I went thru this last week. You HAVE to talk to a human. The automated system and website both suck. After 3 days of trying I used claimyr.com to get through and had my form in 2 days.

I just went through this exact same situation last month! Here's what worked for me: Call the tax document line (1-877-280-4541) first thing in the morning around 8:30 AM - that's when I had the shortest wait time (only about 20 minutes). When you get through, ask them to email it to you instead of mail since you mentioned you moved recently. They can send it as a PDF same day. If that line is still busy, the Claimyr service that others mentioned really does work - I was skeptical too but it saved me hours of frustration. Also double check that your address is updated in BOTH your unemployment account AND your NY.gov ID account, sometimes they don't sync properly. Good luck with your tax appointment!

Just want to echo what others have said about keeping detailed records! I've been working part-time (about 18 hours over 3 days) while collecting UI for the past two months and it's been working great. The weekly certification is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it - just answer honestly about days worked and total earnings. One thing that helped me was setting up a simple spreadsheet to track my hours and pay each week before I do my certification. Also, don't stress too much about the "fraud" concern - as long as you're reporting everything accurately, you're doing exactly what the system is designed for. The part-time work has actually been a confidence booster while I'm job hunting for full-time positions. Good luck with the new opportunity!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also be aware of how your part-time earnings might affect your total benefit year amount. While the weekly calculations are important, NY also tracks your total benefits paid out over the year. If you're earning decent part-time income, you might extend how long your benefits last since you're drawing less each week. I've been doing freelance graphic design (usually 2-3 days a week) while on UI and it's actually helped me build up my portfolio for when I land a full-time position. Just make sure when you report your work that you're clear about whether it's W2 employment or 1099 contract work - they handle those slightly differently in terms of what documentation they might want later.

I'm dealing with this same issue right now and it's so stressful! My benefit year ends in February and I've been losing sleep over it. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really eye-opening. It sounds like the main takeaway is to file the new claim during that last week before your benefit year actually ends to avoid any payment gaps. @Millie Long your advice about gathering employment info beforehand is great - I'll start putting that together now so I'm not scrambling later. Has anyone had experience with what happens if you're working part-time when your benefit year ends? I've been doing some freelance work here and there but still need the unemployment support. Do I still file a new claim or does having any income complicate things?

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer here and my benefit year is ending next month, so this is exactly what I needed to read. From what I'm gathering, the most important things are: 1) File your new claim during the last week of your current benefit year (not after it ends), 2) Any remaining balance from your old claim doesn't carry over, 3) Your new weekly benefit amount will be recalculated based on wages from a new base period, and 4) Getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone is nearly impossible right now. I really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences with this process - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the confusing information on the official website. I'm definitely going to start gathering all my employment documentation now so I'm prepared when the time comes to file my new claim.

I was in a similar situation about a year ago - got terminated for attendance issues at my retail job due to a combination of health problems and car troubles. What really helped my case was keeping detailed records of everything. I made sure to save all text messages and emails I sent to my manager explaining why I couldn't make it in, kept receipts from car repair shops, and even got a letter from my doctor about my medical appointments. When I filed my unemployment claim, I was completely honest about being fired for attendance but provided all this documentation to show the circumstances were largely beyond my control. NYS Department of Labor approved my benefits after about 3 weeks of review. The caseworker told me that what made the difference was showing I communicated with my employer and tried to address the issues rather than just no-showing without explanation. Don't give up hope - attendance issues don't automatically disqualify you if you can demonstrate legitimate reasons!

I went through something really similar last year - got fired from my office job for tardiness issues that were mainly due to my kid's daycare having inconsistent drop-off times. I was terrified about applying for unemployment because I thought attendance problems would automatically disqualify me. But I filed anyway and was completely honest about why I was terminated. I explained the daycare situation in detail and provided some emails I had sent to my boss trying to work out flexible start times. NYS Department of Labor ended up approving my claim after about 2.5 weeks of review. The adjudicator said what helped my case was showing I had tried to find solutions with my employer rather than just being unreliable without cause. My advice is definitely file the claim - the worst case scenario is they say no, but you might be surprised. And like others have said, document everything you can that shows your attendance issues weren't just you being irresponsible.

This entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm currently on day 4 of waiting for my waiting week to be released and was starting to really worry about the whole process. Seeing Henrietta's actual timeline - waiting week released on Tuesday, first payment received Friday - gives me so much more confidence than the vague information on the NYSDOL website. It's also really helpful to see the warnings about potential delays and flags that might need manual clearing. I've got direct deposit set up and have been certifying weekly, so hopefully when my waiting week gets released I'll have a similarly smooth 3-day experience. This thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it has way more useful real-world information than any official documentation I've found. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, both good and frustrating - it really helps newcomers like me know what to expect!

This thread is absolutely amazing - thank you everyone for sharing real timelines and experiences! I'm currently in week 3 of waiting for my waiting week to be released and was getting really anxious about the whole process. Seeing Henrietta's successful 3-day turnaround from waiting week release (Tuesday) to first payment (Friday) gives me so much hope! It's also really valuable to see both the success stories and the warnings about potential system issues that might require calling. I've been religiously certifying every week and have direct deposit set up, so hopefully when my turn comes I'll have a similarly smooth experience. The fact that multiple people here had the same 3 business day timeline really helps set realistic expectations. This thread has more useful information than hours of searching through the confusing NYSDOL website - you all are lifesavers!