Filing for NY unemployment with severance pay lump sum - wait until January?

You should file your claim immediately. In NY, severance payments can affect your benefits, but you should still establish your claim as soon as possible. The system will determine your eligibility based on when the severance actually ends. When you report your severance on your application, be clear it's a lump sum payment covering through December. They'll likely adjust your benefits accordingly - you might not receive payments until January, but your claim will be in the system. Don't wait to file - the claim date is important for your benefit year, even if payments are delayed due to severance.

file ASAP!!!! the system takes forever to process claims anyway so better to get in line. my brother in law waited and regretted it big time. took like 6 extra weeks to get money.

I'm an employment attorney and can clarify this for you. In New York, you should file immediately upon termination of employment, regardless of severance. Here's what happens: 1. Your claim establishes your benefit year 2. When you certify each week, you'll report your severance income 3. During weeks covered by severance, you'll likely be determined ineligible for payment 4. Once severance period ends, you'll begin receiving benefits if you continue certifying The key point: you must certify EVERY WEEK even during severance periods. This creates a record in the system showing you were ready and able to work. Skip this step and you could lose benefits. Regarding speaking with a real person - the NY DOL phone system is notoriously difficult. I've had clients successfully use Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through the phone maze. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - it helps you bypass the wait times.

The DOL phone system is a JOKE!!! I spent 4 WEEKS trying to talk to someone last year. Would call right when they opened, mid-day, right before closing - NOTHING WORKED! Always "high call volume" then disconnect. The whole system is designed to prevent you from getting help!!! Finally had to contact my state assembly person's office who had a direct connection. Even then took 10 days for a callback. Absolute disgrace how they treat people who just want answers about their benefits WE PAID INTO!!!

I was in a similar situation back in February. Filed right away even with 3 months severance coming in. They asked for severance details during the application process, including end date and amount. Just be honest about everything! Glad I filed early because they took 5 weeks to process my claim, then another 2 weeks to start payments after my severance period ended. The system calculated everything correctly.

About talking to someone - I struggled with this for WEEKS until I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. It actually worked! Got through to a person in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They connected me directly to an agent who answered my questions about reporting my pension payments with my unemployment claim (different situation but still complicated). Worth it for peace of mind. The video demo they mentioned shows exactly how it works.

When I certified during my severance period, I reported my income under the question "Did you receive any income during the week ending [date]?" You'll need to select YES and report the appropriate amount for each week. For a lump sum, I believe you're supposed to divide the total amount by the number of weeks it covers, then report that amount each week. So if your lump sum is $10,000 covering 10 weeks, you'd report $1,000 per week during certification. During these weeks, your unemployment benefits will likely be reduced or eliminated based on the income reported. But keep certifying every week regardless! Also, make sure to select the correct reason for separation on your initial application - usually "laid off due to lack of work" in these situations, not "quit" or "fired for cause."

Thank you all for the advice! I'm going to file my claim today and make sure I clearly report the severance as covering through December. I'll also make sure to certify every week even though I probably won't get benefits until January. I think I'll try that Claimyr service too since I really want to speak with someone to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. Seems worth it to avoid any delays or mistakes with my claim. I'll update here if I run into any other issues or learn something that might help others in similar situations.

One more tip - take screenshots of EVERYTHING during the application process. I had an issue where the system glitched and they claimed I never submitted something I definitely did. Having screenshots saved me weeks of headaches. Also, write down your confirmation numbers from each weekly certification!