Confused about how does the waiting week work for unemployment benefits in NY

New York eliminated the waiting week in 2020 during the pandemic and it hasn't been reinstated. You should get paid for your first week as long as you're eligible and file your weekly claim on time. The confusion comes from the fact that many states still have waiting weeks but NY doesn't currently require one.

wait i thought there was still a waiting week? i filed in december and it seemed like my first week didnt get paid but maybe i messed up the certification

Just went through this same thing! No waiting week in NY anymore. My first payment came through about 5 days after I certified my first weekly claim. Make sure you're certifying on the right day for your schedule though.

ugh the whole system is so confusing why cant they just make it simple and tell you exactly when youll get paid instead of all this waiting around

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to confirm your payment status, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually reach a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals when I needed to check on a payment delay.

Same boat as you last month - no waiting week in NY definitely. Just make sure you keep certifying every week even if payments seem delayed because you can't go back and certify for missed weeks.

Just to add some clarity - NY eliminated the waiting week in March 2020 as part of COVID relief measures and it has remained eliminated since then. You should receive payment for your first week as long as you meet all eligibility requirements and file your weekly certification on time. Typically first payments take 2-3 business days after certification if you have direct deposit set up, or a bit longer if you're using the debit card option. Keep an eye on your online account for any issues that might delay payment.

I can confirm what everyone else is saying - NY definitely eliminated the waiting week back in 2020 and it's still gone. I just went through the process a few months ago and got paid for my first week. One thing that helped me was setting up text alerts through the NYS DOL website so I'd get notifications about my claim status and payment updates. Also, if you're budgeting for rent, keep in mind that even though there's no waiting week, there can still be processing delays especially if it's your first claim, so maybe build in a few extra days just to be safe. The system usually works pretty smoothly once everything is set up properly.

Just to echo what everyone else has confirmed - there's definitely no waiting week in NY right now. I filed my claim about 6 weeks ago and got paid for that first week without any issues. One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all your employment documentation ready (like your separation notice or layoff paperwork) because sometimes they'll request additional verification that can delay your first payment. Also double-check that your banking info is correct for direct deposit - I made a typo in my account number initially and that caused a 10-day delay while they sorted it out. The good news is once everything is verified and processed, the weekly payments come through pretty reliably on schedule.