Can't reach New York Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live NYDOL agent in minutes.
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
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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- 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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Don't let the system intimidate you! I was terrified when I first filed but it's actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. The unemployment claim process has these main steps: 1) File your initial claim with work history and reason for separation 2) Wait for determination letter 3) File weekly claims every week 4) Complete job search activities 5) Get paid if everything's approved. The NYS Department of Labor has improved their online system a lot since COVID so it's much more user-friendly now.
lol 'user friendly' - clearly you haven't tried calling them lately. the phone system is a nightmare and half the time the website crashes when you're trying to file your weekly claim
To add to what others said - your unemployment claim also determines your weekly benefit amount based on your past earnings. The NYS Department of Labor looks at your wages from the last 18 months and calculates roughly half your average weekly wage, up to the maximum benefit amount. Right now in 2025 the max is around $530 per week. You can collect for up to 26 weeks typically, though this can vary based on economic conditions.
Wait, they look at 18 months of wages? What if I only worked at this job for 6 months?
They'll look at all your jobs during that base period. If you don't have enough work history, you might not qualify for regular unemployment benefits. There are specific earnings requirements you need to meet.
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Don't forget you need to register for work search activities right away too. The job search requirements kick in immediately so have your resume ready and start thinking about where you'll be applying. NYS Department of Labor is pretty strict about the work search log.
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THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PEOPLE!! They make it so complicated on purpose so fewer people actually collect what they're owed. Seasonal, regular, partial - they have all these categories just to make it harder to navigate. I worked construction for 15 years and dealt with this seasonal BS every winter.
Wait, so if I work at a beach club that's only open May through September, when I file in October would that automatically be considered seasonal unemployment? Or do I have to specify that somewhere in my application?
NYS Department of Labor will classify it based on your employer's industry code and your work pattern. Beach clubs, seasonal resorts, and similar businesses are typically already flagged in their system. You don't need to do anything special when filing - they'll make the determination based on your employment history.
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I'm confused though - if I'm already paying unemployment taxes to NYS Department of Labor for my employees, why do I also have to pay federal? Seems like double taxation to me. And what happens if one of my employees files for unemployment benefits - does it come from the state fund or federal fund?
They serve different purposes. Your NYS Department of Labor taxes fund the actual unemployment benefits your employees receive. The federal FUTA tax funds the administrative costs of the unemployment system and provides loans to states when their unemployment funds run low. When your employee files a claim, the benefits come from the state fund that you've been paying into.
Just a heads up - if you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor for any employer-related questions, I discovered this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps people actually reach agents by phone. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of being on hold when I needed to resolve an issue with my unemployment account last year.
Thanks for the tip! I've definitely struggled getting through to NYS Department of Labor in the past. Does it work for employer questions too or just for people filing claims?
It works for getting through to the general NYS Department of Labor phone lines, so it should help with employer questions too. The main thing is it handles the waiting and gets you connected to an actual person instead of dealing with busy signals.
Jacinda Yu
I had such a nightmare trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor to ask similar questions about my claim. Spent hours on hold just to get disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor within like 20 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Totally worth it when you need actual answers instead of guessing about stuff like unemployment rates affecting benefits.
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Hugo Kass
•Interesting! I might check that out if I run into issues. The NYS Department of Labor phone system is definitely frustrating.
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Landon Flounder
The unemployment rate when any president leaves office doesn't matter for your personal UI benefits lol. But yeah it was around 3.8% nationally when Biden left in January. In NY specifically it was probably similar. Your $420/week sounds about right depending on what you were making before. Just keep doing your weekly certifications and job searches.
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