Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live NYDOL agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the NYDOL
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the NYDOL drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Yeah definitely separate programs. I work in benefits admin and see this confusion all the time. Short term disability is usually through private insurance or employer plans, while unemployment is a state program. The eligibility requirements are totally different - one requires you to be unable to work, the other requires you to be able to work but unemployed.
I'm going through something similar right now and this thread is really helpful! One thing I'm wondering about - if you're on STD and your employer terminates your position while you're out, does that change anything? Like could you potentially file for unemployment once you're medically cleared even if you were technically still employed when the disability started? My company is doing layoffs and I'm nervous about my job security while I'm out on medical leave.
Join the conversation
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Remote worker for a company based in Austin, TX while living in Manhattan. Just got laid off last Friday due to company downsizing and I'm totally stressed about messing up the address part of my unemployment claim. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like the consensus is pretty clear - use the company's actual business address for the "employer address" question, then when it asks where you physically worked, put your home address. The two-question system that @Anita George and @Bethany Groves described makes total sense. What's really helpful is hearing everyone's actual timelines - sounds like 10-14 days is pretty normal for remote work claims, which is manageable. I was worried it would take months based on some horror stories I'd heard. One question for anyone who's been through this - did any of you have issues with the fact that your employer might not have been paying into the NY unemployment system? I'm wondering if that creates additional complications since my company is Texas-based and I assume they're paying unemployment taxes there, not in NY. Or does the interstate coordination that people mentioned handle that automatically? Planning to file this weekend and really appreciate all the detailed advice in this thread! Will definitely take screenshots like @Anita George suggested.
@Zoe Stavros Great question about the interstate tax thing! I was worried about the same issue when I filed. From what I understand and (what the agent explained to me when I finally got through ,)the interstate coordination handles all that automatically. Your employer was paying unemployment taxes in Texas, but since you physically worked in NY, NY has jurisdiction over your claim. The two state systems communicate behind the scenes to sort out the tax/funding part - you don t'need to worry about it as the claimant. The process might take a few extra days compared to a standard in-state claim because of this coordination, but it s'pretty routine now with so many remote workers. Just make sure you re'super clear about working in NY when they ask about your work location. That s'the key piece that establishes NY s'jurisdiction over your claim. Good luck with filing this weekend! The screenshot tip is definitely worth doing - I wish I had thought of that when I went through this process.
@Zoe Stavros @Giovanni Moretti This interstate tax coordination thing is actually really interesting! I went through something similar when I was laid off from a remote job with a DC-based nonprofit while living in Syracuse. What I learned from talking to the NY unemployment office is that there s something'called the Interstate Reciprocal Coverage Arrangement that handles exactly this situation. Basically, even though your Texas employer was paying unemployment taxes in Texas, since you were physically working in NY, NY gets to process your claim and Texas reimburses NY for the benefits paid out. It s all'handled automatically between the state systems - pretty seamless from the claimant s perspective'once everything gets set up correctly. The only thing that might slow down your claim is if there s any'confusion about which state has jurisdiction, which is why it s so'important to be crystal clear that you physically worked in NY when filling out the application. The interstate coordination usually adds maybe 3-5 extra business days to processing time in my experience.
I just went through this EXACT same situation last month - remote worker for a Seattle-based startup, living in Queens, got laid off in their "restructuring" (aka they ran out of funding). The stress is real when you need that money ASAP! Here's what worked for me after initially panicking about the address confusion: 1. Use your employer's actual California address for the "employer's business address" question 2. When the system asks "Did you physically work at this location?" - select NO 3. Then it'll ask for your actual work location - that's where you put your Brooklyn address 4. Don't worry about that "out-of-state employer" warning - it's just the system flagging that interstate coordination might be needed My claim took exactly 11 days to get approved, which the rep told me was actually pretty good for a remote work situation. The interstate thing is handled automatically now - your CA employer was paying unemployment taxes there, but since you physically worked in NY, NY processes your claim and the states coordinate the funding behind the scenes. Pro tip: If your claim gets stuck in "pending" for more than 2 weeks, don't wait - call immediately. I know the phone lines are brutal, but I've seen people in similar situations wait months thinking it would resolve itself. Hang in there - once you get through the initial application hurdles, remote work unemployment claims are actually pretty routine now. Just be super accurate with those address questions!
@Edward McBride This is exactly what I needed to hear! I m'in a super similar situation - just got laid off from a San Francisco tech company while working remotely from my apartment in Brooklyn. The whole restructuring "thing" sounds way too familiar 😅 Your timeline of 11 days gives me hope since I m'also in that desperate need-money-ASAP situation rent (is literally due next week .)I was getting really anxious reading all the conflicting advice earlier in this thread, but your step-by-step breakdown matches what several other people have said worked for them. That tip about calling if it s'stuck in pending for more than 2 weeks is really valuable too. I ve'heard nightmare stories about people waiting months, so good to know there s'a specific timeframe where you should take action. Thanks for sharing your experience - definitely makes me feel more confident about filing this weekend!
