How does unemployment work in New York - NYS Department of Labor process explained?

The NYS Department of Labor handles all unemployment claims in New York. You'll start by filing your initial claim online at my.ny.gov. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, employment history for the past 18 months including employer names and addresses, and your most recent pay stub. The system calculates your weekly benefit amount based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. You can receive benefits for up to 26 weeks if you remain eligible.

After your initial claim, you MUST file weekly claims every week to continue receiving benefits. This is where you report if you worked, earned any money, looked for work, or were able and available for work. Miss filing your weekly claim and you won't get paid for that week. The NYS Department of Labor also requires you to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and keep a log of your job search activities.

Just be prepared for delays. My claim went into adjudication for almost a month because they needed to verify my separation reason. If your employer contests your claim or if there's any question about why you left your job, expect to wait. The NYS Department of Labor will investigate and you might need to provide additional documentation.

I was struggling to get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone when I had questions about my claim status. The wait times were insane and I kept getting disconnected. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a live agent. I was skeptical but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI) and decided to try it. They got me connected to an agent in about 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own.

dont forget you have to report ANY income even if its just like $20 from a side gig or they'll say you committed fraud. the nys department of labor is really strict about that stuff

The whole system is designed to make it as difficult as possible honestly. Between the weekly claims, job search requirements, and all the bureaucracy, it feels like they don't want you to actually get benefits. But you need the money so you jump through all their hoops.

I went through this same process last year when I got laid off. One thing that really helped me was setting up direct deposit right away - it makes getting your payments much faster than waiting for checks in the mail. Also, download the NY.gov mobile app if you have a smartphone. It makes filing your weekly claims way easier than trying to do it on the website every time. The app remembers your information and you can file your claim in like 2 minutes once you get the hang of it. Just make sure you file before the Sunday deadline each week or you'll miss that week's payment entirely.