How long do you have to sign up for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor?
I got laid off from my retail job about 10 days ago and I'm just now finding out I should probably file for unemployment. I've been putting it off because I thought I might find something quickly but no luck so far. Is there a deadline for when you have to apply for unemployment benefits? I'm worried I might have waited too long already and missed my chance. The NYS Department of Labor website is confusing and I can't figure out if there's a cutoff date or something.
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Lucas Bey
You haven't missed anything! There's no hard deadline to file your initial claim, but the sooner you file the better. Your benefit year starts from when you file, not from when you lost your job. However, you can't get benefits for weeks before you actually filed your claim. So if you file today, you can't go back and collect for those 10 days you already missed. The NYS Department of Labor allows you to file anytime as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.
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Charlotte Jones
•Oh thank god! I was panicking thinking I screwed up. So I should file ASAP then to start getting benefits for next week?
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Harper Thompson
Yeah definitely file now. I made the same mistake when I got laid off - waited 3 weeks thinking I'd find work fast and ended up losing out on those weeks of benefits. The NYS Department of Labor system is set up so your claim starts the week you file, not retroactively. Also make sure you file your weekly claims every week even if you're job searching.
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Caleb Stark
•This exactly! I lost like $1200 in benefits because I waited thinking I was being responsible by not filing immediately.
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Jade O'Malley
If you're having trouble getting through to file your claim online, I had success using Claimyr to connect with a NYS Department of Labor agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.
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Hunter Edmunds
•Never heard of this but honestly might try it. I've been trying to call for days about a different issue with my claim.
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Ella Lewis
just file online its not that hard people make it way more complicated than it needs to be
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Charlotte Jones
•I tried but kept getting error messages when I was entering my employment history. That's part of why I've been putting it off.
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