@Edward McBride Thank you so much for this detailed breakdown! I m'actually in almost the exact same boat - remote worker for a Denver-based company, living in the Bronx, just got the axe last week in their cost "optimization love" (how they rebrand layoffs these days 🙄 .)Your step-by-step process gives me so much confidence going into this. The 11-day timeline is reassuring too since I m'also in panic mode about rent and bills. I was definitely overthinking the whole address thing after reading all the conflicting advice earlier, but your experience plus several others here seem to confirm the same approach works. Really appreciate you mentioning the 2-week rule for calling if it gets stuck - that s'super practical advice I hadn t'seen anywhere else. Filing tomorrow and will definitely follow your exact steps!
Join the conversation
I went through this exact same scary situation about a month ago! Got a totally random Wisely card in my mailbox that looked super suspicious - plain white envelope with barely any official branding. I was 100% convinced it was some kind of scam and almost threw it straight in the trash. But after seeing similar posts online, I decided to call the number on the back just to be safe. Thank god I did - it had over $2,400 of my unemployment benefits on it! Apparently NY unemployment has been randomly switching people from direct deposit to these cards without any warning, which is absolutely insane from a communication standpoint. To check if yours is legit: call the customer service number on the back of the card. You only need the card number and security code to verify the balance - no need to give out your SSN or other sensitive personal info. If there's money on it, it's definitely your unemployment payments. Once you confirm it's real, I'd highly recommend immediately transferring the funds to your bank account through the Wisely website or app to avoid all the various ATM and transaction fees these cards charge. The whole system is poorly designed but unfortunately this seems to be their new normal. Don't make the mistake of throwing it away without checking first - you could literally be tossing thousands of dollars! The fact that they switch payment methods without any notification is completely unacceptable, but at least the money is real when these cards show up.
Just wanted to add another data point here - I got my Wisely card about 2 weeks ago and had the exact same panic reaction! The envelope looked so generic and sketchy that I was convinced it was some kind of identity theft attempt. But after reading similar posts in other forums, I decided to call the number on the back. Turns out it had $1,320 of my unemployment benefits on it - payments that I'd been wondering about for the past month. The customer service rep told me they switched me because of some "account verification update" even though literally nothing changed on my end with my direct deposit info. What's really frustrating is they give you absolutely zero warning about this switch. I've been getting direct deposits since July with no issues, then suddenly this random card shows up. The rep admitted they don't send notifications beforehand which seems like such basic customer service 101. For anyone still on the fence about whether theirs is legit - the verification process really is simple. You just need the card number and the 3-digit security code on the back. No SSN, no personal details. If there's a balance, transfer it out immediately to avoid the fees. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - this community is way more helpful than anything NY unemployment provides! 🙏
Join the conversation
This is so frustrating! I'm dealing with something similar but with my regular unemployment certification - the whole NY system seems to have issues every few weeks. Have you tried calling the NY DOL directly at 888-209-8124? Sometimes they can see what's going on with your account even if it's a Key2Benefits issue, since they're the ones who send the payments there. Also, if you have any local career centers or American Job Centers nearby, some of them have staff who can help navigate these technical problems. Worth a shot while you're trying the other suggestions people mentioned!
Thanks for that DOL number! I've been so focused on trying to reach Key2Benefits directly that I didn't think about calling the main unemployment office. That's actually really smart since they're the ones sending the money in the first place. I'm gonna try that tomorrow morning along with the early calling strategy someone else mentioned. Really appreciate all the helpful suggestions everyone!
I had the EXACT same problem 2 weeks ago - couldn't access my Key2Benefits for almost a week and was panicking about rent! What finally worked for me was calling the Key2Benefits customer service line at 866-295-2955 (the fraud/security department number someone mentioned earlier) super early in the morning around 7:45am. I got through on the second try and the agent was able to see that my account had been flagged for "unusual login activity" even though I was just trying to check my balance like normal. She unlocked it immediately and I could access my funds right away. The whole call took maybe 10 minutes once I got through. Also try the mobile app if you haven't already - sometimes that bypasses whatever is blocking the website. Don't give up, your money is definitely still there and this is fixable!
This is super helpful! I'm definitely going to try calling that fraud/security number early tomorrow morning. It's reassuring to hear from someone who had the exact same issue and got it resolved quickly once they reached the right department. I've been so stressed thinking my money was just gone forever. Thanks for sharing the specific time that worked for you too - 7:45am sounds like the sweet spot before everyone else starts calling. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!
Ivanna St. Pierre
Thanks everyone! I'm going to file my claim this week. Hopefully the process isn't too complicated for partial benefits.
0 coins
Teresa Boyd
Good luck with your claim! Just a heads up - make sure you have all your employment documentation ready when you file. NYS DOL will want to verify your previous earnings to calculate your benefit amount. Keep copies of recent pay stubs and be prepared to provide your employer's information. The online application walks you through everything step by step, so it's actually pretty straightforward once you get started. The hardest part is just getting through if you need to call them with questions!
0 coins
Ella Knight
•This is really helpful advice! I didn't think about gathering all my pay stubs beforehand. Quick question - when they calculate the benefit amount for partial unemployment, do they base it on what I was earning before the hours got cut, or on my current reduced earnings? I want to make sure I understand what to expect.
0 coins