Can you get unemployment more than once from NYS Department of Labor?
I received unemployment benefits last year when I got laid off from my manufacturing job. Now I'm facing another layoff from a different company and wondering if I can file for unemployment benefits again? Does NYS Department of Labor have limits on how many times you can collect UI? I'm worried they might deny my claim since I already used benefits recently. Has anyone here filed multiple unemployment claims in different years?
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Sean O'Donnell
Yes, you can absolutely file for unemployment multiple times as long as you meet the eligibility requirements each time. NYS Department of Labor doesn't have a lifetime limit on claims. The key is that you need to have worked enough quarters and earned sufficient wages since your last claim to establish a new benefit year. Each claim period is separate, so your previous claim won't affect your ability to file a new one.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•That's such a relief! Do you know how many quarters of work I need between claims?
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Zara Ahmed
You need to check your base period wages. For a new claim, NYS Department of Labor looks at the first four of the last five completed quarters before you file. As long as you worked enough in those quarters and earned at least $2,600 total with $1,300 in your highest quarter, you should qualify. The fact that you had a previous claim doesn't matter.
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StarStrider
•This is correct. I've filed three different unemployment claims over the past decade - 2015, 2020, and 2023. Each time was approved as long as I met the work requirements.
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Luca Esposito
wait i thought there was some kind of waiting period between claims?? i swear someone told me you had to wait a year or something
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Sean O'Donnell
•There's no waiting period between benefit years. You might be thinking of the waiting week that was eliminated during COVID, or maybe confusing it with other states' rules. NY doesn't have restrictions on consecutive claims.
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Nia Thompson
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I tried to file my second claim because their phone lines are always busy. If you run into that problem, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows exactly how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than sitting on hold for hours.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•How does that work exactly? Do they just call for you or something?
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Nia Thompson
•They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Saved me probably 6 hours of trying to get through on my own.
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Aisha Abdullah
Just make sure you file as soon as possible after your layoff date. The sooner you apply, the sooner your claim can be processed. And yes, multiple claims are totally normal - lots of people in construction, retail, and other industries file regularly when work is seasonal or unstable.
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