How to claim weeks for unemployment - NYS Department of Labor weekly certification confused

You need to claim all the weeks you were unemployed while your claim was processing, assuming you were able and available to work during those weeks. Log into your my.ny.gov account and look for the weekly claim certification section. You'll see all the weeks available to claim. Make sure you have your job search log ready because you'll need to report your work search activities for each week.

yeah you claim all of them but it takes like a week or two to actually get the money deposited

Here's exactly what you need to do: 1) Log into my.ny.gov 2) Go to Unemployment Services 3) Click on 'Claim Weekly Benefits' 4) You'll see all available weeks to claim 5) For each week, answer the questions honestly about work searches, any work performed, and earnings 6) Submit each week individually. The system will let you claim retroactive weeks back to when you first filed. Just make sure you were actually looking for work during those weeks because they might audit your job search records.

I had the same issue trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about claiming back weeks. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Finally used claimyr.com to get through to an actual agent who walked me through the whole process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration compared to calling directly.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A NIGHTMARE! They make it so confusing on purpose I swear. I missed claiming one week because I didn't understand the deadline and now they're saying I can't get that week back. Make sure you claim every single week on time because NYS Department of Labor doesn't care if you were confused by their terrible website.

also dont forget to certify every week going forward, not just the back weeks. i think the deadline is sunday but check your account

Just went through this exact same process last month! A few tips that helped me: 1) You can definitely claim all 6 weeks retroactively - that's what the system is designed for. 2) When you're filling out the weekly certifications, take your time with each one because you can't go back and edit them once submitted. 3) For the work search requirement, even if you didn't keep perfect records during adjudication, be honest about what you remember doing - checking job boards, updating your resume, etc. all count. 4) The first payment usually takes about 2-3 business days after you certify, but subsequent weeks are faster. Don't panic if there's a slight delay on the first one. You've got this!