One thing to keep in mind is that your benefit amount will also depend on when you earned that $65k - they look at your "base period" which is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you file now, they'd look at your earnings from roughly Q1 2024 through Q4 2024. If you had periods of lower earnings or gaps in employment during that time, it could affect your weekly benefit amount even if your most recent salary was $65k.

Just wanted to add that you should file as soon as possible since there's usually a one-week waiting period before you start receiving benefits. Also, make sure you have all your employment records ready - they'll need your W-2s or pay stubs from the base period to verify your earnings. The sooner you get everything submitted correctly, the faster they can process your claim and calculate your exact weekly benefit amount. Good luck with your job search!

This thread is amazing - thank you everyone for such detailed and helpful responses! I'm actually in the exact same situation as the original poster. I just got hired for a new position starting Monday and have been dreading the thought of calling NYS Department of Labor. After reading through all these experiences, I feel so much more confident about handling this properly. I'm going to follow the advice about logging into my.ny.gov and looking for the "Report Work and Earnings" section on the unemployment dashboard. It's really reassuring to know that so many people have successfully used this method and received confirmation emails from NYS Department of Labor. Thanks especially to everyone who shared the specific navigation steps - it makes all the difference when you're trying to find something on a government website! I'll report back on how it goes in case anyone else is in a similar situation.

I just went through this exact process yesterday after reading through all these helpful comments! Following everyone's advice, I logged into my.ny.gov and found the "Report Work and Earnings" section right on the unemployment dashboard like @Chris King and @Luca Marino described. The form was super straightforward - just needed my new employer info and start date. Got the confirmation email from NYS Department of Labor this morning, so the system definitely works as advertised! For anyone still looking, it's under the main unemployment services area - took me about 3 minutes once I found it. Thanks to everyone who shared their step-by-step experiences here. This thread saved me hours of phone calls and a ton of anxiety. Starting my new job Monday and it feels great to have everything properly documented!

Just went through this process myself! One thing that really helped was being super clear about the timeline and calling it "independent contractor work" rather than just "freelance" - the verification folks seemed to understand that term better. Also, if you have any 1099 forms from the work, definitely mention those since they're familiar with that documentation. The key is being confident and matter-of-fact about it - gig work is totally normal now, even if some of these systems haven't caught up yet! 💪

One more tip from someone who just navigated this - if you worked through any platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or similar, mention that! The verification agents seem to understand those platforms better than just saying "freelance work." You can say something like "I did independent contractor work through [platform name] for [client/company]" and it gives them a clearer framework to understand your work arrangement. Plus, those platforms usually have good records of your work history if they need additional verification. Good luck with your call! 🍀

I had this happen to me twice last year and both times it was exactly 24 hours from when the lockout occurred. The system is pretty strict about it - I tried logging in at 23 hours and 50 minutes and it still said locked, but right at the 24 hour mark it let me back in. One thing to keep in mind is that even if you miss your certification deadline due to the lockout, you can usually call the claims center to explain the technical issue and they'll allow you to certify late without penalty. I had to do this once and they were understanding about system problems. Document the exact time your account got locked so you know when to try again!

I actually work for a company that helps people navigate these government systems, and I can confirm that the 24-hour lockout is standard for failed login attempts on my.ny.gov. However, I'd recommend trying the password reset option first before waiting the full 24 hours - it often bypasses the lockout immediately. If that doesn't work and you can't get through to tech support, you might also try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then using a different browser entirely. Sometimes the lockout is tied to your browser session rather than just your account. Also, pro tip: when you do get back in, write down your login info somewhere secure so this doesn't happen again during a stressful week!

I just wanted to jump in here as someone who successfully navigated this process about 6 months ago. My situation was almost identical - retail job, hours cut from 35 to 12 per week. The documentation everyone is mentioning is absolutely critical. What really helped my case was creating a timeline document that showed: 1) My original hiring terms and typical schedule, 2) When the hour cuts started and how dramatic they were, 3) Every attempt I made to resolve it (with dates and follow-up emails), and 4) How the reduced income made the job financially unsustainable. I waited about 3 weeks after my final conversation with management before quitting to show I gave them reasonable time to address it. The NYS Department of Labor adjudicator specifically mentioned that my thorough documentation and evidence of good faith efforts to resolve the issue were key factors in approving my claim. It took about 4 weeks total to get approved, but it was worth the wait. Don't let the horror stories discourage you - just be methodical about building your case before you make any moves.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! My hours at a coffee shop got cut from around 32 to maybe 14 per week about three weeks ago. Reading through everyone's experiences here, especially @Jamal Brown and @Savannah Vin's success stories, has been so helpful and gives me hope that this might actually work. I've started keeping screenshots of my schedules and I'm planning to have a formal conversation with my manager this week about restoring my hours. The documentation advice everyone is sharing seems crucial - I'm going to start keeping a detailed log of everything. Has anyone dealt with a situation where management says the hour cuts are temporary due to "slow business" but then weeks go by with no improvement? I'm worried they'll just keep stringing me along while I can barely afford groceries. The financial stress is really getting to me but I want to make sure I handle this the right way if I decide to quit and file for unemployment.