Most common reasons for overpayment are not reporting work income correctly or being disqualified after the fact (like if they find out you quit instead of being laid off). If you're being honest on your weekly claims and have proper documentation you should be okay. The key is keeping good records of everything just in case.

I totally understand your anxiety about this! I was in the same boat a few months ago, constantly worrying about getting hit with an overpayment notice. What really helped me was setting up a simple system to track everything. I created a basic spreadsheet with tabs for my weekly claims (screenshots and dates), job search activities, and any work/income I report. For the job search piece, I log way more than the minimum 3 contacts per week - usually 5-6 just to be safe. Each entry includes company name, position, application date, method (Indeed, company website, etc.), and any responses. It takes maybe 10 minutes per week but gives me huge peace of mind. Also, I check my payment history on my.ny.gov every few weeks to make sure there are no flags or issues. The system does show pending determinations or problems if there are any. As long as you're being honest and thorough with your reporting, you should be fine. The horror stories usually involve people who didn't report work income or made genuine mistakes with the confusing rules.

Just wanted to share my experience for anyone still struggling with this! I was having the exact same problem last week - kept getting kicked out right at the employment history section. What finally worked for me was a combination of the tips mentioned here: I tried at 5:30 AM on a Wednesday using Chrome in incognito mode, had all my info written down beforehand, and made sure to disable all browser extensions. Got through on the first try! One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned - if you're using a work computer or work WiFi, that might be part of the problem. I was initially trying from my office during lunch breaks and kept failing, but when I switched to my personal laptop at home it went much smoother. Their security system might be flagging certain IP ranges or network configurations. Also, for anyone worried about the processing time - mine was approved in exactly 2 weeks and I got all the backpay from when I first applied. So even though it's frustrating to get the initial claim submitted, once it's in the system things seem to move along okay. Hang in there everyone!

Just wanted to add my experience to this helpful thread! I was dealing with this exact same issue earlier this week and was getting so frustrated. After reading all the advice here, I tried the combination approach: waited until 11:30 PM, used Chrome in incognito mode, cleared all my cache first, and had all my employment details written out on paper beforehand. It worked perfectly on the first try! One additional tip I discovered - if you're someone who normally has a lot of browser tabs open like me, close EVERYTHING before starting. I think having too many active tabs was eating up memory and causing the session to become unstable. Also, make sure your internet connection is solid - I actually moved closer to my WiFi router just to be safe. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to become tech support specialists just to file for benefits we've paid into, but at least this community has figured out the workarounds! For anyone still struggling, don't give up - the late night + Chrome + clean session approach really does work. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

Make sure she understands the weekly claim requirement too! Even after the initial application is approved, you have to file every week to actually receive payments. I know someone who got approved but didn't realize they had to keep filing weekly and missed out on several weeks of benefits.

One thing I'd add is to make sure your neighbor has her most recent pay stub and any termination paperwork from her employer ready. The system will ask for her last day of work and final wages, so having those exact dates and amounts will make the process smoother. Also, if she was laid off due to lack of work (not fired for cause), that makes her eligible right away. The initial application usually takes 2-3 weeks to process, but she should start filing weekly claims immediately after applying even before getting approved - those weeks can be paid retroactively once she's approved.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you do end up needing to file for unemployment, don't wait! You should file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed because there's typically a one-week waiting period before benefits begin, and benefits are only paid from the date you file your claim (not retroactively to when you lost your job). Also, since you mentioned you've been at your current job for 8 months, make sure you have all your wage information ready - pay stubs, W-2s, etc. The Department of Labor will verify your earnings with your employer, but having your own records can help speed up the process if there are any discrepancies.

Just to add some clarity on the base period calculation that others mentioned - since you started working in May last year and it's now late May, your base period would likely include Q2 2024 (April-June), Q3 2024 (July-September), Q4 2024 (October-December), and Q1 2025 (January-March). So you'd have earnings from about 6-7 months in your base period if you filed now. The key is that your highest quarter earnings get divided by 26 to determine your weekly benefit rate, with a minimum of $104/week and maximum of $504/week in NY. Given your consistent $600/week earnings, you're looking at roughly $300-320/week as others estimated.

For someone making $52k annually, you're probably looking at around $400-500 per week if your earnings were spread evenly across quarters. The key thing to remember is that NYS Department of Labor uses calendar quarters, not rolling quarters. So if you're filing in May 2025, your base period would be Q1 2024 through Q4 2024. Make sure you have all your pay stubs or W-2s handy when you file because they'll verify your wages. The online application will walk you through it but having your earnings breakdown by quarter beforehand really helps speed up the process.

One thing that helped me when I was calculating my potential benefits was using the NYS Department of Labor's online benefit calculator tool if you can find it, but honestly their website navigation is terrible. Another tip - if you had any periods of reduced hours or partial unemployment in your base period, that can actually work in your favor since they'll still count those wages toward your highest quarter. Also keep in mind that if you're filing now in May 2025, make sure you know exactly when your last day of work was because that determines which quarters count as your base period. The timing can make a difference of hundreds of dollars depending on whether your most recent high-earning quarter gets included or not.