Can you apply for unemployment over the phone with NYS Department of Labor?
My computer crashed last week and I just got laid off from my retail job. I've been trying to figure out if I can apply for unemployment over the phone instead of online. The my.ny.gov website seems really complicated and I'm not great with computers anyway. Has anyone successfully filed their initial claim by calling NYS Department of Labor directly? What's the phone number and do they actually help you through the whole application?
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AstroAce
Yes, you can absolutely apply over the phone! Call the NYS Department of Labor UI helpline at 1-888-209-8124. They'll walk you through the entire application process. Just have your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history ready. The wait times can be long though, so call early in the morning.
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Andre Laurent
•Thank you! Do you know what employment info they need exactly? I worked at three different places in the last year.
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AstroAce
•They'll need employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and your reason for leaving each job. Also bring your last pay stub if you have it.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
i tried calling like 50 times last month and kept getting busy signals or hung up on after waiting forever
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Jamal Brown
•The phone lines are definitely overloaded. If you keep having trouble getting through, there's actually a service called Claimyr that helps people reach NYS Department of Labor agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Basically they handle the calling and waiting for you.
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Mei Zhang
I'm in the same boat with my laptop being broken! But honestly the online application isn't that bad if you can get to a library computer. The phone application takes like 45 minutes compared to maybe 15 minutes online. Plus you get immediate confirmation that everything went through correctly.
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Liam McConnell
•seconding this - the online form is way faster once you get used to it
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Amara Oluwaseyi
Just be prepared for them to ask you a million questions about your work history and why you lost your job. They're really thorough on the phone calls. Make sure you're honest about everything because they verify all the information with your employers anyway. The whole process took me about an hour when I called.
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CosmicCaptain
Wait can someone clarify - do you still have to do the weekly claims online even if you apply by phone? Or can you do those by phone too? I'm so confused about this whole process.
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AstroAce
•Good question! You can file your weekly claims by phone too. Same number - 1-888-209-8124. But most people find the online weekly claims much faster once they get the hang of it.
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Diez Ellis
Hey Andre! I just went through this exact situation a few months ago when my computer died right after I got laid off. The phone application definitely works, but here's what I wish someone had told me: call RIGHT when they open at 8 AM for the best chance of getting through. I also recommend having a notepad ready because they'll ask for specific dates and wage information that you might not remember off the top of your head. The agent I spoke with was really patient and helpful, so don't worry about not being tech-savvy - they're used to walking people through everything step by step. Good luck!
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Paolo Ricci
•Thanks for the detailed advice! That's super helpful about calling right at 8 AM - I was planning to call in the afternoon but sounds like mornings are way better. Quick question - when you say specific dates and wage information, do you mean like exact start/end dates for each job? I have my W-2s but not sure if I have all the exact dates memorized.
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