Got a weird 'break in claim' message after reporting part-time hours on NY unemployment?
Just found out my NY unemployment got a 'break in claim' after I started doing some part-time gigs in April. Been claiming since February after getting downsized. Last week I certified as usual, reported my 18 hours of work at this local shop (made about $240), and suddenly my payment status shows 'break in claim' and nothing has been deposited for 2 weeks now. Called the unemployment line like 30 times but can't get through to anyone. The online message center is useless too - sent 3 messages with no response. Anyone know what this means or how to fix it? I still need partial benefits since this job doesn't come close to replacing my old income. Rent is due next week and I'm getting really stressed about this.
38 comments
StarSurfer
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.
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Yuki Nakamura
•Did you have to do anything special to get them to answer? I've been calling non-stop and nothing.
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StarSurfer
•honestly I just kept hitting redial for like 2 hours straight. but I've heard about this service claimyr.com that calls for you and gets you through to an agent. might be worth trying if your desperate
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Yuki Nakamura
•I'll check it out, thanks. At this point I'd do anything to get this fixed.
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Carmen Reyes
•Does this claimyr thing actually work? I've spent literally days trying to get through.
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StarSurfer
•my neighbor used it last month and said it worked perfectly. got a call back within like an hour with a real person on the line. way better than the redial game
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Andre Moreau
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
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Zoe Christodoulou
•yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄
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Andre Moreau
•no catch, it just calls for you and keeps your place in line. i was skeptical too but was desperate after 2 weeks of no money. they literally just connect you to a real DOL agent.
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Jamal Thompson
•hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different?
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Andre Moreau
•it's not a service that handles your claim - they just get you through the phone system to an actual agent. you still talk to unemployment yourself, which is why it worked for me.
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Mei Chen
•wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS?
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Andre Moreau
•worked for me when nothing else did. got my payments unstuck after weeks of frustration.
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CosmicCadet
•So I was about to throw my phone after 3 hours on hold when I tried this claimyr thing and it actually connected me. The NY unemployment system is literally DESIGNED to be impossible to navigate.
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Liam O'Connor
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.
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Yuki Nakamura
•I tried that but the system wouldn't let me reopen it online. Kept giving me an error message saying I need to call. That's why I'm stuck.
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Liam O'Connor
•ugh thats sooo frustrating. the classic unemployment circle of hell. they tell u to go online, online tells u to call, and then you cant get anyone on the phone 🤡
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Amara Adeyemi
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.
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Giovanni Gallo
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.
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Yuki Nakamura
•What did you end up doing to fix it? Did you have to call?
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Giovanni Gallo
•yeah had to call, there wasnt any other way. took like 25 attempts before I got through. When u finally get someone, ask them to reprocess your claim and explain it was just part time work. They can fix it pretty quick once u actually reach a human.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
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.
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Dylan Wright
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
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NebulaKnight
•That's fraud and they can make you pay everything back with penalties if they catch you. Really bad advice.
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Dylan Wright
•lol ok boomer 🙄 literally everyone does this
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Sofia Ramirez
•This is terrible advice. NY unemployment does wage checks against employer records. When (not if) they catch this, you'll have to pay everything back plus penalties. They can even prosecute for fraud.
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Dmitry Popov
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.
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Ava Rodriguez
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
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Yuki Nakamura
•Yeah I definitely still qualify for partial - this job is like 1/3 of what I used to make. Just can't get anyone on the phone to fix it.
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Miguel Ortiz
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 😭
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Zainab Khalil
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.
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QuantumQuest
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.
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Connor Murphy
•THIS!!! They make it impossible on purpose so people just give up. It's not a bug, it's a feature 💯
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Yara Haddad
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!
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Keisha Robinson
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!!
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Yuki Nakamura
•How long did it take you to get through? I'm starting to think I'll never reach anyone.
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Keisha Robinson
•took me almost 3 weeks of trying everyday. used up all my emergency savings waiting. try this tip: call at exactly 7:30am when they open, and if that doesn't work, try at 4:45pm (sometimes they have less calls right before closing). also I've heard good things about claimyr.com for getting through
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Paolo Conti
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.
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