How long do you have to be out of work to get unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I just got laid off from my retail job yesterday and I'm trying to figure out when I can apply for unemployment. Do I need to wait a certain amount of time before I'm eligible? My friend told me you have to be unemployed for like 2 weeks first but I'm not sure if that's right. I worked at the same store for 8 months so I think I should qualify but I don't want to apply too early and mess something up. Anyone know the rules for NYS Department of Labor?
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Zainab Ahmed
You can actually file your claim right away! There's no waiting period to apply for unemployment benefits in New York. The sooner you file, the better because your benefit year starts from when you submit your application. You'll need to have earned enough wages during your base period though - typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed. With 8 months of work you should be fine on that front.
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Miguel Diaz
•Oh that's a relief! I was worried I'd have to wait and lose money. What's this base period thing though? I'm confused about the quarters.
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Connor Gallagher
The waiting period your friend mentioned might be the 'waiting week' which used to exist but got eliminated during COVID and never came back. You file immediately but there IS a one week delay before you start receiving payments - that's just processing time. Make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if you don't see money right away.
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AstroAlpha
•This is super helpful, I had the same confusion when I got laid off last year.
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Yara Khoury
definitely file asap but just warning you that getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone is a nightmare if you run into any issues. i've been trying to reach someone about my adjudication for weeks and keep getting hung up on after waiting 2+ hours
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Keisha Taylor
•I had the same problem with calling NYS Department of Labor until I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com. They basically call for you and get you connected to an actual agent. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration when my claim got stuck in adjudication.
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Paolo Longo
Wait so there's really no waiting period at all? I thought you had to prove you were actively looking for work for at least a week or something. The whole system is so confusing, I put off applying for like 3 weeks when I got fired thinking I had to wait!
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Zainab Ahmed
•Nope, no waiting period to apply! The job search requirement kicks in after you start receiving benefits, but you can file your initial claim immediately. You might have missed out on some weeks of benefits by waiting - definitely file today if you haven't already.
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Amina Bah
Just make sure you have all your employment info ready when you apply - employer names, addresses, dates of employment, reason for separation. The NYS Department of Labor online system times out pretty quickly so have everything organized before you start.
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