ugh employers always try this guilt trip BS. mine did the same thing when our whole department got eliminated. like sorry not sorry, you laid us off, we're filing for UI benefits. that's literally what unemployment insurance is FOR

I work in HR and can confirm what others have said - yes, employers do pay unemployment taxes and their rates can go up based on claims, but that's literally the whole point of the system. Your boss paying into unemployment insurance is like paying car insurance - you hope you never need it, but when you do, that's what it's there for. The rate increases are also capped and calculated over multiple years, so one claim isn't going to bankrupt them. Don't let your employer guilt you out of benefits you've legitimately earned. If they're laying you off, file your claim right away.

Hey Maria! You're absolutely fine - I've been in the exact same situation before. The cutoff for Sunday certification is midnight, not 5pm or any other time. I've certified as late as 11:45pm on Sunday and still received my deposit Tuesday morning like clockwork. The NY unemployment system processes ALL Sunday certifications together in one overnight batch, so it literally doesn't matter if you do it at 6am or 11:59pm - they all get processed the same way. Your Tuesday deposit will come through as normal, so your auto-pay bills on Wednesday should be covered. I totally get the stress though - when you're depending on that money, every little timing thing feels huge! But you're good to go as long as you get it done before midnight tonight.

Just certified at 7:30pm and wanted to add my experience - you're definitely fine! I've been on unemployment for about 6 months now and have certified at all different times on Sunday. Whether it's 9am or 10pm, I always get my deposit Tuesday morning. The key thing is just making sure you do it before midnight on Sunday. I think a lot of people get confused because some other states have earlier cutoffs, but NY processes everything together overnight. Your auto-pay bills on Wednesday will be covered - that Tuesday deposit is super reliable as long as you certify on Sunday. Family stuff happens, don't beat yourself up about it!

I actually just went through this same process last month! One thing that really helped me was calling their dedicated direct deposit line instead of the main unemployment number. The wait time was much shorter (only about 20 minutes vs 2+ hours on the main line) and the agents seemed more knowledgeable about banking/deposit issues. The number is different from the regular claims line - you can find it buried on their website under "direct deposit services" or something like that. When I got through, I said exactly what Sofia mentioned about updating security question responses for direct deposit verification, and they walked me through the whole process step by step. They also sent me an email confirmation afterward which was reassuring. Good luck OP!

Just wanted to update everyone - I finally got through using the dedicated direct deposit line that Miguel mentioned! It took some digging on the website but I found it under "Payment Services" section. The wait was only about 15 minutes which was amazing compared to what I was expecting. The agent was super helpful and knew exactly what I needed when I said I wanted to "update security question responses for direct deposit verification." They had me verify my SSN, claim number, and a few previous addresses, then walked me through resetting my mother's maiden name. The whole process took about 20 minutes and I got an email confirmation right after. My direct deposit should be working for my next payment. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice - this community is awesome! 🙏

The whole system is a joke honestly. They make you wait weeks while you're struggling to pay bills and then act like they're doing you a favor. I've been waiting 3 weeks and still nothing. Meanwhile my landlord doesn't care that NYS Department of Labor is slow.

I'm going through the same thing right now - filed my claim about 10 days ago and the waiting is nerve-wracking! What helped me was calling the customer service line early in the morning (like right at 8am when they open) - I actually got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The rep told me that as long as I keep filing my weekly claims and there are no red flags, I should expect to hear something within the next week or two. She also mentioned that the first payment usually comes about a week after you get your approval letter. Definitely keep an eye on your my.ny.gov account for any status updates. We're all in this together!

In 2023 and we're still dealing with these ancient verification systems smdh. last year i got locked out cuz i couldn't remember which previous employer they wanted me to verify (i had 3 jobs in 2022). took 4 calls to fix.

This is so infuriating! I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now - got locked out after the system rejected my mother's maiden name THREE times even though I know it's correct. Been without benefits for 2 months now and I'm at my breaking point. The worst part is you can't even talk to a human to explain that their system is wrong! I've tried calling at 7:30am like people suggest but still can't get through. Might have to try that Claimyr service people are mentioning or go to a physical office. This whole system is designed to make us give up. Hang in there - we shouldn't have to jump through hoops like this just to get the benefits we're entitled to!