Can I claim unemployment if I get fired from my job in New York?

Yes, you can potentially claim unemployment even if you're fired, but it depends on the reason for termination. NYS Department of Labor will approve your claim if you were fired for reasons beyond your control - like poor performance, personality conflicts, or lack of skills. However, you'll be disqualified if you were fired for misconduct, like theft, violence, or repeatedly violating company policies after warnings. The key is whether your employer can prove willful misconduct.

I got fired last year for attendance issues and still got approved for unemployment. NYS Department of Labor said being late occasionally isn't misconduct unless you ignored direct warnings and kept doing it anyway. When you file your claim, be honest about why you were terminated but explain your side of the story. They'll contact your employer to get their version too during the adjudication process.

Just went through this myself. Got fired for 'performance issues' but honestly I think my boss just didn't like me. Filed for unemployment anyway and got approved. The trick is that your employer has to prove misconduct, not just that they fired you. Poor performance usually doesn't count as misconduct unless you were deliberately sabotaging work.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! I got fired from my last job for being 'difficult' (aka standing up for myself) and it took FOREVER to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to explain my situation. Calling their customer service is basically impossible - you'll be on hold for hours just to get disconnected. I actually ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Was way easier than trying to navigate the phone system myself.

definitely file even if you're not sure! worst case scenario they deny you and you can appeal. I thought I wouldn't qualify when I got fired but turns out my employer couldn't prove misconduct so I got benefits. The weekly claim process is pretty straightforward once you're approved.

I went through a similar situation last year when my supervisor started documenting every little thing I did. It felt like they were setting me up to fail. When I eventually got terminated, I was nervous about filing but decided to go for it anyway. The key thing I learned is that NYS Department of Labor looks at the whole picture - they want to know if you were willfully doing something wrong or if it was just a mismatch between you and management. In my case, I was able to show that I was trying to do my job properly and that the issues were more about conflicting management styles than actual misconduct. My advice is to start documenting everything now - save any emails showing you're trying to address concerns, keep records of your work performance, and if you do get terminated, file for unemployment right away. Don't let them intimidate you out of claiming benefits you might be entitled to.