backdating request - you're potentially looking at thousands in benefits you were eligible for. Make sure to emphasize in your request that had you known, you would have been filing weekly claims this entire time.

What if your benefit year just ended? Mine ended Sept 2 and I was told I need to reapply... anyone know if the whole process starts over?

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! This clarifies a lot. I was getting worried when I saw the smaller payment amount but now I understand it's just continuing as normal minus the federal supplement. I'll keep certifying weekly until either my benefit year ends in November or I find a new job.