Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the NYDOL
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the NYDOL drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
The whole system is so confusing no matter what age you are!! I'm 45 and still get overwhelmed by all the requirements and forms. At least being older means you probably have more work history to qualify with higher benefit amounts.
I'm glad you asked this question - it's a common misconception that there's an age limit! I work with a lot of folks in career transitions and can confirm that New York State doesn't have any maximum age restrictions for unemployment benefits. What matters is that you're able and available to work, actively seeking employment, and meet the standard eligibility requirements. At 67 with 8 years at your last job, you likely have strong work history that should qualify you for benefits. Don't let anyone discourage you from filing - you've earned these benefits through your contributions to the system. File as soon as possible since there can be a waiting period, and make sure to document your job search activities from day one.
I'd recommend filing online through the NY.gov website if you're comfortable with computers - it's usually faster and you can do it on your own schedule. The online system walks you through each step and you can save your progress if you need to take breaks. Just make sure you have all your employment information handy (dates, wages, reason for separation, etc.) before you start. If you run into any technical issues or have questions about specific fields, that's when calling might be helpful, but the online process is pretty straightforward for most people.
I'd recommend filing online if you're comfortable with computers - it's usually faster and you can do it at your own pace without waiting on hold. The NYS Department of Labor website walks you through each step pretty clearly. Just make sure you have all your employment information handy (dates, employer details, reason for separation, etc.) before you start. If you run into any issues during the online process, you can always call for help, but the online system is generally more reliable than trying to get through by phone initially.
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Here's everything I learned trying to contact Way2Go (spent 2 weeks figuring this out): First, avoid peak hours (11am-2pm). Second, if your card is locked, use claimyr.com - they'll wait on hold and call you when an agent picks up. Third, document everything. Fourth, if its fraud related press 2 instead of 1 in the main menu - different department but they can still help. Fifth, write down your case number if you get one. Hope this helps someone else stuck in this mess!
this should be pinned fr fr 👀
saving this for later, thanks fam
Been dealing with this same issue for weeks! What finally worked for me was calling right at 8:00 AM (not 8:30) and immediately pressing 1 for English, then 3 for card issues, then 0 three times fast. Got through on my 4th try doing this. Also helped that I called on a Tuesday - Mondays and Fridays seem to be the worst. Don't give up, it's super frustrating but you'll eventually get through!
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I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this thread has been a lifesaver! I was about to give up completely after a week of getting nowhere, but seeing all these success stories gave me hope to keep trying. For anyone still struggling, here's what I learned from reading through all these experiences: **Best times to call:** Right at 8:00 AM (start dialing at 7:59), or Wednesday afternoons 2:30-3:00 PM **Avoid:** Monday mornings (highest call volume) **Strategy:** Be prepared for 10-20+ redial attempts, use the 30-second rule between calls, have multiple phones ready **Backup options:** Alternate number 888-209-8124, contact your state assembly rep, or consider Claimyr service if you're really stuck The most important thing I learned is that persistence really does pay off. Almost everyone who kept trying eventually got through, even if it took days. The agents are actually helpful once you reach them - it's just getting past that initial phone bottleneck that's the challenge. Thank you to everyone who shared their strategies and came back to update us with their results. This kind of community support makes such a difficult situation more bearable! 🙏
This summary is absolutely perfect! I just joined this community because I'm facing the exact same nightmare with NY unemployment. I've been calling for 4 days straight with zero success and was starting to lose hope completely. Reading through this entire thread has been both eye-opening and incredibly encouraging - it's amazing how many people have actually gotten through using these strategies. I'm definitely going to try the 7:59:45 dial time tomorrow morning with multiple phones ready, and if that doesn't work I'll attempt the Wednesday afternoon window. The fact that people are coming back to share their success stories and detailed strategies shows what an awesome community this is. Thank you Connor for that great summary, and thanks to everyone else who took time to help fellow strugglers. Time to gear up for battle with the phone system tomorrow! 🤞
This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I've been stuck in the same endless busy signal loop for 5 days now and was starting to think it was hopeless. Reading through everyone's detailed strategies and actual success stories has completely transformed my approach. What really strikes me is how this community has basically crowdsourced the solution to a broken system. The specific timing advice (7:59:45 dial time), the persistence strategies (30-second redial rule), and the alternative approaches (Wednesday afternoons, assembly rep contacts, Claimyr service) are all insights you'd never get from official sources. I'm planning to implement the full strategy tomorrow: multiple phones ready, 8 AM sharp timing, prepared for 15+ redial attempts, and all my documents organized. The fact that people like Vanessa (12 attempts), Rajiv (14 attempts), and others have succeeded using these exact methods gives me real confidence. One thing I really appreciate is how people keep coming back to share their success stories and encourage others. It shows this isn't just venting but actually solving problems together. When official systems fail us, this kind of community support becomes essential. Setting my alarms now and preparing for battle with the phone system tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who shared their hard-won knowledge - you've given me hope and a real action plan! 🙏
I'm so glad this thread has been helpful for you! It's amazing how much collective wisdom has been shared here. Your observation about crowdsourcing solutions is exactly right - when the official channels don't work, communities like this become lifelines. I love that you've gathered all the key strategies from everyone's experiences: the precise timing, multiple phone approach, persistence metrics, and document prep. That's a winning formula based on proven results from people who've actually made it through. The fact that you're going in with realistic expectations (15+ attempts) but also real hope (based on multiple success stories) shows you've got the right mindset. Tomorrow's your day - you're armed with the best strategies this community has discovered, and we're all rooting for you! Don't forget to come back and share your success story to help the next person who finds this thread. Good luck! 🍀
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This is such valuable information! I'm going through the exact same thing right now - completed ID.me verification 6 days ago but my NY.gov account still shows "pending verification." Reading through everyone's experiences here really helps understand what to expect. It's frustrating how inconsistent the timeline seems to be, but at least now I know about the Claimyr option if I can't get through on the phone. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences with this process!
