been there! the commute distance thing is real - they can't force you to take a job that requires more than a reasonable commute time or cost

From my experience dealing with NYS DOL, the 80% rule that AstroAce mentioned is correct for the first 10 weeks. But there's also a "prevailing wage" consideration - if similar jobs in your area typically pay much less than what you were making, they might argue that the lower wage is reasonable sooner. For the commute issue, generally anything over 1 hour each way or that costs more than 10% of your gross weekly benefit amount is considered unreasonable. I'd recommend calling your local career center to get clarification on your specific situation - they're usually more helpful than the main unemployment line. Keep detailed records of all job referrals and your responses in case you need to appeal any decisions later.

honestly the whole system is confusing... i tried to apply when i was in school and they kept asking me weird questions about my availability. took forever to get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to explain what they actually wanted

Make sure you're ready to accept work that conflicts with your class schedule if they offer it, because that's what 'able and available' means in practice

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! My payments stopped 3 weeks ago and I also have 0 effective days remaining even though my benefit year doesn't end until January 2022. It's so frustrating because the system gives you no explanation whatsoever. I've been calling nonstop but can't get through to anyone. After reading all these comments about Claimyr, I'm seriously considering trying it - seems like multiple people here have had success with it. The fact that so many legitimate accounts are getting flagged by their "improved" fraud detection system is ridiculous. Thanks for posting this - at least now I know I'm not alone and that it's fixable once you actually reach a human being. Going to keep certifying every week and hopefully get this resolved soon. This whole system is such a mess but hearing that others got their back payments gives me hope!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - the zero effective days issue is unfortunately becoming really common lately. I went through something similar about 2 months ago where my payments just stopped cold with no explanation. From what I learned talking to a rep (after WEEKS of trying to get through), the "0 effective days remaining" usually means your account got flagged by their automated fraud detection system. It doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong - their new system is super sensitive and catches tons of legitimate claims. A few things that helped me: - Keep certifying every single week no matter what (you can get back pay for weeks you certified) - Try calling right at 8am when they open - that's when I finally got through - Consider that Claimyr service everyone's mentioning - I was skeptical at first but honestly after 3 weeks of getting nowhere, it might be worth it The good news is once you actually reach someone who knows what they're doing, they can usually fix it pretty quickly. In my case, they just had to manually review and clear the flag - took about 10 minutes and my payments resumed with back pay. Hang in there! I know it's incredibly stressful when your income just disappears with no explanation, but this is definitely solvable. The system is broken but your situation isn't hopeless.

I've been through this exact same process recently! One additional tip that saved me a lot of headaches - after you make the rate change in QuickBooks, go to Reports > Payroll > Payroll Liability Balances and compare your SUI liability amounts before and after the change to make sure everything calculated correctly. Sometimes QuickBooks can be quirky with mid-year rate changes. Also, if you have multiple employees, double-check that the wage base is being applied correctly for each one - I found that one of my employees who was close to the $12,300 limit had some weird calculations until I refreshed the payroll data. The NYS DOL website has a rate calculator tool that you can use to verify your manual calculations against what QuickBooks is showing.

I just went through this same situation last month! One thing that really helped me was printing out the "Payroll Item List" report before and after making the changes - it gives you a clear side-by-side comparison of all your tax rates. You can find it under Reports > List > Payroll Item List. Also, when you're in the State Taxes setup, make sure to check if there are any other NY taxes that might have changed too (like SDI or DBL rates) since they sometimes all update at once. I discovered my disability insurance rate had also changed when I was updating my SUI rate. If you're still having trouble finding the right menu path, try using QuickBooks' search function (the magnifying glass icon) and just type "state taxes" - it'll take you right there.

I went through something similar with a small tech startup that folded suddenly. The key is to document EVERYTHING - not just pay stubs, but also your offer letter, any email confirmations about your salary, direct deposit records from your bank, and even text messages about work schedules if you have them. NYS Department of Labor investigators are actually pretty thorough once they open a case against an employer who didn't pay UI taxes. They'll cross-reference your documentation with any records the employer did file (like quarterly tax reports) to build your wage history. The process can take a while, but they do backdate your benefits to when you first filed, so you won't lose out on money you're entitled to.

I actually work in HR and see this issue more than I'd like to admit. Some red flags to watch for in the future: if your employer is constantly late with paychecks, doesn't provide proper pay stubs, or seems evasive about tax withholdings. When you file with NYS Department of Labor, make sure to mention that you suspect your employer wasn't compliant - they have a specific department that investigates wage and tax violations. Also, if you have any coworkers from that job who might be in similar situations, you should all file claims. Multiple reports against the same employer tend to trigger faster investigations. The good news is that once NYS catches an employer doing this, they usually have to pay penalties that go into a fund that helps cover benefits for affected workers.