How long do i have to be unemployed to get NYS Department of Labor benefits?
sorry if this is a dumb question but im really confused about the timing. i got laid off from my retail job yesterday and everyone keeps telling me different things about when i can file for unemployment. some people say you have to wait a week, others say you can file right away but theres a waiting period. i tried looking on the ny.gov website but its so confusing with all the legal language. does anyone know the actual rules? like do i have to be unemployed for a certain amount of time before i can even apply or get paid?
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Carmen Flores
You can file your initial unemployment claim immediately after losing your job - there's no waiting period to file the application itself. However, there IS a one-week waiting period before you start receiving benefits. This means your first payable week is actually your second week of unemployment. So file as soon as possible because the sooner you file, the sooner that waiting week starts counting down.
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Yuki Sato
•oh okay that makes more sense! so i should file today even though i just got laid off yesterday?
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Andre Dubois
Yes, definitely file right away. The NYS Department of Labor recommends filing during your first week of unemployment. You'll need to complete your initial claim application, then start filing weekly claims every week to certify that you're still unemployed and actively looking for work. The waiting week is unpaid but it's required before any benefits kick in.
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CyberSamurai
•I made the mistake of waiting two weeks to file thinking I needed to be unemployed longer. Don't do what I did - it just delayed everything unnecessarily.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
just went through this myself last month. you file immediately but dont expect money right away because of that stupid waiting week rule. also make sure you have all your employment info ready - last employer details, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc. the online system will ask for everything
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Yuki Sato
•thanks! do you remember how long the whole process took from filing to actually getting paid?
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•took about 3 weeks total for me - 1 week waiting period plus 2 weeks for processing and first payment
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Jamal Carter
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone when I had questions about my claim timing. If you run into that problem, there's actually a service called Claimyr that helps people get connected to unemployment agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.
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Mei Liu
•Never heard of that before but the phone lines are definitely impossible to get through on. Might check it out if I have issues.
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Liam O'Donnell
The system is so backwards - you can file immediately but then they make you wait a week for no good reason. It's like they want people to suffer. At least file right away though because every day you wait just pushes back when you'll eventually get paid.
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