How long does unemployment take to process - NYS Department of Labor timeline?

Generally speaking, NYS Department of Labor processes initial claims within 2-3 weeks if everything is straightforward. However, if your claim goes into adjudication (which happens when they need to verify employment details or investigate the reason for separation), it can take 4-6 weeks or longer. Since you mentioned downsizing, that's usually a clear-cut case that shouldn't trigger adjudication delays.

mine took FOREVER last year like 7 weeks total and i had to call them multiple times. the website kept saying pending review and nobody could tell me what was wrong

I had a similar situation last month when my company had layoffs. My claim was approved in exactly 2 weeks and I got my first payment 3 days after that. The key is making sure you file your weekly claims even while your initial claim is pending - that's something a lot of people don't realize. You can't get paid for weeks you don't claim, even retroactively.

Just went through this whole process and honestly the phone system is completely broken. Took me weeks to get through to an actual person. If you run into issues and need to speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor, I discovered this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected.

processing times depend a lot on if u filed everything correctly the first time, i made a mistake on my employer info and had to wait extra 3 weeks for them to fix it

I just went through this process about 6 weeks ago after getting laid off from my marketing job. My timeline was pretty typical - initial claim took about 2.5 weeks to get approved, then I received my first payment within 4 days after that. The most important thing I learned is what Yara mentioned about filing your weekly certifications right away. I almost missed this and would have lost out on benefits for those weeks. Also, make sure you have all your employer information 100% accurate (company name exactly as it appears on your W2, correct dates, etc.) because even small discrepancies can trigger a manual review that adds weeks to the process. For budgeting purposes, I'd plan for 3-4 weeks to be safe, but many people do get approved in the 2-3 week range like Zainab mentioned.

Hey Miguel! I just went through this process about 3 months ago when my company did layoffs. My experience was pretty similar to what others have shared - took about 2.5 weeks for my initial claim to get approved. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that you can check your claim status online through the NYS DOL portal, and they'll send you a determination letter (either by mail or electronically) once they make a decision. Since you filed last Monday, I'd expect to hear something by the end of next week or early the week after. For your rent situation, you might want to reach out to your landlord now to let them know about the timing - many are understanding about unemployment delays if you communicate upfront. Also echoing what others said about filing your weekly certifications immediately - don't wait for approval!