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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Mason Davis
I went through something similar with my master's in computer science last year. NYS Department of Labor actually has specific guidelines for professional-level job searches - you don't need to apply for minimum wage positions that clearly won't hire you. Focus on roles that match your education and experience level, even if they're slightly below your previous salary. The key is showing "reasonable" job search efforts. I kept a spreadsheet with all applications, including company responses about overqualification, and never had issues with my weekly certifications. Also consider reaching out to professional associations and alumni networks - NYS DOL counts networking activities as valid job search efforts too.
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Mia Roberts
Just wanted to add that when you're working part-time while on unemployment, make sure you report your work hours AND gross earnings for each week, not just one or the other. NYS Department of Labor needs both pieces of info to calculate your partial benefits correctly. Also, if you do file a new claim, they'll look at your base period earnings to determine your new weekly benefit amount - so if you earned more in recent quarters, your new claim might actually have a higher weekly benefit rate than your old one. Worth checking into!
That's really helpful about reporting both hours and earnings! I didn't realize they needed both. Quick question - when you say they look at base period earnings for a new claim, does that mean they completely ignore what was left on my old claim balance? Like if my old claim had $3000 left but expired, that money is just gone when I file the new claim?
@Alice Coleman Yes, unfortunately any remaining balance on an expired claim is lost when you file a new claim. The new claim starts fresh with new benefit amounts based on your recent earnings history. That s'why it s'important to use up your benefits before the benefit year expires if possible. However, if your new claim has a higher weekly benefit rate due to increased earnings, you might end up better off overall even though you lost that remaining balance.
@Shelby Bauman Just to clarify the timing aspect of your situation - if your regular UI claim ended in October, that benefit year has definitely expired (benefit years are 52 weeks). So you'd need to file a completely new claim, not reopen the old one. The good news is that if you worked last year after your original claim was filed, those earnings might qualify you for a higher weekly benefit amount on the new claim. When you file the new claim, make sure to mention the part-time seasonal work situation upfront so they can explain exactly how the partial benefit calculations will work. NYS Department of Labor is pretty good about walking you through the process once you get connected with them.
@GalacticGladiator This is super helpful, thanks! I was wondering about the timing - October to now is definitely past the 52 week mark so that makes sense about needing a new claim. One thing I'm still confused about though - when I file the new claim and mention the part-time seasonal work, will they set everything up automatically so I can just report my weekly earnings, or do I need to do something special to make sure I'm getting partial benefits calculated correctly?
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I'm new to unemployment benefits and this thread has been super educational! I'm not dealing with a W9 situation myself, but I'm bookmarking this conversation because the explanations about timing (when work was performed vs when you get paperwork) are really clear. It seems like the key takeaway is that as long as you're honest on your initial application about past income, receiving tax forms later won't impact your ongoing weekly claims. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's really helpful for those of us navigating this system for the first time!
Welcome to the community Javier! You're absolutely right about the key takeaway - honesty upfront is really the most important thing. I'm also relatively new to unemployment (been on it for about 2 months now) and this thread has been a huge relief for me too. The whole system can feel really intimidating when you're worried about accidentally doing something wrong and losing your benefits. It's great to see how willing people are to share their experiences here - it makes navigating all these confusing situations so much easier when you can learn from others who've been through the same thing.
Ethan Taylor
I went through this exact same worry a few months ago! Got a W9 from some contract work I did over the summer, but I didn't start collecting unemployment until October. I called the NYS Department of Labor (took forever to get through) and they confirmed that W9s for work completed before your claim started have absolutely no impact on your benefits. The form is purely for the company's tax reporting - they need your info to send you a 1099 next year. Since you already included that $800 freelance income in your initial application, you've done everything correctly. The DOL has that info and it's already factored into your benefit calculation. Just fill out the W9 and send it back - your weekly certifications will continue as normal. The important distinction is between work performed WHILE claiming benefits (which must be reported weekly) versus receiving paperwork for work you did BEFORE claiming benefits. You're in the clear!
