Can you receive unemployment if you move out of New York State - NYS Department of Labor rules?
I've been collecting unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor for about 8 weeks now after getting laid off from my marketing job in Albany. My lease is up next month and I'm thinking about moving to my sister's place in Vermont to save money while I job search. Does anyone know if I can still get my weekly unemployment payments if I move out of state? I don't want to mess up my claim or get in trouble with NYS Department of Labor but rent here is killing me. Has anyone dealt with this situation before?
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Amara Okonkwo
Yes, you can generally continue receiving NYS unemployment benefits if you move out of state, but there are specific requirements you need to follow. You must notify NYS Department of Labor of your address change immediately through your online account. You'll still need to file your weekly claims and meet all job search requirements - 3 work search activities per week. The key is that you have to be able and available for work, which means being willing to return to New York for suitable employment if offered.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Thank you! Do I need to look for jobs in NY specifically or can I search for remote work and jobs in Vermont too?
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Giovanni Marino
I moved to North Carolina last year while on unemployment and it was fine. Just make sure you update your address in the system right away and keep doing your weekly certifications. The job search thing can be tricky though - I had to show I was still looking for work that I could reasonably commute to or that was remote.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•Wait, but what if they offer you a job back in NY and you can't take it because you moved? Wouldn't that disqualify you?
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Dylan Hughes
This is actually more complicated than people think. NYS Department of Labor requires that you be available for work in your normal labor market area. Moving out of state could potentially affect your eligibility if they determine you're no longer available for suitable work in New York. I'd suggest calling them before you move to discuss your specific situation, but good luck getting through - their phone lines are always busy.
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NightOwl42
•If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) a few months ago when I needed to speak to someone about my adjudication issue. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Basically they call for you and get you connected to an actual agent instead of waiting on hold forever.
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Sofia Rodriguez
ugh the whole system is so confusing!! i moved from buffalo to rochester last year and even that was a hassle to update everything. cant imagine going out of state. they make everything so difficult for no reason
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Moving within state is totally different though - that shouldn't affect your benefits at all as long as you update your address.
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Amara Okonkwo
To answer your follow-up question about job searching - you can look for remote work and jobs in Vermont, but you also need to show that you're still available for suitable work in your New York labor market. The safest approach is to include some NY-based remote positions or jobs you could realistically commute to if needed. Document everything in your work search log because NYS Department of Labor can request this information at any time.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•This is super helpful, thank you! I'll make sure to keep detailed records of my job search activities.
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Katherine Harris
I went through this exact situation last year when I moved from Syracuse to Pennsylvania. The key thing is that you need to call NYS Department of Labor BEFORE you move, not after. They'll update your file with a note about your move and confirm you can continue receiving benefits. I made the mistake of updating my address online first and then got a bunch of confusing letters asking me to prove I was still eligible. Also, keep in mind that if you're looking at Vermont, you might want to check if they have any reciprocal agreements with NY that could affect your benefits. The whole process took about 3 weeks to sort out, but I was able to keep my benefits the entire time.
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Paolo Longo
•This is really valuable advice about calling before moving! Did you have any issues with the job search requirements while you were in Pennsylvania? I'm wondering if they expected you to still apply for jobs that would require relocating back to NY or if remote/PA jobs were acceptable for your work search activities.
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Clay blendedgen
•@Katherine Harris - that s'exactly the kind of detailed info I was hoping to find! I definitely don t'want to deal with confusing letters and having to prove my eligibility after the fact. Quick question - when you called NYS Department of Labor before your move, were you able to get through easily or did you have to try multiple times? I ve'heard their phone system can be really frustrating to navigate.
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Aisha Mahmood
•@Katherine Harris Great advice about calling first! I m'actually in a similar situation - got laid off from my job in Rochester and considering a move to Florida to stay with family while I get back on my feet. Did NYS Department of Labor give you any specific guidelines about how long you could stay out of state while still collecting benefits? I m'worried they might have some kind of time limit or expect you to return to NY within a certain period. Also curious if moving to a different state affected your benefit amount at all or if it stayed the same as when you were living in Syracuse.
