THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO KEEP PEOPLE DOWN! How are you supposed to get back on your feet if they take more than half your unemployment? And don't even get me started on how impossible it is to reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about this stuff.

I went through this same situation a couple years ago. The garnishment typically starts automatically once the child support office gets notified by NYS DOL that you're receiving benefits - you don't need to tell them yourself. In my case, they took about 58% of my weekly benefit amount since I had arrears. One thing that helped me was calling the child support enforcement office directly to set up a payment plan that worked better with my reduced income. They were actually more reasonable than I expected and we worked out a temporary modification while I was unemployed. Also keep all your documentation showing the garnishment amounts in case you need to dispute anything later.

same thing happened to my cousin she refused a job and they stopped her payments for like 6 weeks until she appealed

Based on what you've described, you likely have valid grounds to refuse this offer. A $2/hour pay cut plus the significantly longer commute (45 min vs 15 min each way) are both legitimate factors that could make this job "unsuitable" under NYS Department of Labor guidelines. When you refuse, be sure to clearly document both the wage reduction and the excessive travel time in your refusal. During your next weekly certification, you'll report the job offer and refusal - make sure to provide detailed reasons in the comments section. If they do flag your claim for review, don't panic. You'll have the opportunity to present your case, and based on the factors you've mentioned, you should have a strong argument for why this position wasn't suitable employment for you.

I'm also pretty new to NY unemployment (started my claim about 6 weeks ago) and this thread has been so reassuring! I was literally about to call NYSDOL tomorrow to ask about this exact holiday timing question, but now I know it's just a standard one-day delay. One small thing I learned that might help other newcomers - if you're using a mobile banking app, many of them will send you a push notification the moment a deposit hits your account, even if it's at 3 AM. I set this up after my first payment because I was obsessively checking my balance every hour! Now I just wake up to the notification on the delayed day and know everything went through as expected. It's such a relief to find a community where people actually share these practical details. The official NYSDOL website makes everything sound so formal and complicated, but hearing from people who've been through it makes it much less intimidating. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm also new to NY unemployment (just started my claim 3 weeks ago) and had this exact same worry about the President's Day holiday! This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the consistent one-day delay rule for federal holidays. Reading everyone's experiences and tips has been so reassuring. I was starting to stress about my Tuesday payment potentially being late, but now I know to just expect it on Wednesday instead. The suggestions about setting up bank notifications and keeping a holiday calendar are brilliant - I'm definitely going to implement both of those strategies. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you hear from people who've actually navigated this system. The official NYSDOL information never explains these practical details that make such a difference for planning your budget. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge, and especially to the original poster for asking the question so many of us newcomers were wondering about!

I've been on unemployment in NY for about 3 months now and went through this exact same confusion during Thanksgiving week! Everyone here is giving you solid advice - holidays really don't change anything about your weekly certification process. You still file by your normal Sunday deadline, complete your work search activities, and report any income as usual. No extra holiday pay, but also no special complications. The only thing that might be different is if your direct deposit normally comes on Christmas Day itself, it could be delayed by one business day due to bank processing, but that's just a timing thing with your bank, not an issue with your benefits. I was so worried about messing something up during my first holiday week, but it ended up being exactly the same as any other week. Just stick to your normal routine and don't overthink it!

I'm dealing with this same situation right now! Started collecting benefits in NY about a month ago and was really worried about Christmas week. This thread has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know that holidays don't require any special procedures or forms. I was especially concerned about the job search requirements since so many places seem to shut down completely during the holidays, but it sounds like as long as I document my efforts (even if companies aren't responding), I should be fine. The suggestion about using holiday weeks to focus on updating resumes and researching companies is really smart too. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it makes this whole process feel much less overwhelming when you hear from people who've actually been through it!

I threw mine away by mistake thinking it was a credit card offer! Had to call NYS Department of Labor to get a replacement which took another 2 weeks. The envelope really doesn't make it clear what it is. If you're expecting it, just keep any mail from KeyBank until you can check what it is.

Just wanted to share my experience - I almost missed mine too! The KeyBank envelope is pretty generic looking and if you're not expecting it, it totally looks like credit card junk mail. Mine took about 10 days to arrive after my first payment posted. Pro tip: if you're worried about missing it, you can actually call KeyBank's unemployment card customer service line to confirm they have your correct mailing address on file. Better safe than sorry!