How many days do you have to file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?
I just got laid off from my job at a manufacturing plant yesterday and I'm trying to figure out the timing for filing my unemployment claim. My supervisor mentioned something about there being a deadline but I can't remember exactly what she said. Does anyone know how many days you have to file for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor? I don't want to miss any deadlines and lose out on benefits. Also wondering if there's any advantage to filing sooner rather than later?
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Dylan Campbell
You should file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. NYS Department of Labor doesn't have a strict deadline like some other states, but your benefits are calculated from the date you file your claim, not from when you actually became unemployed. So every day you wait is potentially money you're losing. You can file online through my.ny.gov and it usually takes about 15-20 minutes to complete the initial application.
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NeonNova
•Thanks! So if I file today I won't lose any benefits from yesterday? I was worried I already messed up by not filing immediately.
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Sofia Hernandez
The key thing is your effective date starts when you file, not when you lost your job. I made the mistake of waiting two weeks to file because I thought I might get called back to work quickly. Cost me about $800 in benefits I could never get back. File ASAP even if you think the layoff might be temporary.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•wow that's expensive lesson, definitely filing today then
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Ava Thompson
I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for three days now to ask questions about my claim but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there? I keep getting disconnected after waiting for hours.
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Dylan Campbell
•I had the same problem until someone told me about claimyr.com. It's a service that calls NYS Department of Labor for you and gets you connected to an actual person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get through myself.
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Ava Thompson
•That sounds too good to be true but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The regular phone number is impossible.
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Miguel Ramos
Just to add - make sure you have all your employment information ready when you file. You'll need your Social Security number, employment dates, employer address, and reason for separation. If you're missing any info it can delay your claim processing which is already taking forever these days.
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Zainab Ibrahim
File right away! I waited like a week because I was embarrassed about being unemployed and it cost me a whole week of benefits. The system doesn't backdate your claim to when you actually lost your job.
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Mia Roberts
I went through this same situation last month when my company had layoffs. The most important thing to know is that NYS doesn't have a specific deadline like "you must file within X days," but your benefit week starts from the date you actually file your claim, not from when you became unemployed. So if you file today, your benefits would be calculated starting today, not from yesterday when you were laid off. I learned this the hard way when I waited almost a week thinking I needed to "get my paperwork together first" - ended up losing out on about $300 in benefits. My advice is to file online at ny.gov today even if you don't have every single document ready. You can always provide additional information later if needed.
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Mateo Sanchez
•This is really helpful advice! I'm in a similar boat - just got laid off from my retail job and was procrastinating on filing because the whole process seems overwhelming. But hearing that you lost $300 by waiting just a week really puts it in perspective. Better to file now and figure out the details later than miss out on money I'm entitled to. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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