I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago and finally got approved after an appeal! Left my old job for what seemed like a great opportunity, then got laid off 2 months later when they "restructured." Here's what I learned from the process: • Your most recent separation is what matters most - focus on the layoff, not the quit • Get any documentation you can from your recent employer about the layoff (email, letter, anything official) • When filling out paperwork, be honest about the timeline but emphasize you were working continuously until the involuntary separation • Don't panic if you get denied initially - the appeal process actually works if you present your case clearly The whole thing took about 2 months to resolve through appeals, but I got back pay for everything. It's stressful but totally worth fighting for. The key is showing that you had legitimate work history and were separated through no fault of your own from your most recent position. Hang in there - I know it feels overwhelming but you've got a solid case based on what you've described! 💪

I went through something very similar! Quit my job in November for what I thought was my dream role, then got laid off in April when they had "budget constraints." The initial denial was so disheartening, but I want you to know there's definitely hope. Here's what worked for me: • I treated my appeal like telling a story - started with how I was a dedicated worker who made a career move, then emphasized the involuntary separation • Got a brief statement from my former supervisor confirming the layoff was due to company financial issues (even just an email helps!) • Made sure to highlight that I worked continuously and contributed to the unemployment insurance system at both jobs The waiting period during appeals is brutal (took about 7 weeks for me), but when I finally got approved, the relief was incredible. Plus getting that back pay really helped catch up on everything. One tip - if you need to speak with someone at DOL during this process, I actually did end up using Claimyr after seeing it mentioned here so much. Totally worth the $20 to avoid the endless hold music and actually talk to a human who could walk me through my specific situation. Stay strong! Your case sounds really similar to mine and many others here who eventually got approved. The system is slow but it does work when you have a legitimate claim like yours. 🙏

I'm currently dealing with this exact same issue and it's been incredibly stressful! I accidentally entered my mother's middle name instead of her actual maiden name when I first set up my security questions, and now I've been locked out for 5 days. Reading through all these detailed solutions has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea there were so many different approaches to try beyond just calling the main customer service line. I'm definitely going to start with the password reset method that @Mei Wong, @Luca Romano, and others have had success with, especially making sure to choose phone verification over email. If that doesn't work, I'll try the Teleclaim number (888-581-5812) during the 2-3 PM window that @AstroExplorer recommended. The stress of missing weekly claims is so real, but seeing all these success stories gives me hope I'll actually be able to get this resolved soon. Thanks everyone for sharing your specific strategies and timing tips - this community has been more helpful than any official government resource! Will definitely update with what ends up working for me.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Been locked out for almost a week because I put my mom's stepmother's maiden name instead of her biological mother's maiden name when I first applied. The panic about missing weekly claims is so real! This thread has been absolutely incredible - I had no idea about any of these workarounds. I'm definitely going to try the password reset method that @Mei Wong discovered first thing tomorrow morning, making sure to choose phone verification like @Luca Romano suggested. If that doesn't work, I've got that Teleclaim number (888-581-5812) ready for the 2-3 PM window that @AstroExplorer recommended. It's honestly insane that such a simple mistake can cause this much chaos, but reading all these success stories gives me real hope I'll be filing claims again soon. Taking screenshots once I get back in is such smart advice too! Thanks everyone for sharing such detailed strategies - this community has been way more helpful than any official help page. Will definitely report back on what works!

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! I'm definitely going to set up automatic withholding to avoid a nasty surprise at tax time. For anyone else wondering about the math - at $504/week that's about $26,208 if you collect for a full year. Using a standard tax calculator and assuming you're single with no other major deductions, you're probably looking at around 12-22% federal tax rate plus NY state taxes. So Mateo's 25% rule seems pretty reasonable. Better safe than sorry!

