Got a weird 'break in claim' message after reporting part-time hours on NY unemployment?

Ya they did this to me too when I picked up a few shifts at my cousin's restaurant. It's like they PUNISH you for trying to work part time insted of just sitting at home. I had to call like 40 times before I got someone who fixed it. They said you have to reopen your claim and answer all those same annoying questions again.

After trying for days to reach someone at unemployment, I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a live agent within 30 minutes. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast - they explained that when you report part-time work, sometimes the system automatically flags it as a break in claim. The agent was able to reopen my claim right on the spot and release my payments. Worth checking out this video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

When you report part-time work on ur weekly claim, sometimes the system thinks ur fully employed now and stops ur benefits. You need to specifically reopen your claim. Go to your online account and look for "file a claim" option and follow the steps. It'll ask if youve worked since last filing and you say yes but explain it was part time only.

This is actualy a really common issue with NY unemployment. When u report part time work, u have to be super careful about how many hours u report. If u go over 30 hours or make more than 40% of your benefit in a week (I think), it can trigger this break. But usually they should just reduce ur payment, not stop it completely. Sounds like something got flagged wrong in ur case.

The EXACT same thing just happened to me last month! I started doing food delivery on weekends and suddenly my claim was "broken." I had to wait 3 weeks to get it sorted out. The whole system is designed to make you give up. They make it so complicated on purpose so people won't collect what they're entitled to.

Ok so here's whats happening: When you report part time work, the NY unemployment system has a threshold where they consider you to have "returned to work." This triggers a break in claim. You MUST CALL to reopen your claim - you cant fix this online despite what their website says. Here's what you need to do: 1) Keep attempting to call early in the morning (7:30am) when lines open - that's your best chance 2) When you finally reach someone, specifically ask them to "reopen your claim due to partial work that was below full employment" 3) They'll need to verify your part-time hours and confirm you're still eligible for partial benefits 4) Make sure to clarify that for future weeks, reporting similar part-time hours won't keep triggering this break I went through this nightmare last year. The most efficient way to get through their phone system was using claimyr.com - it calls for you and alerts you when an agent is on the line. Saved me days of redialing. The most ridiculous part is that they encourage people to find part-time work, then make it nearly impossible to maintain benefits when you do. Classic NY unemployment catch-22.

Bro this is wild is it all the part time work that is causing this?? The part time job is the problem. Just dont report it 🤷‍♂️ thats what Im doing with my side hustle

For what its worth... had this issue like 7 months ago. You HAVE to call and talk to a real person. Theres no fixing it on the website. The phone line is a nightmare tho.

when u report part time work, your supposed to still get partial benefits calculated on a formula. they subtract like 75% of what u earn from your benefit amount. But somtimes the comuter just screws it up and thinks you returned to full employment, especially if the hours/wages change significantly from one week to another. Defs need to call them

Oooooof same boat here. I started working at target part time and got a break in claim. Took me FOUR WEEKS to get it fixed. By then I was behind on everything. The unemployment system is an absolute joke. I'm staring at my phone right now on hold AGAIN cuz the same thing just happened for the second time 😭

ok so i work at a nonprofit that helps ppl with unemployment issues. here's what's happening: when u start reporting part-time work, NYSDOL's system sometimes automatically interprets this as you having "returned to work" full-time, especially if you input information in a way that confuses their system. you MUST call to fix this - their automated systems can't handle these edge cases. when you get someone on the phone (which is the hard part), they can typically resolve this in under 10 minutes. people in our office have had luck using claimyr.com when clients can't get through themselves. worth considering if you're up against a deadline for bills.

i literally gave up on this exact situation and just found a full time job instead. the unemployment system is designed to make you fail. im convinced of it.

The only way to solve this is to contact your state representative. I had the same issue, called for weeks, then finally emailed my assembly person. Their office called unemployment directly and fixed it in 2 days. Try that route!