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Oliver Schmidt
•@Katherine Harris This is exactly what I needed to hear! I was planning to just update my address online and hope for the best, but calling first makes so much more sense. Do you remember roughly how long the call took or what specific information they asked for when you explained your move? I want to be prepared with all the right details when I call them. Also, did they give you any written confirmation of your conversation, or was it just a verbal okay to proceed with the move?
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Mei Chen
•@Katherine Harris This is really helpful! I m'in a similar boat - been on unemployment for about 6 weeks after getting laid off from my tech job in Brooklyn, and I m'considering moving back home to Ohio to save money. Your point about calling BEFORE moving is huge - I was just going to update my address online too. One question: when you called NYS Department of Labor, did they put any restrictions on how you could conduct your job search while out of state? Like did they require a certain percentage of your applications to be for NY-based positions, or were they okay with you focusing on remote work and local PA jobs? I m'trying to figure out if I d'need to keep applying for jobs back in NYC even after moving to Ohio.
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Ethan Taylor
•@Katherine Harris Thanks for sharing your experience! This is super reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through it successfully. I m'definitely going to call before I make any moves. One thing I m'curious about - did you have to provide any documentation to prove your move was legitimate like (a lease agreement or something ,)or did they just take your word for it when you called? Also, when you mentioned reciprocal agreements between states, where would I find information about that? I want to make sure I understand all the potential complications before I commit to moving to Vermont.
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KaiEsmeralda
I actually just went through this process about 3 months ago when I moved from NYC to my parents' place in New Jersey. The most important thing is definitely calling NYS Department of Labor BEFORE you move - I learned this the hard way when my first payment got held up because I updated my address online without talking to anyone first. When I finally got through to them (took about 2 hours of calling), they were actually pretty understanding about the situation. They told me as long as I could demonstrate I was actively looking for work and would be available to return to NY for suitable employment, I could continue receiving benefits. The tricky part is the job search requirements - you still need to do your 3 work search activities per week, and they expect at least some of those to be for positions you could realistically take if offered. I've been mixing remote jobs, NJ local positions, and some NY-based remote roles to cover my bases. My benefits amount stayed exactly the same, and I've had no issues with my weekly certifications. Just make sure you document everything and keep detailed records of your job search activities in case they ever audit your claim.
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NeonNinja
•@KaiEsmeralda This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing such detailed info about your experience! The part about mixing different types of job applications is really smart. I'm curious about the documentation aspect - when you say to keep detailed records of job search activities in case of an audit, what specific information should I be tracking? Just the company names and dates, or do they want more details like job descriptions, how you applied, etc.? Also, when you called NYS Department of Labor, did they give you any kind of confirmation number or reference for your conversation about the move? I want to make sure I have something to reference if any issues come up later.
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Anastasia Popov
•@KaiEsmeralda This is really reassuring to hear from someone who just went through this! I'm in almost the exact same situation as the original poster - been collecting for about 8 weeks and my lease is up soon. Your point about calling before updating the address online is super important - I was about to make that same mistake. Quick question: when you were doing your job search activities, did NYS Department of Labor give you any specific guidance on what percentage should be NY-focused versus out-of-state/remote? I'm wondering if there's an unofficial rule about keeping some connection to the NY job market or if they were flexible as long as you were genuinely searching. Also, did you have to provide any proof of your move (like a lease or utility bill) when you called, or was it just a verbal update?
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ApolloJackson
•@KaiEsmeralda Thanks so much for sharing your experience! This gives me a lot more confidence about potentially making this move. I'm particularly interested in your point about demonstrating you'd be available to return to NY for suitable employment - did NYS Department of Labor ask you any specific questions about that when you called? Like did they want to know how quickly you could get back or if you had transportation arranged? I'm trying to think through all the logistics before I make the call. Also, when you mentioned it took 2 hours of calling to get through - was that just repeatedly calling the main number, or did you find any tricks to get connected faster? I've been dreading having to deal with their phone system but it sounds like the call is really necessary.
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