I'm dealing with a similar situation at my company right now - they just announced a 25% pay cut for everyone in our department. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful, especially knowing that NYS Department of Labor does recognize substantial pay cuts as good cause for quitting. I've been with my company for 3 years and this would drop my salary from $48,000 to $36,000, which would make it impossible for me to cover my rent and basic expenses. I'm planning to start documenting everything immediately like you all suggested - the original announcement, my current pay stubs, and any follow-up communications. It's scary to think about quitting, but it sounds like there's a real path forward with unemployment benefits if I handle it properly. Thanks for sharing all your experiences and advice - it's making me feel less alone in this difficult situation.

I'm a labor law attorney and wanted to add some legal perspective to this discussion. You're all on the right track - New York does recognize "constructive discharge" when employers make substantial unilateral changes to employment terms. A 30% pay cut definitely qualifies as substantial under NYS case law. However, there are some important timing considerations: 1) Don't accept even one paycheck at the reduced rate if possible, as this could be seen as accepting the new terms, 2) File your unemployment claim within the same week you quit, and 3) Be prepared for the employer to contest your claim - they often do in these situations. Also keep in mind that unemployment benefits in NY are typically 50% of your average weekly wage (up to the maximum), so plan your finances accordingly. Document everything, including any verbal communications, and consider sending a formal resignation letter clearly stating you're resigning due to the substantial reduction in compensation. This creates a clear record of your reasoning.

I had this exact same issue a few months ago! What worked for me was going to a local Career Center - they have staff who can help unlock your account on the spot. You can find locations at labor.ny.gov/career-center-locator. Bring photo ID and your SSN. They were able to unlock mine in about 10 minutes and helped me reset everything. Way faster than trying to get through on the phone!

I went through this same nightmare last month and it was incredibly stressful. What finally worked for me was a combination of clearing all my browser data (cookies, cache, everything) and then using the full account recovery process on my.ny.gov - not just the password reset. The key thing I learned is that you have to answer the security questions EXACTLY as you originally entered them, including any weird capitalization or spacing. If you used abbreviations like "St" instead of "Street" in your address, you need to use the same format. It took me three tries but I eventually got back in. Don't give up - the system is finicky but it does work eventually!

Wow, this thread is incredibly helpful! I just started collecting partial unemployment benefits last month and had no idea about this day-based reporting change. I've been struggling with the same "break in claim" errors and getting so frustrated trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that NYSDOL really dropped the ball on communicating this major change. I never got any email about the new system, and the website instructions are still confusing. It's only through threads like this that people are actually learning how it works. For anyone else just learning about this: the key takeaway seems to be that it doesn't matter if you work 2 hours or 8 hours on a given day - if you work ANY amount on that day, it counts as a full "day worked" for benefit calculation. So count your calendar days, not your hours. This is such a fundamental shift from how it used to work! Thanks to everyone who shared their troubleshooting tips, especially the phone numbers and calling times. This community knowledge is invaluable when the official system is this confusing.

Just wanted to jump in and thank everyone for this incredibly detailed breakdown of the day-based reporting system! I've been on partial unemployment for about 2 months and somehow completely missed that they changed how the reporting works. I was still using the old hours-based method and getting inconsistent results - now I understand why. The fact that ANY work on a day counts as a full "work day" regardless of hours is such a huge shift. I typically work 3-4 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays (about 7 hours total) and was reporting that as minimal work, but I should have been reporting 2 days worked this whole time. Going to go back and check my recent certifications to make sure I haven't accidentally triggered any system flags. This thread is honestly more helpful than anything I could find on the official NYSDOL site - they really need to do a better job communicating these major changes to claimants instead of leaving us to figure it out through trial and error and community forums like this one. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!

Sofia, I totally get the panic! I had the exact same confusion when I started filing and missed my second week because I thought the deadlines were different. Here's what worked for me: if you missed filing for last week, log into my.ny.gov and look for the "File Weekly Certification" section - there should be options to file for previous weeks that you can still submit late. The key thing to remember is you're always filing for the week that ended on Saturday, and you have until the following Saturday to submit it. So plenty of time! I set a recurring alarm on my phone for every Sunday at 9 AM with the note "File unemployment claim for last week" - it's been a lifesaver. Even if your late filing delays the payment by a week or two, you won't lose those benefits permanently. Just make sure to answer all the work search questions based on what you actually did during that specific week you're filing for, not what you're doing now. You've got this - the first few weeks are always the most confusing but it becomes routine really quickly!

Sofia, I completely understand your panic - I had the exact same confusion when I first started filing! The timing system is really poorly explained on the NY.gov site. Here's what helped me: think of it as always being "one week behind" - every Sunday you file for the week that just ended on Saturday. So if today is Sunday, you'd file for last week. The good news is you have until the following Saturday to submit each weekly claim, so there's actually a generous window. If you did miss a week, don't stress too much! You can usually file late claims through the my.ny.gov system - look for options like "File for Missed Weeks" when you log in. The payment might be delayed but you typically won't lose the benefits entirely. I started setting a phone reminder for every Sunday morning that says "File unemployment for last week" and it's been a game-changer. Also, keep notes about your job search activities each week so you can answer those questions accurately even on late filings. The system definitely gets easier once you establish the routine - hang in there!

Just wanted to jump in and say I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now! Certified yesterday and it shows I already claimed but nothing in payment history. Reading through all these comments is actually really reassuring - sounds like this is happening to a lot of people lately and the payments are still going through even when the website is being glitchy. Gonna check my actual bank account now instead of just staring at the blank payment history page 😅 Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Wow, reading through all these comments is actually making me feel so much better! I'm literally going through the EXACT same thing right now - certified on Monday, system says I already claimed, but payment history is completely blank. I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong with my claim. Just checked my bank account after reading everyone's advice and surprise surprise - the money is actually there! 🙌 The NY DOL website is such a mess but at least the actual payments are still processing. This whole thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it seems like this glitch is happening to tons of people lately. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - super helpful to know I'm not alone in this! Definitely gonna start taking screenshots of everything from now on just in case.