Just wanted to share my experience - I've been collecting NYS unemployment for about 6 months now and initially didn't have any taxes withheld. Big mistake! When I finally did the math halfway through, I realized I was going to owe around $3,000 at tax time. I immediately called (well, tried to call) NYS Department of Labor to set up withholding but like others mentioned, getting through was nearly impossible. I ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and was able to get my withholding set up within a few days. Now I have 10% federal and the 2.5% state automatically taken out. It's definitely worth the peace of mind, even if it means smaller weekly payments. Don't wait like I did - set it up from the beginning if you can!

I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same nightmare everyone else is describing! My benefits were cut off in early March with absolutely no explanation, and I've been calling that 888-209-8124 number for 3 weeks straight - just immediate hangups every single time. I was starting to think I was going crazy until I found this thread. This has been the most helpful resource I've found anywhere online! I had no idea about the mobile app callback feature or the secure messaging priority system for people who've been trying 30+ days. Reading through all the success stories here - Isaiah's scheduled callback, Max's mobile app discovery, Paolo's 30+ day system - gives me actual hope for the first time in weeks. Based on all the incredible advice shared here, I'm going to try multiple approaches at once: 1. Download the NY DOL mobile app tonight and request a callback through that separate queue 2. Send a detailed secure message mentioning my 3+ week timeline (hoping to work up to that priority system) 3. Call my state representative's office tomorrow morning 4. Start documenting every contact attempt going forward The system upgrade explanation finally makes sense of why everything has been such a disaster lately. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become experts in navigating broken bureaucracy just to access basic services, but this community has created an amazing roadmap for actually getting through. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share what worked for them - this gives people like me real strategies instead of just endlessly banging our heads against that useless main phone line. I'll definitely post an update once I make progress to help keep this lifesaver of a thread current!

I just wanted to add another success story to this amazing thread! After reading through all the strategies here, I finally got through to NYSDOL after 6 weeks of trying. Here's what worked for me: I used the mobile app callback feature that Max mentioned - got a call back in just 2 days! The agent was actually super helpful and explained that my benefits were held up because of an identity verification issue that never properly cleared in their system during the upgrade. She fixed it in about 10 minutes and I got my back payments within 3 days. A few tips from my experience: 1. The mobile app callback really does seem to have a separate, less crowded queue 2. When they call you back, have EVERYTHING ready - claim ID, employment dates, any correspondence you've received 3. The agents are genuinely trying to help once you actually reach them - the problem is just the overwhelmed system This thread literally saved me from giving up completely. To everyone still fighting this battle - don't lose hope! The strategies shared here really do work, you just have to keep trying multiple approaches. The system is broken but there are ways through it. Special thanks to Isaiah for starting this conversation and to Max, Paolo, and everyone else who shared what worked for them. This community is incredible!

I'm seeing so many success stories here for backdating with employer misinformation - this is giving me hope! I'm in a very similar situation where my HR rep told me I had to be unemployed for a "minimum of 4 weeks" before I could file (total nonsense, I know now). For those who got approved, how detailed did you get in your written explanation? I'm trying to figure out if I should write like a formal letter or just bullet points explaining what happened. Also, did anyone include character references or was the employer misinformation evidence enough on its own? The 30-day deadline someone mentioned is really important - I had no idea about that informal timeframe. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences, this thread is incredibly helpful for those of us navigating this confusing process!

I just want to add some encouragement here - your situation with being told part-time workers don't qualify is actually one of the most common types of employer misinformation that NYSDOL sees. From all the success stories shared in this thread, it's clear that having text evidence of your supervisor specifically saying part-timers aren't eligible gives you a really strong case for backdating. The key things I'm seeing from everyone's experiences: submit your request within 30 days of filing, include a clear timeline of events, attach those text screenshots, and emphasize that you reasonably relied on guidance from someone in authority. The fact that you have concrete evidence (texts) rather than just "he said/she said" puts you in a much better position. I'd also suggest mentioning the financial impact - having to drain savings and survive without benefits for months because you trusted your employer's incorrect guidance really shows the harm caused by their misinformation. Based on all these success stories, it sounds like you have a legitimate shot at getting several weeks backdated. Don't let the initial disappointment discourage you from trying!