Can you get unemployment if you quit your job in New York?

Yes, you can get unemployment after quitting, but only if you have what NYS Department of Labor calls 'good cause.' This includes things like unsafe working conditions, harassment, significant changes to your job duties or pay, or constructive discharge situations. The key is documenting everything before you quit - emails, incident reports, HR complaints, etc. You'll likely face adjudication where they review your case.

i quit my last job and got denied at first but won on appeal. took forever though like 3 months total

Generally speaking, if you voluntarily quit your job, NYS Department of Labor will initially disqualify you from receiving unemployment benefits. However, there are exceptions for 'good cause' situations. This includes things like unsafe working conditions, harassment, significant changes to your job duties or pay, or health issues that make continuing work impossible. You'd need to document everything and be prepared to explain your situation during the adjudication process.

Before you quit, try to get your employer to fire you instead. I know it sounds backwards but if you can document the toxic behavior and force their hand, you'll have a much easier time with your UI claim. NYS Department of Labor is pretty strict about voluntary separations - they assume you could have kept working and chose not to.

Start documenting everything NOW if you haven't already. Keep emails, write down dates and times of incidents, get witness statements if possible. When you file your claim, you'll need to check the box that says you quit for good cause and then they'll schedule an adjudication interview. During that interview, you'll need to prove that a reasonable person in your situation would have quit too.

honestly the system is so messed up, they'll probably deny you anyway even with good cause!! i quit because my boss was crazy and they still made me jump through hoops for 2 months before approving anything

I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I was dealing with a similar situation. Kept getting disconnected or put on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call myself.

The unemployment system is such a joke. They make it nearly impossible to get benefits even when you have legitimate reasons for leaving. I quit due to harassment and it took months to get approved. Meanwhile bills keep coming and they act like we're trying to scam the system.

Wait so if I quit can I still file weekly claims while waiting for the adjudication decision?? I'm so confused about this whole process

I quit my job last month because of a toxic boss too and I'm still waiting to hear back from NYS Department of Labor. The waiting is killing me but everyone says to just be patient with the adjudication process.

You should also know that even if you get approved, you might have to wait longer for your first payment since they'll need to investigate. My cousin quit for good cause and it took 6 weeks before she saw any money.