Just wanted to add that timing matters too. You need to file your unemployment claim as soon as possible after the business closure. NYS Department of Labor has specific timeframes for filing and you don't want to miss the deadline. Also make sure you're prepared to do the weekly job search requirements once your claim is approved - the rules still apply even though your business closed.

I'm in a similar boat - had to close my small marketing agency last year due to the pandemic's lasting effects on my client base. The key thing I learned is that you absolutely need to have been classified as a W-2 employee of your LLC and paying unemployment insurance taxes. I was lucky because my accountant had set it up that way from the beginning. When I filed my claim, I had to provide documentation showing the business closure (I used my final business tax filing and a letter explaining the closure reasons). The whole process took about 3 weeks for approval. One tip: be very clear in your application that you were an employee of the business, not just the owner - that distinction matters to them.

They better hurry up with these tax forms! Last year they were late and i had to amend my return which cost me extra money with my tax preparer 😡

I'm in a similar boat waiting for my 1099-G! Called the unemployment office yesterday and they said forms should be available online by January 25th this year. The rep mentioned they're trying to get them out earlier than the January 31st deadline because so many people need them for early tax filing. You can also sign up for email notifications in your NY.gov account so you'll know right away when they're posted. Hope this helps with your mortgage timeline!

I went through this exact same situation last year! The NYS Department of Labor definitely has ways to track employment - they get wage reports from employers and cross-reference with other databases. But here's the thing - you can absolutely work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits. When you file your weekly claim, just report exactly what you earned that week. They'll calculate a reduced benefit amount based on their formula. I was working about 20 hours a week at $15/hour and still got about 60% of my full unemployment benefit. The key is being completely honest on your weekly certification. Don't stress about it - the system is actually designed to encourage people to take part-time work while job searching!

I'm in a similar boat right now - just started collecting unemployment and got offered some freelance work. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that honesty is definitely the best policy here. The fact that NYS Department of Labor gets wage reports and cross-references data makes it pretty much impossible to hide any work anyway. I'm actually relieved to learn about the partial benefits option though - I had no idea you could work part-time and still collect some unemployment. @AstroAlpha definitely take that part-time job and just report everything accurately on your weekly claim. Sounds like the system is actually set up to help people transition back to full-time work rather than penalize them for taking whatever opportunities come up.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar boat - just got laid off from a retail job where my hours were constantly changing based on seasonal demand and customer traffic. Some weeks I'd get 35+ hours during busy periods, other weeks barely 20 hours when it was slow. I was panicking thinking those low-hour weeks would disqualify me, but hearing from everyone here that it's really about total wages earned is such a relief. I'm going to follow the advice about gathering all my pay stubs and calculating my quarterly totals. It's amazing how much clearer this process seems after reading everyone's real experiences compared to trying to decode the official DOL website. Thanks for starting this discussion - you've probably helped way more people than just yourself!

This has been such an educational thread! I'm actually bookmarking this for future reference. I work in HR and get questions about unemployment eligibility all the time, and the varying hours issue comes up constantly. It's really helpful to see real experiences from people who've actually navigated the system successfully with irregular schedules. The point about focusing on quarterly wage totals rather than weekly hour consistency is something I'll definitely share with employees who come to me with similar concerns. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this kind of peer-to-peer information sharing is invaluable when the official resources can be so hard to interpret!

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor for claim status updates, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent when I couldn't get through on my own. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals.

The "processed" status is actually a really positive sign! It means NYS DOL has completed their review of your weekly certification and approved your benefits for that week. You should see the status change to "released" soon, which means the payment has been sent to your bank or debit card. The timing can vary - direct deposit is usually faster (1-2 business days after "released") while the debit card can take a bit longer. Since this is your third week and the process seems to be moving faster than your first two weeks, that's actually a good indicator that your claim is running smoothly now.