Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
$19.99StandardOne price
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
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 :)
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Sunny Wang
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact question last year. Spent hours on hold trying to reach someone who could explain what counts as remuneration. Finally found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to actual agents - they have a website at claimyr.com and there's even a demo video showing how it works (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI). Made it so much easier to get my questions answered about reporting requirements.
Never heard of that service but honestly anything that helps with getting through to NYS Department of Labor sounds helpful. Those phone lines are impossible.
The remuneration question trips up SO many people! I work in HR and see this confusion all the time. Just remember - if you did any work or received any payment related to work during the week you're certifying for, report it. NYS Department of Labor would rather you report something that doesn't count than miss something that does. Better safe than sorry when it comes to unemployment fraud accusations.
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Ethan Clark
Don't forget you'll also need to file your weekly claims every week to keep getting benefits, even if your initial claim is still processing. And you have to do job search activities - the requirement is 3 work search contacts per week unless you're on standby status with your employer.
NebulaNomad
•What counts as work search contacts? Just applying for jobs online or do I need to do other stuff too?
Ethan Clark
•Job applications, networking events, career fairs, contacting employers directly, even creating/updating LinkedIn profiles can count. Keep a log of everything with dates and details because they can audit your job search activities.
StarStrider
ugh the whole unemployment system is such a mess. they make it impossible to get straight answers about anything including how much you'll actually receive until you're already in the system
Yuki Sato
•I feel you on that! But once you get through the initial setup it's not too bad. The weekly claims only take like 5 minutes to file online.
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Taylor To
THE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! I've been waiting 5 weeks for my first payment because they keep saying my claim is under review. Meanwhile I can't pay my rent! And good luck trying to call them - the phone just hangs up on you after an hour on hold.
that sucks! is your claim in adjudication? thats when they review stuff and it takes forever
Ella Cofer
Same happened to me last year - took forever but eventually got all the back pay. Just keep filing your weekly claims even if you're not getting paid yet!
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The system is SO broken! 26 weeks isn't enough time to find decent work in this economy. They expect you to take any minimum wage job just to get off benefits. Meanwhile they're making it harder and harder to even qualify in the first place!
Harmony Love
•I feel you on this. The job market is rough right now and 26 weeks goes by fast when you're actually trying to find something good.
Rudy Cenizo
Wait, are we talking about regular unemployment or standby? Because standby has different rules. I was on standby for my union job and that was different timing.
Val Rossi
•OP is talking about regular UI benefits, not standby. Standby is for temporary layoffs where you expect to be called back. Regular unemployment is when you're fully separated from your job and actively seeking new work.
Ezra Beard
The system is so confusing!! I never know if I'm supposed to report gross pay or net pay. And what about tips? I work at a restaurant part time and sometimes get cash tips that aren't on my paycheck.
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Peyton Clarke
•You report gross earnings, including all tips. Cash tips definitely need to be reported even if they're not on your W-2. NYS Department of Labor wants to know about ALL income you receive.
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Statiia Aarssizan
This whole partial benefits thing is actually pretty reasonable compared to what I expected. At least they let you keep some of your unemployment instead of cutting it off completely the second you work one hour.
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