How long does a determination take for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?

Determination times can vary quite a bit depending on your specific situation. If it's a straightforward eligibility determination with clear employment history, it typically takes 2-4 weeks. However, if there are any complications like job separation issues, wage discrepancies, or if you worked for multiple employers, it can take 6-8 weeks or longer. The key is to keep certifying your weekly claims even during the determination process - if approved, you'll receive retroactive payments for all eligible weeks.

been waiting 5 weeks for mine, called like 20 times and either get disconnected or told they cant give me any updates. its ridiculous how long this takes when people need money to survive

The determination process is essentially NYS Department of Labor verifying your employment history, wages, and reason for separation. They cross-reference information from your application with employer records and wage databases. Simple cases move faster, but if there's any discrepancy or if they need additional documentation from employers, it adds significant time. You can check if they've sent any requests for additional information through your my.ny.gov account under 'Correspondence'.

Mine took 3 weeks exactly and I got approved. The waiting is the worst part but hang in there! Make sure you keep applying for jobs and logging them in the system even during the determination period.

Ugh this brings back memories of my determination taking FOREVER last year. I think it was like 6 weeks because apparently one of my old employers took their sweet time responding to NYS Department of Labor's inquiry. Meanwhile I'm over here eating ramen noodles and stressing about rent. The system really needs to be faster when people are dealing with financial hardship.

I'm going through the same thing right now - filed about 10 days ago and still showing determination pending. It's really nerve-wracking not knowing when it'll come through, especially when you're counting on that income. I've been reading that NYS Department of Labor is pretty backed up lately, which might be adding to the delays. At least we're not alone in this! Has anyone had luck getting updates by messaging through the my.ny.gov portal instead of calling?

I'm in a similar situation - filed about 3 weeks ago and still waiting on determination. What's been helpful for me is setting up direct deposit if you haven't already, so when the approval does come through, you'll get payments faster. Also, I've been keeping detailed records of all my job search activities and weekly certifications just in case they ask for documentation later. The uncertainty is definitely stressful, but from what I'm seeing here, it sounds like most people eventually get approved if it's a straightforward layoff situation. Try to hang in there!

I'm in week 4 of waiting for my determination and it's been really tough financially. What I've learned from calling multiple times is that they're processing claims in the order they were received, but complex cases get pulled aside for additional review. One thing that helped me was double-checking that all my employer information was entered correctly when I filed - apparently even small discrepancies in company names or addresses can trigger additional verification steps that add weeks to the process. If you worked for any large corporations or temp agencies, those often take longer because they have more complex reporting systems. Keep certifying weekly no matter what - I've heard horror stories of people missing payments because they stopped certifying during the determination period.