honestly the whole system is so confusing and they dont explain anything clearly on the website

From my experience, they primarily focus on your base period earnings (the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters) for benefit calculations. However, if there are any flags in your application or if employers contest your claim, they can dig deeper into your work history. Since you've had steady employment for 18 months after that problematic job, you should be in good shape. The key is being honest about your most recent job separation - that's what really matters for your current claim. Keep all your documentation handy just in case they need verification.

I was in the exact same situation a few months ago! The timing really is confusing at first. Just to reinforce what others have said - you'll certify this Sunday for the partial week from Tuesday (when you were approved) through Saturday. NYS Department of Labor always has you certify for the week that already ended, never the current week. I found it helpful to think of Sunday as "report day" for the previous week. Also, don't worry if your first certification seems like a short period - that's totally normal when you start mid-week. The payments usually process within 2-3 business days after you certify, so you should see your first payment by Wednesday or Thursday if you certify Sunday morning. You've got this!

I had this same exact confusion when I started my claim! Here's what I learned after going through it: you'll certify this coming Sunday for your partial first week (Tuesday-Saturday). The key is that NYS Department of Labor certification is always retrospective - you're reporting on work status for days that already happened. When you log into my.ny.gov on Sunday, it will clearly display the exact date range you're certifying for, which takes away all the guesswork. I recommend certifying early Sunday morning (around 8 AM) when the system is most stable, and don't worry about the partial week - that's completely normal when starting mid-week. The whole process becomes routine after the first few times!

Hey Sean, I was in your exact situation 3 months ago - benefits cut off with zero explanation and that same "pending review" nightmare. After reading through all these suggestions, here's what finally worked for me: I combined the Claimyr service (yeah I was skeptical too but it actually works) with contacting my state assembly rep. The Claimyr got me through to a human who told me there was just a random flag on my account, and my assembly rep's office followed up to make sure it got resolved properly. Took about 4 days total but I got 6 weeks of back pay once it was fixed. Don't let them wear you down - you've paid into this system and deserve your benefits! Also document every call attempt with date/time in case you need to escalate further.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - benefits stopped 10 days ago with no explanation and just that useless "pending review" status. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both horrifying and oddly comforting to know I'm not alone in this nightmare. I've tried the 8:01 AM calling trick mentioned by Zara but still haven't gotten through after 4 attempts. Based on what everyone's sharing, I think I'm going to try a combination approach: use Claimyr to handle the phone calling marathon while also reaching out to my state rep's office. The fact that multiple people here have had success with both methods gives me hope. Sean, definitely try contacting your assembly member too - seems like having someone with actual government connections advocate for you makes a huge difference. This whole system is absolutely designed to make us give up, but we can't let them win!

My cousin went through this exact situation when she was finishing her nursing program. The trick is proving you're genuinely available for work despite being in school. She had to show that her clinical rotations were flexible and she could work around them. Got approved eventually but it took some back and forth with adjudication.

I'm currently dealing with this exact situation as a part-time student working retail! From what I've learned through my own research and filing process, the key factors NYS Department of Labor considers are: 1) You must have earned sufficient wages during your base period (usually first 4 of last 5 completed quarters), 2) You must be physically able to work, 3) You must be available for work during hours when jobs in your field are typically available, and 4) You must be actively seeking work. The student status itself isn't disqualifying, but your class schedule can't severely limit your availability. I'd recommend calling during off-peak hours (early morning or late afternoon) to speak with someone directly about your specific situation, since every case is different based on your work history and school schedule.

I'm so grateful I found this thread! I've been struggling with the document upload for my unemployment claim for almost two weeks now, and reading through everyone's detailed experiences has been incredibly helpful. The early morning timing strategy (around 6-7am) that multiple people have confirmed seems to be the real game-changer here. I had no idea that server load could affect upload success so dramatically, but it makes perfect sense when you think about how many people are probably trying to access the system during business hours. I'm planning to follow the comprehensive approach that's emerged from all your advice: wake up at 6:30am this Saturday, use Chrome on my personal laptop with cleared cache, convert all documents to descriptive PDFs under 5MB (like "Johnson_W2_2023.pdf"), upload one at a time, and keep the secure message center under "My Messages" as my backup plan. It's honestly ridiculous that we need to become tech troubleshooting experts just to submit basic paperwork to a government agency, but this community has turned what felt like an impossible task into something actually manageable. Thank you all for sharing such specific, actionable solutions instead of just generic advice - this is exactly what people dealing with these system issues need to see!

I'm also dealing with this exact same issue right now! This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many technical workarounds needed for something that should be straightforward. I've been trying to upload my W-2 and recent paystubs during lunch breaks with zero success, but seeing everyone's experiences with the early morning timing makes so much sense. The system is probably completely overloaded during business hours when everyone's trying to access it. I'm definitely going to try the 6:30am approach this weekend using Chrome with cleared cache, properly named PDFs under 5MB, and uploading one document at a time. Having the secure message center as a backup option is really reassuring too. It's amazing how this community has figured out actual solutions while the official help resources just keep saying "try again later." Thank you all for sharing what really works - this gives me hope that I can finally get past this frustrating roadblock!