Weekly claims can be filed starting Sunday for the previous week. So if you're eligible this week, you'd file your first weekly claim this coming Sunday. Make sure you have your job search activities documented since you'll need to report those when you file.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if your status shows "Active," you might still see some delays in your first payment while they verify your employment history and wages. This is totally normal! I'd also recommend setting up direct deposit if you haven't already - it's much faster than waiting for a debit card to arrive in the mail. You can do this through the same my.ny.gov portal under payment preferences.

Just to add - if you're looking for work now, make sure you understand the job search requirements once you do become eligible for benefits in the future. NYS Department of Labor has specific rules about documenting your job search activities.

I went through something similar when I had to close my small business last year. Since you only took owner draws and didn't pay unemployment taxes on your own wages, you unfortunately won't qualify for regular unemployment benefits. However, I'd recommend checking if you might be eligible for any other state assistance programs while you're job searching. Also, when you do find new employment, make sure they're properly withholding unemployment taxes so you'll have coverage in the future. Good luck with your job search!

The whole tax system is rigged anyway. They give you unemployment when you're desperate then want it all back in taxes. Makes no sense to me.

For anyone still looking for their 1099-G, you can also call the NYS Tax Department at 518-457-5181 - they can help you get a duplicate copy if the online system isn't working. Also, if you're worried about owing taxes because you didn't have anything withheld, you might want to look into making quarterly estimated payments for this year if you expect to receive unemployment again. That way you won't get hit with a big tax bill next year. And remember, even though unemployment is taxable, you may still qualify for other tax credits that could help offset what you owe.

I'm going through the exact same anxiety right now - my benefits run out in 8 days and I've been losing sleep over this! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful though. I just logged into my NY.gov account after reading all these comments and found that Pre-Extension Checklist that @Danielle Campbell mentioned - it's exactly where she said it would be in a small notification box on the dashboard. Turns out I was missing one quarterly review from last year that I need to complete before I can apply for the extension. The checklist also confirmed that I need to have my job search documentation ready as a PDF. I've been tracking everything in a spreadsheet, so I'll convert that to PDF format using the table structure @Chloe Martin suggested. One question for anyone who's been through this recently - do they require specific types of job applications (like only online applications) or do networking contacts and informational interviews count toward the work search requirements for the extension? I've been doing a mix of everything but want to make sure I'm documenting the right activities. Thanks again to everyone for sharing their experiences. This community is a lifesaver when the official NYSDOL resources are so confusing!

Wow, this thread is exactly what I needed right now! My benefits are ending in about 5 days and I've been absolutely terrified about the whole extension process. Reading everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - at least now I know I'm not the only one struggling to navigate this system. I just went through my NY.gov account based on all the advice here and found that Pre-Extension Checklist everyone mentioned. Thankfully I don't have any outstanding issues, but I definitely need to get my job search documentation organized into a PDF. I've been keeping everything in different places - some in a notebook, some in emails, some just in my head - so I have some work to do tonight. The information about the Hardship Extension option is really valuable too. I'm hoping the regular UI Extension works out, but it's good to know there's a backup plan if needed since my rent situation is getting pretty tight. One quick question - for those who successfully got approved for the extension, did you get any kind of confirmation email or notification right away after submitting the application? Or do you just have to wait the full processing time to hear anything? The uncertainty is killing me and I want to make sure I know what to expect after I submit everything. Thanks again to everyone for sharing so much helpful detail. This community support means everything when you're dealing with something this stressful!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I work at a local library and we get so many people coming in asking for help with unemployment issues just like this. I'm definitely going to save this information to share with patrons who are struggling with the same problems. The ID.me verification step seems to trip up a lot of people - we've had several folks come in frustrated because they couldn't figure out why their documents wouldn't upload. It's great to see the community coming together to share these solutions. I might even print out a simple guide based on this thread to keep at our reference desk since this seems to be such a common issue. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping each other navigate this complicated system!

This is such a valuable thread! I've been helping my elderly neighbor with her unemployment claim and we ran into the exact same ID.me verification roadblock. What's really frustrating is that the NY unemployment website doesn't clearly explain that this is a mandatory first step - we spent days trying to upload documents before realizing the ID.me verification was blocking everything. The error messages are so vague too. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm going to help her complete the ID.me process this weekend and hopefully that resolves it. If not, we'll definitely try that Claimyr service that several people have had success with. It's really sad that we need these workarounds, but I'm grateful this community exists to share these solutions. Thank you everyone for taking the time to help strangers navigate this broken system!