How much time do you have to file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?

You generally have up to 52 weeks from your last day of work to file for unemployment benefits in New York, but you should file as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. There's no specific 30 or 90 day deadline, but the sooner you file, the sooner your claim can be processed. Your benefit year starts from the date you file, not when you lost your job, so delays mean you're potentially losing money.

File ASAP! I made the mistake of waiting 3 weeks after I got fired thinking I needed to get all my paperwork together first. You can always provide additional documentation later, but you can't get back those weeks of potential benefits. The NYS Department of Labor recommends filing within the first week of unemployment.

There's also a one week waiting period in NY before you can receive your first payment, so even more reason to file immediately. You won't get paid for that first week regardless, but at least you'll have your claim processing.

If you're having trouble getting through to file your claim because of high call volume, there's actually a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you reach NYS Department of Labor agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it when I couldn't get through to ask about my adjudication status and it saved me hours of calling.

wait so theres no actual deadline?? i thought you had like 30 days or something. this is confusing

Just wanted to add that even though you can file up to 52 weeks later, your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on wages from a specific base period, so waiting too long might affect which quarters are used in your calculation. Another reason to file promptly.

Just to clarify something that might be confusing - while there's no hard deadline like 30 or 90 days, you definitely want to file within your first week of unemployment if possible. I learned this the hard way when I got laid off from my warehouse job last year. The key thing to remember is that unemployment benefits are meant to replace lost wages, so every week you delay filing is potentially a week of benefits you're missing out on. The system is designed for you to file immediately after job loss, not weeks or months later. Don't overthink it - you can always provide additional documentation after you file your initial claim.