Do I need to call NY unemployment after filing a new claim to finish it?

Yes, this is pretty standard for new NY unemployment claims in 2025. If there's anything in your application that needs verification (like multiple employers in your base period or an unusual separation reason), the system flags it for manual review. I had to call last month to finish mine too. It took me 3 days of nonstop calling before I finally got through.

i got the same message 2 weeks ago! ended up calling like 47 times lol. finally got thru on a tuesday around 10:30am. they just needed to verify my identity since i moved during my base period. took like 10 min once i actually talked to someone

Unfortunately their system is designed to force certain claims to require a phone call. It's a terrible bottleneck but unavoidable for some claims. In my experience, about 30-40% of new claims require a call to complete. There's usually one of several reasons: - Multiple employers in your base period - You worked in multiple states - Your reason for separation is complex or needs verification - Your identity needs additional verification - There was a previous claim in the system The good news is that once you get through, they'll backdate your claim to when you first applied online.

I went through this exact nightmare in January. Called literally 200+ times over 5 days. RIDICULOUS system they have. When I finally got through, the agent told me they're 'upgrading the system soon' (yeah right, heard that before). BTW once you do get through, have ALL your employment info ready - exact start/end dates for each job in the last 18 months, addresses, phone numbers, supervisor names. They'll ask for everything and if you don't have it ready, they might make you call AGAIN!

After trying to get through to NYSDOL for days to complete my claim last month, I finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an unemployment agent in about 20 minutes. It was such a relief after spending hours redialing. They basically keep calling for you and then connect you when they get through. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE and their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. Was absolutely worth it for me - I was able to get my claim processed that same day.

Call exactly at 7:58am! That's when their system starts accepting calls but before the rush. I got through first try doing this. Also, don't call on Mondays - that's when everyone tries to call. Try Wednesday or Thursday instead.

anybody else notice that if u press 2 then 1 then 3 in the phone menu instead of following the prompts for new claims, sometimes it puts u in a different queue? worked for me last time but idk if they fixed that loophole yet

Just wanted to follow up - did you manage to get through? I found that using a landline (if you have access to one) sometimes works better than a cell phone. Something about how their phone system processes the calls.