Pro tip - if you have a payroll service or accountant, they might have your unemployment account number on file already. Most payroll companies keep track of all your employer identification numbers.

Another option if you're still stuck - check any correspondence from when you first registered your business or got your workers' compensation insurance. The unemployment account number is sometimes included in those initial business registration packets. Also, if you've ever had to file any employment-related forms with the state (like new hire reporting), those documents might have your account number referenced on them.

Just want to add that you should file ASAP if you're eligible. There's usually a one-week waiting period for new claims, and benefits are only paid from the date you file, not when your hours were reduced. Also make sure your employer knows you're filing - they'll get a notice anyway and it's better to be upfront about it.

Hey Diego! I went through this exact same thing with my bartending job. The partial unemployment system in NY is actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. A few practical tips: 1) When you file your weekly claim online, they'll ask for your gross earnings (before taxes) for that week - make sure you have your pay stubs ready. 2) The system automatically calculates your partial benefit, so you don't have to do the math yourself. 3) File your weekly claim on the same day each week to stay consistent. 4) If your restaurant picks up and your hours increase, you might not qualify for benefits that week, but you can always file again if hours get cut. The whole process is way less scary than it seems at first. Good luck!

I'm having this same PIN issue too! Filed my claim about 3 weeks ago and never got the PIN letter in the mail. Been avoiding my weekly certification because I had no clue what that 4-digit PIN was supposed to be. This thread is so reassuring - clearly this mail delivery problem is way more common than it should be! I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM calling strategy everyone's mentioned, and I'll check my NY.gov account documents section first. It's crazy that something so important for our benefits can just vanish in the mail. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and solutions here - makes me feel way less stressed about getting this resolved!

I'm dealing with this exact same PIN problem! Filed my claim about 2 months ago and never received any PIN letter either. I've been putting off my weekly certification for way too long because I had no idea what this 4-digit PIN was - I actually spent hours searching through the NY.gov website thinking I missed creating one during signup. This whole thread is such a lifesaver because I was starting to think I was going crazy or had somehow messed up my entire application. It's clearly a massive systemic issue with their mail delivery system when this many people are missing their PIN letters. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's game plan: check my NY.gov account documents section first thing in the morning, then call that 1-888-209-8124 number right at 8 AM with my SSN, claimant ID, and filing date all organized and ready. It's honestly ridiculous that something so critical for our weekly benefits can just disappear into the postal void with zero backup notification system, but seeing all these success stories with the phone approach gives me real hope. Thanks so much to everyone for sharing such detailed step-by-step advice - this community support makes navigating these bureaucratic nightmares so much more manageable!

One more thing to keep in mind - if your 1099 work starts generating consistent income that approaches or exceeds your weekly benefit amount, NYS Department of Labor might consider you "returned to work" and could close your claim entirely. This typically happens when you're earning more than your weekly benefit rate for several consecutive weeks. So while the part-time freelance work you described should be fine, just be aware that if it grows into something bigger, you might need to make a decision between the contract work and continuing unemployment benefits. Also, keep detailed records of all your earnings and hours worked - if there's ever a question about your claim, having good documentation will help you avoid any overpayment issues.

I haven't seen anybody mention how to certify the amount since the website only ask questions to answer with either yes or no and there is no place to put any gross income how do you guy's do it

I had this same issue recently and it was so confusing! What ended up working for me was checking my 2024 Form W-2 more carefully - on Box 15 (State/Employer's state ID no.), my employer's unemployment account number was actually listed there. It might be abbreviated or formatted differently than you expect. Also, if you filed taxes this year, sometimes tax prep software saves additional employer documents that might have this info. Worth double-checking before you have to deal with calling anyone!

I'm dealing with this exact same problem right now! It's so stressful when you're already worried about unemployment and then the system throws these random requirements at you. I've been looking through all my paperwork and can't find anything that clearly says "employer registration number." Reading through everyone's suggestions here is really helpful though - I never would have thought to check Box 15 on my W-2 or look for quarterly wage statements. It seems like there are so many different places this number could be hiding. Has anyone tried just calling the NYS Department of Labor directly to ask them to look it up? I'm wondering if that might be faster than hunting through all these documents, especially if some of us didn't get proper separation paperwork when we were let go.