UPDATE: I got through!!!! I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and it actually worked - got me connected to an agent in about 30 minutes. The rep confirmed it was exactly what I thought - just needed a manual refresh on my account to clear the $0 payment glitch. My payments should process within 3 business days including all backpay. For anyone else facing this issue - it really is just a simple fix on their end, but you HAVE to talk to someone. The system won't fix it automatically no matter how long you wait. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

So glad you got this resolved @Mateo! This $0 payment glitch has been happening to SO many people lately. I went through the same thing in December and it's incredibly stressful when you're depending on those benefits. The fact that it's such a simple fix but requires talking to a human is just ridiculous - they really need to automate this or at least make the phone system more accessible. Thanks for sharing your experience with Claimyr too, that's good to know there are options when the regular phone lines are impossible to get through on. Hope your payments come through quickly!

Just to give you a bit more insight: The verification backlog is especially bad this quarter because of the system update they rolled out in March 2025. There's a technical issue where some verified accounts are getting stuck in a "verified but pending release" status. The good news is that once an agent manually reviews your case, they can usually fix it immediately and release all your backpay at once.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! I used that Claimyr service that was suggested here and got connected to a claims specialist in about 25 minutes. Turns out my account was stuck in something called "post-verification review status" which doesn't show up anywhere on the customer-facing side of the system. The agent cleared it while I was on the phone and said my backpay for all 4 weeks should arrive within 3-5 business days. She also noted my account so this shouldn't happen again. Such a relief! Will update when the money actually hits my account.

one thing i learned is make sure you file your weekly claim every week even if your claim is pending or in adjudication. if you miss weeks you cant go back and get those payments later. learned that the hard way and lost out on like $1200

Just went through this process myself a few months ago. One thing nobody mentioned is that you need to have worked at least 2 quarters in your base period to qualify, and your base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. So if you've only been at your warehouse job for 8 months, make sure those months fall within the right time frame. Also, if your hours got cut but you're still employed, you might qualify for partial unemployment benefits which could help bridge the gap while you look for something better.

As someone who just went through a very similar situation, I can confirm what others have said - your BYE date is what matters most! I had the same worry when my benefits were supposed to run out in October but my BYE wasn't until January 2026. Then I got a wage credit adjustment that increased my maximum amount. The key thing to understand is that the system works exactly like @Oliver Schulz explained with the checking account analogy - you have two limits (time and money) and you can collect until you hit whichever comes first. With your increased maximum amount, you'll almost certainly hit your December BYE date before running out of money. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned - when you get these wage credit adjustments, your weekly benefit amount stays the same, but the total number of weeks you can collect increases. So if you were originally going to get 26 weeks of benefits but run out in September, now you might be able to collect for 30+ weeks right up until your BYE date in December. I'd also strongly recommend calling that automated line @Andre Dubois mentioned to confirm your new maximum amount and do the math yourself. It really helps with peace of mind to see the actual numbers and know exactly where you stand.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion! As someone who was genuinely stressed about potentially losing benefits in September despite having a BYE date in December, this thread has been incredibly reassuring. The checking account analogy really clicked for me - having both a time limit (BYE date) and a dollar limit (maximum benefit amount), and being able to collect until you hit whichever comes first. With my wage credit adjustment increasing the dollar limit, I should now be able to collect right up until my December BYE date. I'm going to take everyone's advice and: - Call the automated phone line to verify my current numbers - Take screenshots of everything for documentation - Check that detailed wage breakdown in my NY.gov account - Keep an eye out for any quarterly review notices - Make sure all my contact info is updated everywhere in the system This community has been more helpful than hours of trying to navigate official resources. It's such a relief to hear from people who've actually been through similar situations rather than trying to decode confusing government websites. Thanks again everyone!

I went through this exact same situation last year! Filed for unemployment after a layoff while having a job that wouldn't start for 8 weeks. NYS approved my claim without any issues. The key things I learned: 1) Be upfront about the future job when filing your initial claim - they may ask about it but it won't disqualify you, 2) You still need to do your weekly job search activities (I kept applying to other positions just in case), and 3) Make sure to stop filing claims the week your new job starts. The whole process was actually pretty straightforward. Don't let the gap in income stress you out - this is exactly what unemployment benefits are for!

I was in a similar situation about 8 months ago - got laid off with a job lined up 5 weeks later. Filed for unemployment and had zero issues. The NYS system is actually pretty user-friendly for this scenario. When I filed my initial claim online, there was a section where I could indicate I had future employment lined up, and it didn't flag any problems. Got my first payment within 2 weeks. The main thing is just being consistent with your weekly certifications - I made sure to always answer truthfully that I was available for work during those interim weeks. One tip: set a reminder on your phone for the week before your new job starts so you don't accidentally file an extra claim. The transition was smooth and really helped bridge that income gap when I needed it most.