How do unemployment payments work with NYS Department of Labor weekly claims?
I just got approved for unemployment benefits after being laid off from my restaurant job last month. The NYS Department of Labor website says I'm eligible for $420 per week but I'm confused about how the actual payments work. Do I get paid automatically or do I have to do something each week? And when do the payments actually show up? I've never been on unemployment before so I have no idea what to expect with the weekly claims process.
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Makayla Shoemaker
You have to file a weekly claim every week to continue receiving benefits. This isn't automatic - you need to log into your my.ny.gov account and complete the weekly certification where you answer questions about your work search activities, any income you earned, and whether you were available for work. The deadline is usually Sunday night for the previous week.
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Mason Stone
•Oh wow I had no idea! So if I miss filing one week do I lose the whole benefit for that week?
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Christian Bierman
The payment timeline is usually 2-3 business days after you file your weekly claim, assuming there are no issues. NYS Department of Labor processes payments Tuesday through Thursday typically. You'll get paid for the week you just certified for, not the current week. So there's always about a week delay between when you file and what period you're getting paid for.
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Emma Olsen
•this is exactly right, just got my payment yesterday for last week's claim
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Lucas Lindsey
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor agents to ask questions about your payments, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to them by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped me when I had issues with my weekly claim processing and couldn't get through the regular phone lines.
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Mason Stone
•Thanks! I'll check that out if I run into problems with my payments.
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Sophie Duck
Just remember you need to do job search activities every week and keep a log. NYS Department of Labor requires proof of at least 3 work search contacts per week. They can ask for your job search log at any time and if you don't have it, they can disqualify you and demand repayment of benefits.
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Mason Stone
•What counts as a work search contact? Does applying online count or do I need to do more than that?
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Online applications count as one contact each. You can also include things like attending job fairs, networking events, or contacting employers directly. Just keep detailed records with dates, company names, and what you did.
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Austin Leonard
been getting unemployment for 2 months now and it's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. just dont forget to file every week or you'll be scrambling to get back payments
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