Thanks for mentioning taxes - I hadn't even thought about that part. I'll make sure to set aside some of the unemployment money for taxes if I get approved. And that's good to know about partial unemployment too, in case they eventually bring us back but only part-time at first.

Carmen, I went through almost the exact same situation with a boutique hotel in Brooklyn last year. They kept promising a "soft reopening" that never happened while I waited around for 5 months like a fool. The worst part was watching my savings disappear while holding onto false hope. Here's what I wish I'd known earlier: File for unemployment IMMEDIATELY - you've already waited too long. In NY, you're eligible the moment you have no work and no pay, regardless of your employment status on paper. I lost out on thousands in benefits because I believed my manager's promises. Also, start documenting everything NOW if you haven't already. Screenshot every text, save every email, write down dates of phone calls. When (not if) this drags on longer, you'll need proof of their promises for both unemployment and potential legal action. My hotel eventually sold to developers and became luxury condos. All of us who waited got nothing but a generic "thanks for your service" email. Don't let loyalty to a company that's stringing you along cost you the financial support you're entitled to. The billion-dollar corporation will be fine - make sure YOU are too.

My neighbor retired at 62 and tried to file for unemployment because she heard you could. NYS Department of Labor denied her claim immediately. She wasted weeks trying to appeal it before giving up. Don't bother unless you have a really unusual situation.

Just to add some clarity for anyone reading this thread - the key requirement for unemployment benefits in NY is that you must be "able and available for work" and actively seeking employment. When you voluntarily retire, you're essentially stating that you don't want to work anymore, which directly contradicts this requirement. Even if you change your mind later and want to return to work, the initial voluntary retirement would still disqualify you. The only real exceptions might be if your retirement was actually involuntary (like a forced early retirement due to company restructuring) or if there were discriminatory factors involved. But standard voluntary retirement? Definitely not eligible.

are u using a shared or public computer? they block those sometimes for security. also check if ur browser is blocking cookies - the site needs those to work

I had this exact same problem last week! What finally worked for me was completely signing out of all my Google accounts first, then opening a fresh incognito window and going directly to labor.ny.gov (not through any bookmarks or saved links). Also make sure you're typing your username/password manually instead of using autofill - their system seems to hate saved passwords. If that doesn't work, try logging in at like 2-3 AM when hardly anyone else is using the site. The whole system is such a mess but these tricks have gotten me through when nothing else worked!

did anyone else notice that the verification system works better on Explorer than Chrome? weird but I finally got thru using my old laptop with Explorer after Chrome kept crashing

I'm dealing with the same identity verification nightmare right now! Been stuck for over a week and my claim is on hold. The online system keeps timing out when I try to upload documents. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like the phone verification is definitely possible but getting through is the real challenge. @Anastasia Sokolov thanks for sharing that new callback system info - I'm going to check if I'm in that queue since I've definitely failed the online verification more than 3 times. Has anyone tried the early morning calling strategy that @Luca Esposito mentioned? I might set my alarm for 7:55am tomorrow and start dialing right before they open. At this point I'm willing to try anything - my rent is due next week and I can't afford to wait much longer for this to get resolved.

The system has been pretty reliable lately but I'd still recommend not waiting until Sunday night to file. Weekday mornings seem to work best in my experience. Also double-check everything before submitting because fixing mistakes later is a huge pain with NYS Department of Labor.

Just went through this process myself two weeks ago! The application took me about 40 minutes, but I had to stop and hunt down some old pay stubs. Pro tip: if you're still employed, try to get a copy of your recent pay statements and employment letter before your last day - HR departments are usually more helpful while you're still on payroll. Also, file as soon as possible after your separation date. I waited three days thinking I needed to "settle in" first and ended up kicking myself because those are days I could have been accumulating benefits. The waiting period for approval is real though - still haven't gotten my first payment yet but at least the claim is processing.