Can I certify for NY unemployment benefits while visiting California for a weekend?

You're overthinking this. Being out of state for a short trip doesn't mean you're not available for work. The important thing is that you're still actively looking for work and would be able to return to NY if you got a job offer. You can certify from California using the online system or mobile app. Just answer the questions honestly.

the question is asking if u moved NOT if ur on vacation lol. i go to florida every winter for like 3 weeks and still certify. just say NO to that question ur not moving ur just visiting

To clarify what others have said, the certification question about being outside your residence is specifically asking if you've relocated or changed your permanent address. A weekend trip doesn't count as relocating. However, you do need to be available for work while claiming benefits. This means if you received a job offer that required you to start immediately, you would need to be able to return to NY. As long as you're able to do that, you can continue to certify. You can absolutely certify online while physically in California. The online system doesn't track your location when you certify.

I got in HUGE trouble last year because I answered these questions wrong!!! I said yes to being outside my residence when I was just visiting my parents for Christmas and they FROZE my account and I had to appeal and everything. It was a nightmare!!!

I had a similar question when I went to visit my mom in Texas for a week. I called the unemployment office but couldn't get through to anyone for THREE DAYS. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in 20 minutes. They explained that short trips are fine as long as you're still able to take job offers/interviews. You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - definitely recommend if you ever need to talk to an actual human at NYSDOL!

I think everyone is missing a key point here: while visiting another state is allowed, each state has different rules about how long you can be there while collecting benefits. I'm pretty sure NY has a 14-day limit before you need to notify them of travel. A weekend trip is definitely fine though.

The NYSDOL website is SO confusing on this! When I was collecting benefits in 2025, I found that the best approach is to just be consistent and honest. If you're physically out of state but still checking emails, doing your work search activities, and would cut your trip short if you got a job offer, you're fine to certify from anywhere. DON'T say you've changed your residence for a weekend trip though - that's not what they're asking.

my cousin works for unemployment in albany and she says they dont care if ur on vacation just that ur looking for jobs still

Does anyone know if its different if you go to CANADA instead of another state?? I'm planning a trip to Toronto next month and now I'm worried!!!!

I'm back from my trip and everything worked out fine! I certified while in California on Sunday, answered 'no' to the residence question since I wasn't relocating, and my payment was deposited as normal today. Thanks everyone for the help!

Great to hear everything went smoothly! This is such a common worry for people collecting unemployment - I think a lot of us get nervous about any travel because the questions can be confusing. Your experience shows that short trips are totally fine as long as you're honest about what they're actually asking. Thanks for updating us on how it turned out!

I'm so glad this thread exists! I'm planning to visit my brother in Denver for a long weekend next month and was having the exact same worries as Mason. Reading everyone's experiences really helps clarify things. It sounds like the key is just being honest about temporary travel vs. permanent relocation, and making sure you can still fulfill your work search requirements and be available if an opportunity comes up. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge - this community is so helpful for navigating all the confusing unemployment rules!

This has been such a valuable thread! As someone who's been collecting NY unemployment for about 6 months now, I can confirm what everyone is saying - short trips are absolutely fine. I've traveled to visit family in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and even took a week-long vacation in Miami, and never had any issues as long as I kept up with my work search requirements and was ready to come back if needed. The key thing I learned early on is that the "residence" question is really asking about your permanent living situation, not temporary travel. I always certify online from wherever I am and answer honestly about my permanent address remaining the same. It's great to see Mason's update that everything worked out perfectly - that's exactly what should happen when you handle it correctly!

I went through this exact same situation last month when I visited my parents in Florida for a few days! I was so nervous about messing up my certification, but everything worked out fine. Like everyone else has said, the key is understanding that they're asking about permanent residence changes, not temporary travel. I certified online from Florida, answered 'no' to the residence question since I hadn't moved, and my benefits continued normally. The most important thing is making sure you can still do your work search activities and would be able to return quickly if you got a job opportunity. It's such a relief to see Mason's update confirming everything went smoothly - this is exactly how it should work when you handle it correctly!