Complete guide on how to collect unemployment benefits in NY - need help with the process
I just got laid off from my marketing job last week and I've never filed for unemployment before. I'm completely lost on how to collect unemployment benefits and what the whole process looks like. I know I need to apply through the NYS Department of Labor but I have no idea where to start or what documents I need. Can someone walk me through the basic steps? I'm worried I'm going to mess something up and delay my payments. My last day was January 3rd and I'm not sure if I should wait or file immediately.
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Nina Chan
Don't wait - you should file your initial claim as soon as possible! Go to labor.ny.gov and create an account if you don't have one. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, and dates worked. The system will walk you through each step. After your initial claim is approved, you'll need to file weekly claims every week to actually receive payments.
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Douglas Foster
•Thank you! Do I need pay stubs or just the basic employer info? And how long does it usually take to get approved?
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Ruby Knight
The basic process is: 1) File initial claim online 2) Wait for determination letter 3) File weekly claims 4) Complete job search activities 5) Receive payments. You'll also need to register with the state job search system. Make sure you have your W-2s from last year ready too. The whole thing can take 2-3 weeks before you see your first payment, so definitely don't delay.
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Diego Castillo
•What if my employer contests the claim? Will that delay everything?
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Ruby Knight
•If there's a contest it goes into adjudication which can add several weeks to the process. Most layoffs don't get contested though.
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Logan Stewart
ugh the nys department of labor website is such a pain to navigate... took me forever to figure out where to actually file the claim. make sure you bookmark the weekly claim page because finding it again is annoying
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Mikayla Brown
I had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my claim status. If you run into issues getting through on the phone, 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 showing how it works. Really saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.
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Sean Matthews
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like we shouldn't have to pay extra just to talk to someone about our own benefits.
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Mikayla Brown
•I get the frustration but honestly it was worth it for me. The regular phone lines were impossible and I needed to resolve an issue with my job search log.
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Ali Anderson
Just went through this whole process myself! One thing they don't tell you upfront is that you have to do 3 job search activities every week and log them in the system. It's not just about filing the weekly claim - you actually have to prove you're looking for work. Save yourself the headache and start keeping track of your job applications from day one.
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Douglas Foster
•Wait, 3 activities every single week? What counts as a job search activity?
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Ali Anderson
•Applying for jobs, networking events, job fairs, even updating your LinkedIn profile counts. Just make sure you document everything with dates and details.
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