How can you get unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor - complete process?

First step is filing your initial claim on the NYS Department of Labor website at labor.ny.gov. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, and dates worked. The process takes about 30 minutes online. After filing, you'll need to file weekly claims every week to continue receiving benefits. You should file as soon as possible since there's a waiting week before benefits start.

You should file your unemployment claim as soon as possible! Don't wait - you can apply online at my.ny.gov or call the NYS Department of Labor. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, and dates of employment. The key requirements are that you must be unemployed through no fault of your own (which sounds like your situation), able and available to work, and actively seeking employment.

File immediately - there's no benefit to waiting and you could lose money. The NYS Department of Labor has a one-week waiting period before benefits start, but your claim date is when you file, not when you lost your job. After you submit your initial application, you'll need to file weekly claims every week to continue receiving benefits. Make sure you have direct deposit set up because paper checks take forever.

Make sure you have exact information because NYS Department of Labor will verify everything with your employers. If there are discrepancies, your claim could go into adjudication which delays payments for weeks. Get your W-2s or contact HR at your previous jobs for accurate wage and date information before filing.

ugh the whole system is so confusing!! i filed 3 weeks ago and still waiting... they keep asking for more documents and i can never get through when i call. the automated system just hangs up on you after being on hold forever

Don't forget about the job search requirements! Once your claim is approved, you need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. NYS Department of Labor can audit this anytime and if you don't have proper documentation, they'll disqualify you and make you pay back benefits.

ugh the nys department of labor website is so confusing!! i tried to apply last month and kept getting error messages. had to call like 50 times before someone answered

Make sure you understand the job search requirements too. You'll need to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log of your search activities. The NYS Department of Labor can audit this at any time so don't slack off on it.

good luck with the system... been waiting 6 weeks for my adjudication to clear and still nothing. the nys department of labor is a nightmare

Just went through this process myself last month. The whole thing took about 6 weeks from filing to getting my first payment. Had to deal with identity verification which added extra time. Make sure you file your weekly claims on time every week even if your initial claim is still pending - you can't go back and file late weeks.