Just be really careful about this. I know someone who got in trouble for not reporting DoorDash earnings properly and had to pay back benefits plus penalties. The NYS Department of Labor has access to a lot of income data and they WILL find out if you don't report gig work. Better to be overly cautious than deal with an overpayment investigation later.

I've been doing DoorDash while on unemployment in NY for about 3 months now. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep really detailed records of when you work vs when you get paid. DoorDash sometimes has payment delays or splits earnings across multiple deposits, but you always report based on the week you actually did the deliveries. I use a simple spreadsheet to track my daily earnings and hours worked so I can accurately fill out my weekly certifications. Also heads up - during busy weeks I sometimes hit the point where my DoorDash earnings reduce my unemployment check significantly, but it's still worth it overall for the extra income. Just make sure you're still meeting your job search requirements since that's still the main condition for collecting benefits.

I'm completely new to this community but unfortunately dealing with this exact situation right now! I gave my two weeks notice at my call center job on Wednesday and they just informed me this afternoon that they're "releasing me from my notice period effective immediately" because they don't want departing employees handling customer data. I was honestly panicking thinking I'd screwed myself out of unemployment by resigning first, but reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring! It's amazing how widespread this practice seems to be - you try to be professional and give proper notice, but then employers essentially penalize you for it. I'm definitely going to file with NYS Department of Labor first thing Monday morning and make sure to be very specific that I gave my resignation with the intention to work my full two weeks, but they made the choice to terminate me early. It's such a relief to know this qualifies as involuntary separation since I was willing to work but they decided otherwise. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - this community has been so helpful for understanding that we're protected when employers pull these moves, even when it initially feels like we might have messed up by quitting first!

I'm brand new to this community but unfortunately in almost the exact same situation! I gave my two weeks notice at my food service job yesterday and I'm already worried they might do what seems to happen so often based on all these stories - just tell me not to bother coming in for my remaining shifts. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both educational and really comforting. I had no idea this was such a common practice across so many different types of jobs! It's really frustrating to learn that trying to be professional and give proper notice can actually work against you financially, but it's incredibly reassuring to know that NYS Department of Labor recognizes these situations as involuntary termination when you're willing to work but the employer chooses to cut it short. If this does happen to me, I'll definitely file my claim right away and make sure to emphasize that I submitted my resignation with the intention to work through my full notice period but they made the decision to terminate me early. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - finding this community has taken such a weight off my shoulders knowing that we're actually protected in these situations even when employers pull these moves on us!

This thread is gold! I'm in the exact same boat - just got my claim approved after 4 months of denial and I'm owed about 16 weeks of backdated benefits. That 518-457-9000 backdating line is news to me and sounds like exactly what I need! Reading through everyone's experiences has been so much more helpful than anything on the official NY DOL site. @StarSailor thank you for sharing that separate backdating number - you're a lifesaver! @QuantumQuasar your step-by-step breakdown is perfect, and @Dmitry Volkov the organization tips are spot on. I've been taking screenshots of my weekly certs this whole time but they're scattered everywhere. Definitely going to organize everything into a folder tonight and call at exactly 8 AM tomorrow. The fact that so many people have successfully gotten their backdated benefits through this process gives me real hope. One quick question - did anyone have issues with backdating if they had moved during the denial period? I changed addresses about 2 months ago and updated it in the system, but wondering if that creates any complications for the backdated weeks from my old address. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! Finally feeling like there's a light at the end of this unemployment tunnel 🙌

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm in a very similar situation - my claim was denied for months while I kept doing my weekly certifications, just got approved last week, and now I'm trying to figure out how to get about 10 weeks of backdated benefits. That 518-457-9000 backdating line that @StarSailor shared is amazing info - I had no idea there was a separate number specifically for this! Definitely going to call at 8 AM sharp tomorrow morning. @QuantumQuasar your detailed breakdown should be saved somewhere permanently, and @Dmitry Volkov the advice about organizing all documentation beforehand is so smart. I've been screenshotting my weekly certifications but they're all over the place right now. Going to spend tonight getting everything organized into one folder with all my dates and confirmation emails ready. It's incredible how much more useful this community discussion has been compared to the official NY DOL resources. For anyone else going through this nightmare - don't give up! Reading through all these success stories gives me real hope that we can get through this broken system and get the benefits we're entitled to. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive community around this frustrating process! 🙏

I went through a similar situation when I was let go during a company restructuring. NYS Department of Labor considers several scenarios beyond just layoffs - including reduction in hours like your sister's case. From my experience, going from full-time to 8 hours weekly definitely qualifies as partial unemployment. The key things that helped my claim were: 1) Having documentation that the hour reduction was employer-initiated, not my choice, 2) Showing I was actively seeking additional work to make up the lost income, and 3) Being completely honest on all forms about my situation. I'd recommend your sister file as soon as possible since there can be a waiting period, and she should gather any written communication about the schedule change. The online application walks you through everything step by step.

I had a similar experience when my retail job reduced my hours from 35 to 10 per week last year. NYS Department of Labor was actually pretty reasonable about it - they approved my partial benefits claim within about 2-3 weeks. The key things I learned: make sure your sister applies online through the official NY.gov website as soon as possible since benefits can be backdated to when you first became eligible, not when you finally apply. Also, she'll need to certify weekly that she's still working those reduced hours and actively looking for additional work. One thing that surprised me was that even with partial benefits, I still had to do the work search requirement - so she should start documenting her job search efforts right away. The combination of her remaining wages plus partial unemployment should help bridge the gap while she looks for something more stable.

Don't give up hope! I was in a very similar situation - worked part-time retail with drastically reduced hours and didn't realize I qualified for partial unemployment benefits. I waited about 6 weeks before filing and was still able to get most of my back pay approved. The key things that helped me were: 1) Filing my initial claim immediately once I found out, 2) Having all my pay stubs organized to show the reduction in hours/earnings, and 3) Being persistent with follow-up calls. When you call to request backdating, be honest about not knowing you were eligible - that's actually pretty common and they understand it. The process took about 3-4 weeks total but I got approved for 5 out of the 6 weeks I requested. Definitely worth the effort given how much it helped with my finances during that tough period.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago with my restaurant job. The good news is that NYS DOL can approve backdating even if you're past the 30-day window, but you'll need to be really prepared when you call. Here's what worked for me: 1) File your initial claim online RIGHT NOW for this week, 2) Gather all your pay stubs from the 8 weeks showing reduced hours, 3) Write down exactly when your hours were cut and why you didn't file initially, 4) Call the next business day after filing to request backdating. I got 7 out of 8 weeks approved because I could prove my earnings were below the partial benefit threshold and explained that I genuinely didn't know reduced-hour workers could qualify. The whole process took about 5 weeks but I received a lump sum payment for all the backdated weeks. Don't let anyone discourage you - "not knowing you were eligible" is actually considered good cause in many cases, especially for partial unemployment which isn't well publicized.