I'm glad you're going to appeal! Just wanted to update that my appeal took about 5 weeks from filing to getting a decision. It was stressful waiting, but worth it in the end. Make sure you submit your appeal request through your NY.gov account and keep checking for updates or requests for additional information. For the Partial Unemployment question - it's for people who are working reduced hours (less than 4 days and earning less than $594 per week in 2025). It wouldn't apply if you're completely unemployed, but it's useful for people with very part-time work. Good luck with your appeal! Let us know how it goes.

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who went through a similar situation last year. The fact that you were able to get through to someone via social media messaging is actually huge - that alone shows persistence that will help you in the appeal process. One thing I'd suggest is requesting your "Statement of Claimant Account" (it's in your NY.gov portal) which shows exactly what wages they have on file for each quarter. Sometimes employers don't report wages correctly or there are delays in the system. I found out one of my employers had reported my wages to the wrong quarter, which threw off my entire calculation. Also, don't let that agent's vague answer discourage you. Many of the phone reps aren't fully trained on the specific monetary requirements and will give incomplete information. The appeals officers are much more knowledgeable and will actually calculate your eligibility properly. Given that your total earnings and highest quarter amounts seem to meet the basic requirements that others have mentioned, there's likely something else going on that an appeal can resolve. Definitely worth the effort!

I literally just went through this exact same nightmare! Completed my ID.me verification 9 days ago and was going crazy waiting for something to happen. After reading all these responses, I called that fraud department number (888-598-2077) this morning and got through in about 35 minutes - way better than the regular line! The rep was super helpful and explained that they have to manually review every ID.me case because of fraud prevention. She released my payments immediately and said I should see the money in 2-3 business days. Definitely don't wait any longer - that fraud line is the way to go for ID verification issues! And I totally feel you on the family situation - my dad was doing the same thing asking me every single day about it. Sometimes I think the stress from constant questions is worse than actually waiting for the money 😅

I went through this EXACT same thing last month and it was so frustrating! Completed my ID.me verification and then sat there for 11 days watching absolutely nothing happen. Like everyone else is saying, you definitely need to call - the systems don't sync automatically which is completely ridiculous. I used that fraud department number (888-598-2077) that @Diego Vargas mentioned and got through in about 50 minutes, which was way better than the regular line. The rep told me they have to manually review every single ID.me case because of all the fraud issues they're dealing with. She was able to release my payments right there on the call and I had the money in my account within 2 business days. Don't wait any longer - 8 days is definitely long enough! And I totally feel you on the aunt situation - my mom was doing the same thing asking me every day and it just added so much extra stress. Sometimes I think the constant questions are worse than actually waiting for the money 😅 That fraud line is definitely your best bet for ID verification issues. The regular unemployment number is basically useless for this type of problem. Good luck and hopefully you get it sorted out quickly!

I heard they're updating their phone systems soon. Hopefully that'll make it easier to get through. Fingers crossed! 🤞

I'm going through the exact same thing! Been calling for almost two weeks now and it's beyond frustrating. What I've been doing is calling multiple times throughout the day - sometimes I'll call 10-15 times in a row because occasionally one will go through to the hold queue instead of getting that dreaded "high call volume" hangup message. Also, try calling on different days of the week - I've heard Tuesdays and Wednesdays might be slightly less busy than Mondays. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get basic help with our benefits. Stay strong and keep trying! 💪

I'm also a freelancer dealing with this exact situation! Reading through everyone's responses, it sounds like the consensus is to submit multiple types of documentation together rather than relying on PayPal statements alone. I've been putting together a package with my PayPal business transaction reports, last year's Schedule C, the few 1099s I do have, and some client invoices. One thing I'm wondering - has anyone had success submitting a brief cover letter explaining their documentation? I'm thinking of writing something short that explains why I use PayPal for most payments and how the documents all connect to show my self-employment income. Thanks for all the helpful advice in this thread!

I went through this exact process last year as a freelance photographer! PayPal statements definitely work, but like others mentioned, you need to be strategic about how you present them. What really helped me was organizing everything chronologically and creating a simple Excel sheet that showed: Client Name | Service Date | PayPal Transaction ID | Amount | Tax Year Reported. I also highlighted all the business transactions in my PayPal CSV download and removed personal stuff completely. NYSDOL processed my claim pretty quickly once they had clean, organized documentation. Pro tip: if you have repeat clients, include a note showing the ongoing business relationship - it helps establish you as a legitimate freelancer rather than someone doing occasional odd jobs. The combination of PayPal records + Schedule C + any invoices you have should definitely be sufficient!

same boat here, lost my job in early 2023 and didn't file because I thought I'd find something quick... big mistake

I was in a similar situation a few months ago - didn't file for almost 10 months after losing my job due to family issues. When I finally applied through my.ny.gov, I was surprised to learn that even though my original benefit year had expired, I could still potentially qualify based on any work I had during a different base period. The system automatically checks all possible base periods to see if you have enough qualifying wages. Even if you only worked part-time or temporarily during the past 18 months, it might be enough. Don't let anyone discourage you from trying - the application is free and you'll get a definitive answer about your eligibility. Worst case scenario, you're in the same position you're in now.