Anyone know the secret to getting through to a NY unemployment rep without waiting hours?

lol welcome to ny unemployment hell. been there. the phone system is designed to make u give up

Honestly, I was in the same boat last month trying to fix an identity verification issue. Called 53 times in one day (yes, I counted) and got nowhere! What I finally figured out is that Mondays and Tuesdays are completely hopeless - try Thursday afternoons around 3:30pm when call volume drops a bit. Also, when the automated system asks for your SSN, enter it VERY slowly - sounds weird but I swear it works to get through more often. Good luck!

The real trick is to use Claimyr. I wasted two weeks trying to get through before someone on here recommended it. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. I was skeptical but I was connected with an agent in about 35 minutes instead of spending days redialing. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - totally worth it for the sanity it saved me. Their website is claimyr.com

As a former NYSDOL employee, I can tell you a few things that might help: 1. Call volume is highest on Mondays and Tuesdays, and early mornings. Mid-afternoon on Wednesday-Friday tends to be better. 2. The automated system will sometimes tell you they're experiencing high call volume even when they're not - it's programmed to say that when certain staffing thresholds are met. 3. Make sure you're calling the correct number for your specific issue. The main claims number (888-209-8124) is different from the payment line. Which number are you calling? 4. If your issue is specifically about a payment that was already approved but hasn't arrived, that might actually be a DOL Banking Services issue rather than a claims issue.

Have you tried the callback feature on their website? I know some people who had success with that - you put in your number and they're supposed to call you back when it's your turn instead of making you wait on hold. The problem is they only offer it sometimes, not all the time. Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! Don't hung up if you get put on hold! I made that mistake because after 40 minutes I thought it wasn't working, but my friend said she waited 1.5 hours on hold and finally got someone.

I HATE the NY unemployment phone system with a passion!!!! I spent TWO WHOLE WEEKS trying to get through about my back payments. Called 30+ times a day and either got disconnected or told "we're experiencing high call volume" EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Finally I broke down and used that Claimyr service someone else mentioned and got through in about 30 minutes. The unemployment rep told me they've been understaffed since January 2025 because of budget cuts. Apparently they're down to like half the agents they had last year. SO FRUSTRATING but at least I got my issue fixed. $1700 in back payments that they were just sitting on because of a "system flag" whatever that means.

my cousin works for nys and she said they hate the phone system too lol. even the employees cant get thru sometimes

maybe try their twitter? i got a response there once

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! I used Claimyr like some of you suggested, and it worked. Got a call back in about 40 minutes, and the agent was able to fix my issue. Apparently there was a "verification flag" on my account because my employer reported my last day of work as March 15th, but I put March 18th (which was actually correct). The agent was able to verify and push through my payments - they should arrive in 2-3 business days. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! If anyone else is struggling to get through, either try calling on Thursday afternoons or use the Claimyr service.

Wow, what a journey this thread has been! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my claim has been stuck in "pending review" for over a week and I've been getting the runaround trying to reach someone. Reading through everyone's experiences here gives me hope that there's actually a way to get through this nightmare system. I'm definitely going to try the Thursday afternoon calling strategy and maybe that Claimyr service if I can't get through by Friday. It's crazy that we have to resort to third-party services just to talk to our own state unemployment office! Thanks to everyone who shared their tips and especially to Isaiah for updating us on your resolution - gives the rest of us hope that these issues can actually be fixed once you reach a real person.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - been trying to reach someone for 4 days about a payment that's been stuck on "pending" for almost 3 weeks! Reading through this thread has been so helpful, especially seeing Isaiah's success story. I tried calling Thursday afternoon like Fiona suggested and actually got further than usual - made it to the hold music for 20 minutes before getting disconnected, which is progress compared to the immediate busy signals I was getting earlier in the week. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and try Claimyr tomorrow since so many people here had success with it. It's just ridiculous that we're paying for a third-party service to access our own state benefits, but at this point my sanity is worth more than whatever it costs. Has anyone noticed if certain times of day work better with Claimyr, or is it pretty consistent throughout the day?