How long after being unemployed can you file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?

You're not too late! You can file for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor up to one year after your last day of work. However, there's an important catch - you can only get benefits starting from the week you actually file your claim, not retroactive to when you first became unemployed. So those three weeks you waited are lost weeks that you won't get paid for. The sooner you file the better. You can apply online through the my.ny.gov website.

Yeah like the previous poster said, you need to file ASAP. The NYS Department of Labor has this thing called a 'waiting week' too for your first week of unemployment, so you're already looking at losing 4 weeks total if you file now. But definitely still worth it if you're going to be unemployed for a while. The weekly benefit amount in NY can be pretty decent depending on what you were making.

I was in a similar situation last year - waited about a month before filing because I thought I'd find another job quickly. HUGE mistake financially. Even though I could still file, missing those first few weeks really hurt. One thing that helped me was using claimyr.com to get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent on the phone. Their system is so backed up that calling normally is impossible, but this service helped me connect and get my questions answered. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Definitely file immediately though, don't wait any longer!

just file already!!! every day you wait is money down the drain. the nys department of labor doesnt care why you waited they only care when you actually apply. learned this the hard way myself

Filing for unemployment was one of the smartest things I did when I got laid off. Even though I waited about 2 weeks myself, I still got benefits for months while job searching. The application process isn't too bad, just make sure you have your employer information and social security number ready.

Sean, I just want to echo what everyone else is saying - file TODAY! I work in HR and see this mistake all the time. People think they have to wait or that there's some complicated process, but you literally just need to go to ny.gov and start the application. The three weeks you've already lost are gone, but don't lose any more time. Also, make sure you have your last employer's information handy (company name, address, dates of employment, reason for separation) and your Social Security number. The system will walk you through everything step by step. You've got this!