Anyone else locked out when claiming NY unemployment weekly benefits today?

yep same here! tried 3x already and keeps glitching after the work search activities screen. ugh

Oh good it's not just me. Have you tried calling them? I'm worried if we can't get through today we'll miss the window.

The system is undergoing maintenance today from what I understand. They posted about it on their Twitter account yesterday, but of course not everyone sees those notices. Try again after 2pm - they usually complete these maintenance windows by early afternoon. If you still can't get through, you have until tomorrow at midnight to complete your weekly certification without it being considered late.

Thank you! I don't use Twitter so had no idea. Will try again after 2pm. Really appreciate the info!

happens all the time lately... system is garbage tbh

Yeah I've noticed it's been especially bad the last 3 Sundays. I switched to doing my certification on Monday mornings and haven't had issues since.

This is a known issue that's been happening the past few weekends. The NYSDOL system gets overloaded on Sundays when most people try to certify. Here are a few troubleshooting steps that might help:\n\n1. Try certifying during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening)\n2. Clear your browser cache and cookies completely\n3. Use the mobile app instead of the website if possible\n4. Make sure you're answering the work search questions with specific details\n\nRemember, you actually have until Saturday at midnight of the following week to certify, so you still have time even if you can't get through today.

Thank you for these tips! I didn't realize we had until the end of the following week. That's a relief. The weird thing is I've been certifying Sunday afternoons for weeks with no issues until today. I'll try clearing my cache and trying again tonight.

I HATE the ny unemployment system SO MUCH!!!! Been dealing with this garbage for MONTHS!!! Every time I think it's fixed they break something else. Last week I certified fine but the payment never came. Called 57 TIMES before giving up. It's like they WANT us to give up and not collect benefits we DESERVE!!!! Anyone know a human being we can actually talk to??

I was in the same boat last month - calling constantly and never getting through. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an actual agent in like 15 minutes instead of spending days calling. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE. Solved my certification issue right away once I actually talked to someone.

never heard of it but at this point I'll try ANYTHING. thanks

I was having the same issue this morning but just tried again and got through successfully. Looks like whatever problem they were having might be fixed now. One tip: I've noticed that if you answer the work search questions with too little information, the system sometimes freezes. Make sure you're giving complete answers about your work search activities, including dates and employer names when applicable.

Just tried again and it worked! Thanks for the update. You might be right about the work search details - I did add more information this time about the jobs I applied for.

is anyone else's payment late too? i certified sunday but its thursday and no deposit yet?

If you certified on Sunday, you should typically see the deposit by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Check your payment history in your online account to see if it shows as

the whole system is designed to make u give up tbh

I understand the frustration, but I've found that persistence and learning the quirks of the system eventually pays off. Take screenshots of everything just in case you need to prove you attempted to certify on time.

My cousin works for the state (not unemployment) and she says they're updating the entire system and there will be glitches for the next few weeks. She said just keep trying and document everything in case you need to backdate claims later.

Thanks for the insider info! I'll make sure to take screenshots of any errors I get just in case.

UPDATE: finally got through on my claim from last week!! The secret is calling right when they open at 8am sharp. Took 3 days of trying but finally worked!

tried that 2day but still couldnt get thru :( how many times did u have to call?

Just a quick update for everyone: NYSDOL just posted on their website that they resolved the certification system issues as of 3:30pm today. If you were having problems earlier, you should be able to complete your weekly certification now without any issues. They apologized for the inconvenience and confirmed that no one will be penalized for these technical difficulties.

Thanks for the update! I was able to successfully certify about an hour ago. Everything went through smoothly this time.