How does unemployment work in NYC - complete beginner needs help understanding the process

You apply through New York State, not the city. NYS Department of Labor handles all unemployment benefits for the entire state including NYC. First step is creating an account on my.ny.gov and filing your initial claim. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and employment history for the past 18 months. The weekly benefit amount is calculated based on your highest earning quarter, usually around 50% of your average weekly wage up to the maximum of $504 per week. You can receive benefits for up to 26 weeks typically.

After your initial claim is approved, you have to file a weekly claim every week to certify that you're still unemployed and looking for work. This is basically telling NYS Department of Labor your status for that week - whether you worked any days, earned any money, and that you're actively job searching. You can do this online through your my.ny.gov account or by phone. Miss filing your weekly claim and you won't get paid for that week.

the job search thing is real btw, you need to make 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. they can ask for it anytime during your claim or at the end. dont skip this part or you could get in trouble

Job contacts means actual applications, interviews, networking events, or contacting employers directly. Just browsing job sites doesn't count. You need to keep detailed records with employer names, dates, contact methods, and any responses. NYS Department of Labor can audit your job search log at any time, so be thorough and honest about your search activities.

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone (which happens a lot), I recently found out about this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it last month when my claim got stuck in adjudication and couldn't get through on my own. Might be worth checking out if you run into issues.

One thing nobody mentioned - your claim might go into adjudication which means they need to verify something about your employment or eligibility. This can take several weeks and there's not much you can do except wait. Don't panic if this happens, it's pretty common especially for first-time filers. Just keep filing your weekly claims even during adjudication.

Common adjudication reasons include verifying you were laid off (not fired for cause), confirming your work history and wages, or checking if you're able and available to work. As long as you were honest on your application and eligible for benefits, adjudication usually resolves in your favor. The key is patience and continuing to file weekly claims throughout the process.

One more thing to add - when you file your initial claim, don't be surprised if the website is slow or crashes, especially on Mondays. The NY.gov system gets overloaded frequently. Try filing early in the morning or late at night when there's less traffic. Also, make sure you have all your documents ready before you start - previous employer addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation. The system will time out if you take too long to complete the application. And definitely save/screenshot your confirmation number when you finish filing - you'll need it for reference.