You should report your "active hours" when certifying for UI benefits while working for Uber or DoorDash. Active hours are the time you're actually performing paid work (actively delivering food or transporting passengers), not just the time you have the app open waiting for orders/rides. The distinction is important because NYSDOL wants to know how many hours you're actually working and earning money. If you reported all dash/online hours (including time just waiting), you'd be overstating your work hours, which could unnecessarily reduce your benefits. When certifying, calculate and report: - Hours actively completing deliveries/rides - All earnings from these gigs (before expenses) Keep detailed records of your active work time and earnings each day. The NYSDOL may request documentation if there are questions about your certifications. The Uber/DoorDash apps typically provide reports showing your active time versus total online time, which can help you accurately report your hours.

Just to add to Aisha's excellent response - make sure you're also keeping track of your mileage and any business expenses related to your gig work. While you report your gross earnings to NYSDOL, you can deduct legitimate business expenses on your taxes later. Also, if you're working multiple gig apps simultaneously (like having both Uber and DoorDash running), be careful not to double-count overlapping active hours. Only count the time you're actually completing deliveries or rides, not the time you have multiple apps open waiting for requests. The key is being consistent and accurate with your reporting. NYSDOL audits are random but thorough, so having good records from day one will save you headaches later if you're selected for review.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since I see so many people struggling with adjudication delays. I went through this same situation about 6 months ago - filed for unemployment after being laid off from my retail job and got stuck in adjudication for almost 5 weeks. It was incredibly stressful financially, but I learned a few things that might help others here. First, definitely keep filing your weekly claims even while under review - you'll get backpay if approved. Second, try to gather any documentation you have about your layoff (termination letter, final paycheck stub showing reason, etc.) in case they ask for it. Third, be patient but persistent - I eventually got through on the phone after calling first thing in the morning on a Tuesday. The whole process is frustrating but most legitimate layoffs do get approved eventually. Wishing everyone dealing with this the best of luck!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Filed my claim 3 weeks ago after being laid off from my job at a local bookstore due to budget cuts, and it's been stuck in adjudication ever since. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking, especially when you're counting on those benefits to cover basic expenses. I've been calling the NYS Department of Labor daily but can never get through - just endless hold music or busy signals. It's frustrating not knowing if there's something wrong with my application or if this is just normal processing time. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone in this situation though. Hoping we all get resolution soon!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Filed in mid-February after being laid off from my full-time marketing job, but I had also quit a small tutoring gig about a month before because they kept scheduling sessions during my regular work hours. Been stuck on pending for almost 5 weeks with absolutely zero communication from NYSDOL. This thread is honestly the most helpful thing I've found - the official website is useless and every call to their main number just ends with busy signals. The legislative inquiry option that Omar mentioned sounds like a game changer! I had no idea you could contact your assemblyperson for help with unemployment claims. I'm definitely looking mine up today. The financial stress while waiting is unreal. I've been living off my emergency fund and credit cards, not knowing if I'm eventually going to get approved or if I'm just wasting time waiting for a denial. But reading everyone's experiences with similar quit/layoff situations gives me some hope that having a valid reason (schedule conflicts with main job) will work in my favor. Thanks Aurora for the warning about certifying every week - I've been doing it religiously after reading your post! And to everyone mentioning the Claimyr service, I'm seriously considering trying that if I can't get through soon. We shouldn't have to pay a service to reach our own government agency, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Keep your heads up everyone - at least we're all suffering through this broken system together!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation as so many of you! Filed in early February after being laid off from my full-time tech job, but I had also quit a small weekend bartending gig about 2 weeks before the layoff because they kept changing my shifts to conflict with my weekday work schedule. Been stuck on pending for about 4 weeks now with zero updates. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and infuriating - reassuring that I'm not alone in this mess, but infuriating that the system is this broken for so many people! The financial stress of waiting with no income while not knowing if you'll even be approved is absolutely brutal. I've been draining my savings and it's getting scary. I'm definitely going to try the legislative inquiry route that Omar mentioned - had no idea that was even an option! Also seriously considering the Claimyr service since I've called the main number at least 30 times with zero success getting through to a human. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and advice, especially Aurora's warning about certifying every week no matter what. I've been doing it religiously after reading that! The fact that schedule conflicts with your main employment should count as good cause gives me some hope. We really shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to get basic information about our own claims, but here we are. At least we're all in this nightmare together! Hoping we all start seeing some movement on our claims soon.

Just be honest and stick to the facts during your hearing. The judges are usually fair and they've heard it all before. Don't get emotional or angry even if the employer says things that aren't true. Let the evidence speak for itself.

I went through the NYS DOL appeal process about 6 months ago and can share what I learned. After you file your appeal, you'll get a letter scheduling your hearing - mine took about 5 weeks to get scheduled. The hearing itself was by phone and lasted maybe 20-30 minutes. The Administrative Law Judge was professional and gave me plenty of time to explain my side. I brought screenshots of text messages from my supervisor and my employee handbook to support my case. The decision came about 2 weeks after the hearing. One thing I wish I had known earlier - you can request an interpreter if English isn't your first language, and you can also ask for the hearing to be rescheduled once if you have a legitimate conflict. Don't give up, the appeal process exists for a reason and they do overturn incorrect decisions regularly.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My payments have been showing "released" for 6 days and I'm starting to panic. After reading through all these comments, especially @StellarSurfer's experience with the backend processing error, I think I know what might be happening. I'm definitely going to call first thing Monday morning and specifically ask them to check for manual review flags, payment processing holds, and backend errors on my account. It's insane that we have to become system experts just to get our benefits, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences here. At least now I know I'm not going crazy and there are actual solutions! Going to document everything when I call and not accept the standard "everything looks fine" response. This community is honestly a lifesaver when the actual system fails us 💙

This exact thing happened to me about 6 weeks ago! Had 4 payments showing "released" for almost 2 weeks with nothing hitting my account. After reading similar posts here, I called and specifically asked them to check for "payment processing holds" and "manual review flags" on my account like others suggested. The first rep gave me the usual "everything looks normal" but I politely asked to speak with someone who could do a deeper dive into my payment status. The second rep found that my account had been flagged for some kind of automated security review that was blocking the payments from actually processing. She was able to clear it immediately and all 4 payments showed up in my account within 24 hours. Don't give up - keep calling and don't accept the surface-level responses. Ask specifically about security flags, processing holds, and manual reviews. Document everything and if needed, ask for a supervisor. The system definitely has issues but there are solutions once you get the right person who knows how to actually investigate! Hang in there @Justin Chang - based on what you're describing this sounds exactly like what I went through.