@Mei Liu I m'in a very similar situation! Just completed my ID.me verification 4 days ago and still seeing pending "on" the NY.gov side. This thread has been so helpful - it s'reassuring to know others have gotten through this successfully. The inconsistent timelines are definitely nerve-wracking when you re'waiting for payments, but seeing Emma s'positive outcome gives me hope. I think I ll'wait a couple more days and then try the Claimyr service if nothing changes. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here!
I went through this exact same issue about 6 months ago and it was such a nightmare! My ID.me verification completed successfully but the NY.gov system didn't update for almost 2 weeks. What finally worked for me was calling first thing in the morning (like 8:01 AM sharp) and I got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The agent was able to see that my verification was complete on their end and manually pushed it through - got my back payments within 48 hours after that call. Don't give up! The system has these sync issues but once a human looks at your account they can usually fix it pretty quickly. Just keep trying to get through to someone who can actually access your file.
@AstroAlpha Thanks for sharing your experience! The early morning calling strategy is really smart - I never thought about timing it that way. It's so frustrating how this ID.me sync issue seems to be such a common problem, but hearing that agents can usually fix it quickly once they actually look at the account is encouraging. I'm dealing with this right now too (day 5 of waiting) and was starting to panic, but reading everyone's stories here makes me feel less alone in this mess. Definitely going to try the 8 AM call approach tomorrow!
Olivia Garcia
I'm so grateful this thread exists! I just got an overpayment notice for $1,275 about 10 days ago and have been absolutely panicking because, like everyone else here, I received ZERO payment instructions. I've been checking my mail obsessively, refreshing my email constantly, and logging into my NY.gov account multiple times daily with no luck whatsoever. The stress has been keeping me up at night because I genuinely want to pay this back immediately, but it's like they've designed the system to make it impossible! I also moved about 4 months ago, so reading about the address database issues explains everything - they're probably sending instructions to my old apartment. I tried calling the main unemployment line yesterday and wasted 2+ hours on hold just to be told they "can't help with overpayment issues" and to "wait for mail instructions." So incredibly frustrating! But finding this thread has been a game-changer. I'm definitely calling 1-800-533-6600 tomorrow morning at exactly 8:30am with all the fantastic advice from everyone here. @Zara Ahmed thank you SO much for posting this question and especially for the follow-up - your success story gives me actual hope after over a week of anxiety! I'll absolutely post an update once I hopefully get through. This community is amazing for helping people navigate these bureaucratic nightmares when the actual government systems fail us completely!
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Melina Haruko
I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Got an overpayment notice for $1,450 about 3 weeks ago and have been absolutely losing my mind waiting for payment instructions that never came. Like everyone else here, I've been checking my mail daily, refreshing my email obsessively, and logging into my NY.gov account constantly hoping to find ANYTHING that tells me how to actually pay this back. The anxiety has been crushing because I genuinely want to resolve this immediately and move on with my life, but their system makes it literally impossible! I also moved about 9 months ago so the address database sync issue makes perfect sense now - they're probably sending my payment instructions to sit in some mailbox at my old place while I'm here going crazy with worry. I tried calling the main unemployment line twice and spent over 3 hours total on hold just to be told each time that they "can't help with overpayment issues" and to "wait for instructions in the mail" that clearly aren't coming. It's like being trapped in some kind of bureaucratic purgatory! This thread has been such a lifesaver for my sanity - knowing I'm not alone in this mess and that there's actually a solution has given me hope for the first time in weeks. I'm definitely calling 1-800-533-6600 tomorrow morning at 8:30am sharp with all the great tips from everyone here. @Zara Ahmed thank you SO much for posting this and especially for the follow-up update! Your resolution gives me actual hope that this nightmare will end. Will definitely post an update once I (hopefully) get through to them!
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