This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar boat - just got laid off from a retail job where my hours were constantly changing based on seasonal demand and customer traffic. Some weeks I'd get 35+ hours during busy periods, other weeks barely 20 hours when it was slow. I was panicking thinking those low-hour weeks would disqualify me, but hearing from everyone here that it's really about total wages earned is such a relief. I'm going to follow the advice about gathering all my pay stubs and calculating my quarterly totals. It's amazing how much clearer this process seems after reading everyone's real experiences compared to trying to decode the official DOL website. Thanks for starting this discussion - you've probably helped way more people than just yourself!

This has been such an educational thread! I'm actually bookmarking this for future reference. I work in HR and get questions about unemployment eligibility all the time, and the varying hours issue comes up constantly. It's really helpful to see real experiences from people who've actually navigated the system successfully with irregular schedules. The point about focusing on quarterly wage totals rather than weekly hour consistency is something I'll definitely share with employees who come to me with similar concerns. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this kind of peer-to-peer information sharing is invaluable when the official resources can be so hard to interpret!

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now after getting laid off from my job at a café in Manhattan. Reading through everyone's responses has been so reassuring - I had no idea you could apply for both programs simultaneously! I've been putting off applying because I was worried about making mistakes, but it sounds like these are pretty common situations that the agencies handle regularly. Quick question for those who've been through this: should I wait until I have my final paycheck before applying, or can I start the applications now? I'm supposed to get my last check this Friday but I'm anxious to get the process started. Also, has anyone had experience with the SNAP phone interview - any tips on what to expect or how to prepare? Thanks so much to everyone sharing their experiences, it's making this whole process feel way less intimidating!

I went through this exact same situation when I lost my bartending job in Rochester last year. You can definitely apply for both programs at the same time - they're totally separate systems and won't interfere with each other. I actually recommend starting your unemployment application first thing tomorrow morning (the NYS DOL website is way less glitchy early in the day) and then doing your SNAP application right after. Make sure you have your last few pay stubs, any layoff paperwork, and your ID ready for both. The restaurant industry layoffs are super common, so both agencies are used to handling these cases. Don't stress about making mistakes - you can always update information later if needed. The important thing is getting your applications in ASAP so you can start getting the help you need. Hang in there - these programs exist exactly for situations like yours!

I went through this exact same situation last year! The NYS Department of Labor definitely has ways to track employment - they get wage reports from employers and cross-reference with other databases. But here's the thing - you can absolutely work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits. When you file your weekly claim, just report exactly what you earned that week. They'll calculate a reduced benefit amount based on their formula. I was working about 20 hours a week at $15/hour and still got about 60% of my full unemployment benefit. The key is being completely honest on your weekly certification. Don't stress about it - the system is actually designed to encourage people to take part-time work while job searching!

I'm in a similar boat right now - just started collecting unemployment and got offered some freelance work. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that honesty is definitely the best policy here. The fact that NYS Department of Labor gets wage reports and cross-references data makes it pretty much impossible to hide any work anyway. I'm actually relieved to learn about the partial benefits option though - I had no idea you could work part-time and still collect some unemployment. @AstroAlpha definitely take that part-time job and just report everything accurately on your weekly claim. Sounds like the system is actually set up to help people transition back to full-time work rather than penalize them for taking whatever opportunities come up.

UPDATE: The payment history is back up this morning! Everything looks normal now and I can see all my past payments. Thanks everyone for your help!

Great to hear it's back up! I was having the same issue yesterday and was starting to worry. For future reference, does anyone know if NYSDOL has an official notification system or mailing list where they announce these maintenance windows in advance? It would save everyone a lot of stress if we knew about these things ahead of time instead of discovering them when we need to access our accounts.

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely going to set up the federal withholding through my weekly claims and probably save an extra 5-10% on top of that just to be safe. Better to get a refund than owe money I don't have.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if your state taxes unemployment benefits. New York does tax unemployment at the state level too, so you might want to consider having state taxes withheld as well if you're concerned about owing money. I learned this the hard way when I got hit with both federal and state taxes on my unemployment from last year. The NYS Department of Labor website should have options for both federal and state withholding when you're doing your weekly certification.