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I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been stuck in ID.me hell for weeks because of my PO Box situation. Reading through all these suggestions is giving me hope though. I'm going to try the PS Form 1093 from the post office first since that sounds like the most official option. If that doesn't work, I'll move on to getting my bank to print a statement with my physical address and maybe try the video verification route. It's so frustrating that the system makes it this hard for people who live in rural areas or just prefer using PO Boxes for security reasons. Thanks everyone for sharing what worked - this thread is way more helpful than anything I've gotten from calling unemployment directly!
Same boat here! I've been reading through this thread and taking notes on everything people have suggested. The PS Form 1093 from the post office sounds promising - I had no idea that existed either. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences because this has been such a nightmare. The fact that so many of us are dealing with the exact same issue shows how broken this system is for anyone who doesn't fit their narrow idea of "normal" address situations. Going to try a few of these options this week and hopefully one of them works. Good luck to both of us! 🤞
Alicia Stern
I've been lurking here for weeks dealing with this exact nightmare! Finally got verified last week after 2+ months of fighting with ID.me. What ended up working for me was combining multiple approaches - I got that PS Form 1093 from the post office that @Sophia Long mentioned (lifesaver!), plus I had my credit union print out an official account statement with my physical address. The key was doing the video verification call with both documents ready. The agent could see my driver's license matched everything and finally pushed it through. For anyone still stuck: don't give up! Try multiple document combinations and definitely do the video call if you can wait the 3-4 hours. The system is absolutely broken for rural folks but persistence pays off. Also keeping a detailed log of every attempt helped me explain the situation to the video agent. Rooting for everyone still fighting this battle! 💪
Miguel Alvarez
I've been stuck in pending status for 2 weeks and this thread has been a lifesaver! I tried calling that technical support number (1-888-209-8124) this morning around 7:30 AM and actually got through after about 30 minutes on hold. The agent was really helpful and explained that my case is pending because they're waiting for wage verification from one of my previous employers from 2023. She said sometimes employers don't respond promptly to their requests, which can delay everything. She also gave me the reference number for my case so I can mention it if I call back. I'm going to contact that employer's HR department directly to see if I can help speed things up. Also planning to reach out to my assembly member like others suggested. One tip - when you call tech support, have your SSN, claim confirmation number, and any dates of employment ready because they ask for all of that upfront. Thanks to everyone for sharing these strategies - finally feel like I'm making progress instead of just waiting in the dark!
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Javier Morales
•@Miguel Alvarez This is exactly the kind of specific information that s'so helpful! I m'definitely going to try calling that tech support number tomorrow morning and I ll'make sure to have all my documentation ready - SSN, claim number, employment dates, etc. It s'such a relief to hear that you actually got through and found out the specific reason for your delay. The wage verification issue makes total sense and at least now you have a concrete next step with contacting your old employer s'HR. I never would have thought to reach out to previous employers directly but that s'actually brilliant - they might not even realize NYS DOL is waiting for their response. I m'going to check if any of my previous employers might be causing a similar delay. Really appreciate you sharing the reference number tip too - having that for future calls could make a huge difference. Finally feels like there s'a light at the end of this tunnel!
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Sophia Nguyen
I've been following this thread closely because I'm dealing with the exact same situation - stuck in pending for about 2 weeks now with zero explanation from NYS Department of Labor. This has been the most helpful discussion I've found anywhere online! I'm definitely going to try calling that technical support line (1-888-209-8124) first thing tomorrow morning with all my documentation ready like @Miguel Alvarez suggested. I also never thought about contacting my state representatives - that's such a smart approach that I completely overlooked. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I noticed that when I log into my account using my phone versus my computer, sometimes different information displays or loads faster. It's probably just a glitch in their system, but worth trying both if you're having trouble accessing certain sections. I'm also going to start that timeline documentation and screenshot everything daily. The stress of not knowing what's wrong or how long this will take is honestly worse than being unemployed itself. Thanks to everyone sharing actual actionable strategies instead of just generic advice - it gives me hope that there are real steps we can take to move things forward!
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