Can you apply for unemployment another time after your claim expires?
My unemployment benefits ran out about 6 months ago and I've been doing part-time gig work since then but it's not enough to cover my bills. The economy is still rough and I haven't been able to find stable full-time work. Can you apply for unemployment another time or do you have to wait a certain period? I worked enough hours at my previous job to qualify originally, but I'm not sure if there are rules about reapplying. Has anyone been through this situation before?
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Ethan Clark
Yes, you can definitely file a new unemployment claim if you've worked enough since your last claim ended. You need to have earned wages in your base period to establish a new benefit year. Since you've been doing gig work, those earnings might count toward establishing a new claim with NYS Department of Labor. You'll need to file a completely new application, not reopen your old claim.
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Aisha Mahmood
•That's good to know! Do you know how much I need to have earned to qualify for a new claim? The gig work has been inconsistent but I've made some money.
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AstroAce
I was in the exact same situation last year. My original claim expired and I worked freelance for about 8 months before I could file again. The key is making sure you earned enough wages during your base period - I think it's around $2,600 total with at least $1,300 in your highest quarter. You'll go through the whole process again including the job search requirements.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•How long did it take for your new claim to get approved? I'm thinking about doing the same thing.
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AstroAce
•It took about 3 weeks for mine to process. Make sure you have all your earnings documentation ready from the gig work because they'll need to verify everything.
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Carmen Vega
ugh the whole system is so confusing! I tried calling NYS Department of Labor like 20 times to ask about this exact thing and could never get through. The website doesn't make it clear either. Why can't they just have better information available??
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Andre Rousseau
•I had the same problem with getting through to them! Someone told me about this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually gets you connected to NYS Department of Labor agents. I was skeptical but watched their demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and ended up trying it. Got through in like 15 minutes and was able to ask all my questions about reapplying. Worth checking out if you're stuck.
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Zoe Stavros
just to add - if your gig work was through apps like uber or doordash you might run into issues proving those earnings. make sure you have tax documents and records saved
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Jamal Harris
Good luck with everything! The process can be frustrating but it's definitely possible to get benefits again if you qualify. I'm rooting for you!
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MidnightRider
I went through this exact situation about 2 years ago! After my benefits expired, I worked various contract jobs for about 9 months before applying again. The process was pretty straightforward - you just need to file a brand new claim online. One thing that helped me was keeping detailed records of all my earnings during that gap period, including 1099s and any cash payments. Also heads up that you'll need to do the whole work search requirement again, but honestly it felt easier the second time around since I knew what to expect. The hardest part was just waiting for the approval, but it did come through. Hang in there!
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