the whole unemployment system in ny is broken if u ask me. took me 3 months to get my first payment last time cause of all these stupid verification hoops

Glad you got it sorted out! The VPN issue is actually pretty common with ID.me - their system flags VPN traffic as potentially suspicious which can cause verification to stall. For anyone else reading this thread who might be stuck at the same spot, here's a quick checklist that usually helps: ✓ Use Chrome or Firefox (avoid Safari/Edge) ✓ Set browser zoom to 100% ✓ Disable VPN and any privacy extensions temporarily ✓ Use natural lighting or a bright lamp ✓ Make sure all four corners of your ID are visible in the photo ✓ Clear browser cache before starting If you're still having issues after trying these steps, the video verification call option through ID.me support is usually the fastest backup solution. The whole process has definitely gotten more reliable over the past year, but these technical hiccups still happen occasionally.

Better to over-report than under-report. If you're not sure whether something counts as remuneration, include it. NYS Department of Labor will adjust your benefits accordingly but won't penalize you for being thorough. It's when you don't report income that you can get into trouble.

I went through this exact same situation last month! The NYS Department of Labor considers any payment for work or services as remuneration, so your $200 freelance payment definitely needs to be reported. Same with the severance check - that's actually one of the most common things people forget to report. When I was unsure about what to include, I called and they told me it's always better to report something you're not sure about than to leave it off. They can always adjust your benefit amount, but not reporting income can cause way bigger problems down the line. Just be honest and thorough on your weekly certification!

Good luck with your job search! The 26 weeks goes by faster than you think, especially when you factor in the waiting week.

Just wanted to add that after 8 years at your job, you should definitely qualify for the full 26 weeks since you'll have plenty of qualifying wages in your base period. Make sure to file your claim as soon as possible - there's usually a one-week waiting period before you start receiving benefits, and any delay in filing just pushes back when you'll start getting paid. Also document everything for your job search from day one, even informal networking - it all counts toward those 3 weekly work search activities they require.

Make sure you're not missing any required job search activities. Even if you think you did enough, double-check the specific requirements for your benefit year. Sometimes they change the number of required activities or add new requirements. Also verify that all your job contacts were entered correctly in the system - I've seen claims rejected because someone entered an invalid phone number or email for an employer contact.

I went through something similar last month and it turned out to be a technical glitch on their end. Since you've been filing successfully for 6 weeks and nothing changed in your situation, it's likely a system error. Try logging back into your account and see if there's an option to refile the weekly claim - sometimes that clears up technical rejections. If not, you'll unfortunately need to call. Pro tip: try calling right at 8:00 AM when they open, you'll have a better chance of getting through. Don't panic about the rent - if it's their error, they should process the payment retroactively once it's resolved.

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely going to set up the federal withholding through my weekly claims and probably save an extra 5-10% on top of that just to be safe. Better to get a refund than owe money I don't have.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if your state taxes unemployment benefits. New York does tax unemployment at the state level too, so you might want to consider having state taxes withheld as well if you're concerned about owing money. I learned this the hard way when I got hit with both federal and state taxes on my unemployment from last year. The NYS Department of Labor website should have options for both federal and state withholding when you're doing your weekly certification.