Whatever you do, don't just walk out. Try to get them to fire you instead if possible. Much easier to get UI benefits when you're terminated versus when you quit, even with good cause.

I went through something similar with a toxic supervisor cutting my hours unpredictably. When I filed for unemployment after quitting, I had to attend a phone hearing where they asked detailed questions about each incident. The key things that helped my case were: 1) I had screenshots of my schedule changes, 2) I wrote down specific dates when I was sent home early, and 3) I had a coworker who witnessed the verbal abuse. The NYS Department of Labor approved my claim for "constructive dismissal" since the working conditions became intolerable. Start documenting everything now - even write down what happened yesterday with the screaming incident while it's fresh in your memory. Include the date, time, what was said, and who witnessed it.

Just to add - if you're ever dealing with NYS Department of Labor and need to actually talk to someone about your claim status or benefits, I had success using claimyr.com to get through their phone lines. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way easier than trying to call myself and getting disconnected constantly.

This is really helpful info! I just started my first job and was also confused about all the tax deductions. So just to confirm - the only unemployment-related deduction I should see on my NY paystub is the state unemployment insurance (SUI), and that's usually a pretty small amount? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything when I review my pay stub.

That's excellent news! Glad you got it resolved. It's almost always some small technical issue that's causing the delay. Make sure to certify this coming week too so there's no interruption once the payments start flowing.

So glad to hear you got it resolved, Chloe! Your story gives me hope - I've been waiting 4 weeks now and getting really anxious. The discrepancy between your last day of work and what your employer reported is exactly the kind of thing that can slip through the cracks but cause major delays. For anyone else still waiting, this is a good reminder to double-check all the dates you entered when filing your claim against your final paystub or termination paperwork. Sometimes it's just a simple date mismatch that's holding everything up.

just wanted to add that if you had ANY taxes withheld from your UI benefits you'll see that on the 1099-G too. i made the mistake of not having anything withheld and ended up owing like $800 at tax time

The whole unemployment tax situation is ridiculous if you ask me. They take forever to process claims, make you jump through hoops for your benefits, and then want to tax you on money you received because you LOST YOUR JOB. It's like getting kicked while you're down.

ugh the waiting is the worst part!! my claim has been pending for 6 days now and im checking my account like every hour. why cant they just approve it faster when its obvious the employer isnt gonna respond

Just wanted to add that you can actually track some of this process through the my.ny.gov portal. When I filed last month, I could see when the separation notice was sent to my employer and roughly when the 10-day period would expire. The status changed from "pending employer response" to "claim approved" exactly 10 days after they sent the notice to my former company. NYS Department of Labor is pretty good about sticking to their timelines, so try not to stress too much about uncooperative employers - the system works even when they don't participate.