This happened to me. Got a break in claim message while doing Doordash part time. Complete nonsense. I had to call approximately 87 billion times to get through, but when I finally did, the rep fixed it in about 5 minutes. The system is absolute garbage. Good luck!!

This is why the gig economy and unemployment don't mix well. The system was designed for traditional full-time employment, not the modern reality where people piece together multiple income sources. I've been through this THREE times with NY unemployment. Each time required multiple calls and hours of hold time.

Ugh, this is SO frustrating! I'm dealing with something similar right now - been trying to get through to unemployment for over a week after they flagged my account for "overpayment" even though I reported everything correctly. The system is completely broken. Have you tried calling right when they open at 7:30am? That's when I've had the most luck getting through, though "luck" is relative since I still waited 2+ hours on hold. Also heard from a few people here that claimyr.com actually works - might be worth trying if you're desperate like I am. The whole thing is designed to make us give up. They know most people can't afford to spend entire days calling and will just stop claiming benefits. It's infuriating that we pay into this system and then get treated like criminals when we need to use it. Hope you get through soon! 🤞

This exact thing happened to me last month! I was doing freelance graphic design work (about 15-20 hours a week) and suddenly got the "break in claim" message even though I was making way less than my old salary. The system is completely broken - it can't seem to understand the concept of partial employment. After spending literally 6 days trying to call (I kept a tally), I finally got through using a combination of calling right at 7:30am and pure stubbornness. The agent told me that when you report part-time work, their system sometimes automatically assumes you've returned to full employment, especially if there are any inconsistencies in how you report hours or earnings week to week. She fixed it in about 8 minutes and told me to be very consistent with how I report going forward - same format, same level of detail each week. Also got my back payments within 3 business days. I know everyone's mentioning claimyr.com and honestly, I wish I had known about it earlier. Would have saved me days of frustration. The whole system feels designed to wear you down until you give up, which is probably the point. Hang in there - once you get a human on the line, they can usually fix it pretty quickly!

This EXACT same thing happened to me about 3 weeks ago! I was working part-time at a bookstore (about 16 hours/week, making around $200) and boom - "break in claim" message appeared out of nowhere. It's like the system punishes you for trying to work while on unemployment. I tried everything - online portal, messaging system, calling at different times. Finally got through after using that claimyr.com service that everyone's been mentioning (honestly didn't believe it would work but I was desperate). Got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes and she explained that their computer system has some glitch where it automatically flags part-time work as "return to full employment" sometimes. The agent reopened my claim immediately and I got my back payments within a few days. She also made a note on my account so it shouldn't happen again when I report similar hours. The most frustrating part is that you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do - reporting your work honestly - and the system basically breaks because of it. Keep trying to get through, and once you do, it should be a quick fix. The actual resolution is easy, it's just getting to a human that's nearly impossible. Hang in there!

This is such a common problem and it's absolutely maddening! The same thing happened to me when I started doing some freelance writing work - reported everything honestly, worked maybe 12 hours a week making $180, and suddenly got hit with the "break in claim" message. The NY unemployment system seems to have this ridiculous glitch where any part-time work triggers their computer to think you've gone back to full-time employment. It's like they designed it to discourage people from working part-time while collecting benefits, which is completely backwards. I spent almost 2 weeks trying to get through by calling constantly. What finally worked for me was calling at exactly 7:30 AM when they open - I had to redial about 15 times but eventually got through. The agent explained that this is a known issue with their system and was able to reopen my claim in literally 5 minutes. Got all my back payments within a few days after that. One thing the agent told me that might help - try to be super consistent with how you report your hours and earnings each week. Same format, same level of detail. Apparently the system gets confused when there are variations in how the information is entered. I know a bunch of people in this thread have mentioned claimyr.com and honestly, I wish I'd known about it earlier. Would have saved me days of frustration calling on my own. The whole situation is designed to make you give up, but don't! Once you get a human on the line, they can fix it quickly.