How long can you wait to collect unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I got laid off from my marketing job about 6 weeks ago but I've been living off my savings and severance pay. Now that money is running low and I'm wondering if I waited too long to file for unemployment. Can you still apply for benefits this far out from when you lost your job? I heard there might be some kind of time limit but I'm not sure what it is. Really kicking myself for not filing right away but I thought I'd find something quickly.
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Giovanni Colombo
You can still file! NYS Department of Labor allows you to file a claim up to one year from when you became unemployed. However, you can only get benefits for the weeks after you actually file your claim - they don't backdate to when you first lost your job. So if you file today, your first payable week would be this current week, not 6 weeks ago.
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CosmicCommander
•Oh that's a relief! So I didn't completely mess this up. Just want to make sure I understand - I can't get those 6 weeks of benefits I missed out on?
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Giovanni Colombo
•Correct, those weeks are gone. But definitely file ASAP because every week you delay is another week of benefits you're losing out on.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
wait what?? I thought you had to file within like 30 days or something! I've been putting off filing for 2 months because I figured it was too late...
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Dylan Cooper
•Nope, the one year rule is correct. You should definitely file immediately though. Go to labor.ny.gov and start your claim today. The longer you wait the more money you're leaving on the table.
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Sofia Ramirez
I made the same mistake when I got laid off last year. Waited 3 months thinking I'd find work fast. Finally filed and got benefits but lost out on all those weeks at the beginning. The application process itself takes time too - mine took about 2 weeks before I saw my first payment.
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CosmicCommander
•2 weeks for the first payment? Did you have any issues with adjudication or was that just normal processing time?
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Sofia Ramirez
•That was normal processing. They had to verify my employment history and wages with my previous employer. No adjudication issues thankfully.
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Dmitry Volkov
The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing about this stuff. I called their customer service line like 15 times trying to get through to ask about filing deadlines and could never reach anyone. If you're having trouble getting through to them directly, I actually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me connect with an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that explains how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.
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StarSeeker
•Never heard of that but might be worth checking out. Those phone lines are impossible to get through on.
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Ava Martinez
Just file online and stop overthinking it! The worst they can say is no but at least you'll know for sure.
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