UPDATE: I went to the career center this morning and got exactly what I needed! They printed a UI Monetary Benefit Determination letter showing my claim details including the end date of September 6th. Took about 45 minutes total with the wait. The staff was really helpful. Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

For anyone else dealing with this, I just want to add that if you're in a time crunch like I was last month, you can also try contacting your local assemblyperson's office. They often have direct lines to state agencies and can help expedite document requests. I got my unemployment end date letter within 2 business days after their office made a call on my behalf. Worth trying if the career center is too far or if you're hitting roadblocks with the other methods!

I've been dealing with the same confusion with my small pottery business! After reading through all these responses and doing my own research, it's definitely NET income you should report. I made the mistake of reporting gross for my first few certifications and was basically cheating myself out of benefits I was entitled to. The way I think about it now - if I sell $500 worth of pottery but spent $300 on clay, glazes, kiln firing, and shipping, I only actually "earned" $200 that week. That's what unemployment cares about - your actual profit, not your total sales. I finally got through to an agent last week (took forever calling directly) and she confirmed this is correct. She also mentioned that if you've been reporting wrong, you can usually get it corrected by explaining the confusion. The system really should make this clearer though - so many people are struggling with the same question! Keep detailed records of everything - receipts, materials costs, platform fees, shipping. If they ever audit you, you'll need to prove your expenses were legitimate business costs. Good luck with your Etsy shop!

I'm in a similar situation with my freelance graphic design work while on unemployment! After reading all these responses, I'm convinced it's NET income we should report. The confusion is real though - I called NY unemployment 4 times and got 3 different answers from different agents. What finally made it click for me was thinking about it like taxes. When you file as self-employed, you report your profit after business expenses on Schedule C, not your gross receipts. Unemployment should work the same way since they're both government programs looking at your actual earnings. I've been keeping a weekly spreadsheet tracking my income and expenses - client payments minus software subscriptions, equipment costs, home office expenses, etc. It's tedious but worth it for peace of mind. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you're reporting income in the week you actually DO the work, not when you get paid for it. I had a client pay me $800 for a project I completed 3 weeks earlier, and I almost reported it in the wrong week. The whole system is unnecessarily confusing but at least we're all figuring it out together! Good luck with your jewelry business - handmade Etsy shops are so much work but really rewarding.

Wait, I thought there was something called extended benefits? Or is that only in certain situations? I'm confused about what happens after regular UI ends.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress - it's absolutely exhausting when you're doing everything right but the system just isn't working. Have you looked into whether you might qualify for any training programs through the Department of Labor? Sometimes they have WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) funding that can provide income support while you're in approved training for in-demand jobs. It's not the same as unemployment but could be a lifeline. Also, if you haven't already, register with your local One-Stop Career Center - they sometimes know about job openings that aren't posted publicly and can help with resume review or interview prep. Hang in there, this market is brutal but you're not alone in this struggle.

quick question - did you find the rover gig on your own or did unemployment send you there? trying to find some side work myself

Just wanted to add - make sure you're keeping detailed records of your actual work activities for each day! I learned the hard way that unemployment can ask for documentation if they audit your claim. I use a simple note-taking app to track feeding times, walks, any cleaning, etc. Takes like 2 minutes but covers you if they ever question your reported hours. Better safe than sorry!

This thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with something similar - filed my claim 10 days ago and keep getting the "unable to process your request" error when trying to certify. The rep told me to claim last Sunday but nothing worked. Reading everyone's experiences here is really reassuring - sounds like this is just how the NY system works unfortunately. I'm going to wait another week before calling again, but that Claimyr service sounds like it could save me hours of being on hold if I do need to call. Quick question for those who've been through this - when your claim finally got approved and you could certify, did you have to certify for each missed week individually or did the system let you do them all at once? Just trying to prepare for when mine hopefully gets processed!

I'm experiencing the exact same issue right now! Filed my claim about 10 days ago and the rep told me to start claiming this past Sunday, but I keep getting error messages when I try to certify. It's so frustrating because you follow their instructions exactly and then the system just blocks you. Reading through all these comments has been incredibly helpful though - it sounds like this is unfortunately just a common glitch in how NY processes new claims. The disconnect between what the phone reps tell you and what the computer system actually allows seems to be a recurring theme. I'm going to wait another week before trying to call again, but I might look into that Claimyr service if the wait times are still crazy long. The fact that everyone who went through this eventually got their backpay once the claim was fully processed is really reassuring. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know this is normal and not something I messed up during my application!