I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Missed my career appointment last week and went to make it up 3 days later. Been filing my weekly claims but no payments yet and I was starting to panic thinking I messed something up. Reading through everyone's experiences here is honestly such a huge relief - sounds like the 2-3 week timeline is pretty standard and I'm still early in the process. The advice about calling the career center directly instead of the main unemployment line is something I never would have thought of but makes total sense that they'd have better visibility into the appointment system. Really appreciate everyone sharing their specific timelines and strategies. Having a clear action plan (career center call, keep all documentation, use claimyr as backup) makes this whole waiting period way less stressful. Will definitely keep filing those weekly claims religiously and try the career center direct line approach first. Thanks for creating such a helpful thread - it's amazing how we're all dealing with the same bureaucratic mess but at least we can help each other navigate through it! 🙏

Just went through this exact same situation about 2 months ago! Missed my career appointment and made it up 6 days later. The hold took about 2.5 weeks to clear, but I got full backpay for everything once it was resolved. Here's what I learned that might help you: **Timeline expectations:** The 2-3 week range everyone's mentioning is spot on. Don't panic if it takes the full time - the system is just really slow to process these makeup appointments even when you do everything right. **Best strategy:** Call the career center directly (not the main unemployment line) around the 10-day mark. They can actually see your makeup appointment completion in real time and add notes to expedite the review. This was way more effective than calling the general number. **Keep detailed records:** Screenshot everything - your makeup appointment confirmation, weekly claim submissions, any emails. When you do get someone on the phone, having all this ready makes the process much smoother. **Backup plan:** If you can't get through after 2 weeks, that claimyr service people are mentioning actually works. I used it and got connected in about 40 minutes. Yeah it's $20 but worth it when your benefits are stuck. Most importantly - keep filing those weekly claims no matter what! The backpay will come through as a lump sum once they lift the hold. You're doing everything right, just gotta be patient with the bureaucracy now. Hang in there! 💪

One important thing to keep in mind - if you do qualify based on your previous W-2 employment and file a claim, you'll need to report any earnings from your DoorDash work when you file your weekly claims. Even though it's 1099 income, any work and earnings need to be reported to NYS Department of Labor. This could affect your weekly benefit amount depending on how much you earn.

I went through this exact same situation about a year ago when my DoorDash earnings dropped significantly. I had worked at a retail job for about 10 months before switching to full-time gig work. What really helped me was gathering all my W-2 documents and pay stubs from my previous employer before applying. NYS Department of Labor was able to establish my claim based on those wages, but the process took longer than I expected - about 3-4 weeks to get my first payment. Just make sure you're prepared to actively job search for traditional employment positions and keep detailed records of your applications. It's worth applying even if you're not 100% sure about your eligibility since they'll review your work history and let you know.

Don't worry at all! I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 months and have certified late on Sunday nights more times than I can count - sometimes as late as 11:45pm when I suddenly remember while scrolling my phone in bed. Every single time, my Tuesday payment has come through exactly on schedule. The NY system batches all Sunday certifications together during overnight processing, so whether you certify at 8am or 11:59pm doesn't make any difference - you're all getting processed in the same run. Your rent money should definitely be in your account Tuesday morning as usual! I totally get the anxiety though - when you're relying on that payment for essential expenses like rent, even the smallest timing concern can feel overwhelming. But you're completely fine for this week. Just maybe set a phone reminder for earlier on Sundays going forward so you don't have to stress about it again!

You're totally fine! I've been collecting unemployment for about 3 months now and have definitely been in this exact situation. I've certified as late as 11:15pm on Sunday and still gotten my Tuesday payment right on schedule. The NY system processes all Sunday certifications in one big overnight batch, so it doesn't matter if you do it at 8am or close to midnight - you're all getting processed together. Your rent money should hit your account Tuesday morning as usual! I completely understand the anxiety though - when you're counting on that payment for essential bills, even a small timing worry can feel huge. But you definitely made the Sunday deadline, so you should be all set. Maybe just set a phone reminder for earlier next week so you don't have to stress about it again!

To answer your original question more specifically - you need both the $2,600 minimum AND wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period. You can check your wage history by logging into my.ny.gov and looking at your unemployment services account. This will show exactly what quarters NYS Department of Labor has on record for you.

One thing that might help clarify your base period - it's usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. So if you file in January 2025, your base period would typically be January 2024 through December 2024. But if you don't have enough wages in that period, you might be able to use an "alternate base period" which would be the last 4 completed quarters. The my.ny.gov portal should show you exactly which quarters they're using for your calculation once you log in.

I'm in this exact same situation - just got laid off on Tuesday and have about 2 weeks of vacation pay coming with my final paycheck next week. This thread has been absolutely invaluable! From reading everyone's experiences, it's clear that the key is getting HR to properly document this as "accrued vacation time" rather than any form of future compensation. I'm calling my HR department tomorrow morning to make sure they code it correctly before submitting anything to NYS Department of Labor. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who had success with vacation pay only affecting the week it was received, was there a specific dollar threshold that determined this, or was it purely based on how HR coded it? Also, I'm planning to file my claim this week even before my final paycheck is processed - should I mention the pending vacation pay in my initial application or wait until I have the exact amount for weekly certifications? Thanks to everyone who shared such detailed real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that makes navigating the NYS unemployment system so much easier!

I'm also dealing with this situation right now - got laid off earlier this week and have about 10 days of vacation pay coming. This thread has been incredibly helpful! Based on everyone's experiences, it seems like the most critical factor is how HR codes the payout. I'm planning to contact my HR department tomorrow to specifically request that they mark it as "accrued vacation time earned during employment" rather than anything that could be interpreted as future compensation or severance. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone here dealt with a situation where their employer was initially reluctant to change how they were coding the vacation pay? I want to be prepared in case HR pushes back on my request to document it properly. Also, for those who successfully got their vacation pay treated as affecting only one week, did you find that having a specific dollar amount breakdown (like showing it represented exactly X days at your daily rate) helped with the NYS Department of Labor review? Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - this is way more valuable than anything I could find through official channels!