If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to discuss your specific situation, there's a service called Claimyr that can help you actually reach a live agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Sometimes talking to an actual person at NYS Department of Labor before you quit can help you understand exactly what documentation you'd need.

Just want to add that even if you have good cause, there might be a waiting period before benefits start. And if you worked for your employer for less than a certain amount of time the rules might be different. The whole system is designed to make it as hard as possible honestly.

The tax bracket thing your friend mentioned isn't really how it works. Tax brackets are marginal, so only the income above each threshold gets taxed at the higher rate. Your unemployment benefits will just be added to whatever other income you have for the year. If you're worried about contacting NYS Department of Labor to set up withholding, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.

Just remember you can also make quarterly estimated tax payments if you don't want to have taxes withheld from your benefits. Some people prefer to manage it themselves rather than having less money in their weekly payments.

Also consider that some unemployment allows for innovation and entrepreneurship. People starting new businesses often leave their jobs temporarily, creating unemployment statistics but potentially creating many more jobs in the future. Creative destruction in the economy requires some labor mobility.

this is why economics is confusing lol... seems like everything that sounds bad is actually good somehow

I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for three days to ask about my claim status and the phone system is completely jammed. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to a real person at NYS Department of Labor without waiting on hold forever. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you end up needing to call them about anything.

Just wanted to add that the unemployment rate you see in the news is usually for the whole state, but it varies a lot by region. NYC area tends to be different from upstate. NYS Department of Labor publishes regional breakdowns too if you need more specific data for your research.

If you're not seeing the payment by Friday, I'd recommend calling the NYS Department of Labor. Sometimes there can be delays if there's an issue with your job search log or if they need additional verification. You can also check your payment history on the my.ny.gov portal to see if there are any holds on your account.

Sometimes I wonder if they do this on PURPOSE to mess with us... like why can't they just tell us exactly when the money will hit instead of this vague 'released for payment' nonsense. We're already stressed enough dealing with being unemployed!