How to fill unemployment form online - NYS Department of Labor application help needed
I'm trying to figure out how to fill unemployment form online through the NYS Department of Labor website but I'm getting confused by all the different sections. I lost my job last week and need to get my claim started but the my.ny.gov portal is asking for information I don't understand. There's stuff about base period wages and I'm not sure what dates to put for my last day of work since I got a severance check. Also it's asking about my availability for work but I have some medical appointments coming up. Can someone walk me through the main parts of filling this out correctly? I don't want to mess it up and delay my benefits.
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Kennedy Morrison
The online application is pretty straightforward once you know what each section wants. For your last day of work, use the actual last day you physically worked, not when you received severance. The base period wages section will pull from your employer records automatically in most cases. For availability, you can still file if you have occasional appointments - just make sure you're available for work most days and actively searching. Make sure you have your Social Security card and recent pay stubs handy before starting.
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Lily Young
•Thanks! Should I include the severance amount anywhere in the application or wait until they ask about it later?
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Wesley Hallow
i filled mine out last month and it took forever because i kept getting error messages. make sure you save your progress as you go because the site times out after like 20 minutes and you'll lose everything. also have all your employment info for the last 18 months ready because they ask for detailed job history
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Justin Chang
Don't report severance in the initial application - that gets handled in your weekly claims. The key sections to focus on are: personal info (easy), employment history (last 18 months of jobs), reason for separation (involuntary layoff in your case), and work availability. When it asks about work search, you'll need to register with the state job bank too. The whole process takes about 30-45 minutes if you have everything ready.
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Lily Young
•Do I need to register with the job bank before filing or can I do that after my claim is submitted?
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Justin Chang
•You can do it after but I'd recommend doing it the same day. They'll send you instructions about the work search requirements once your claim is processed.
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Grace Thomas
Had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor when I needed help with my application errors. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in like 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped when I got stuck on the wage verification part.
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Hunter Brighton
•That's interesting, I've been trying to call them for days about my adjudication issue. Did they actually help resolve your problem or just get you through to someone?
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Dylan Baskin
The NYS Department of Labor system is honestly terrible compared to other states. Half the time it's down for maintenance and when it does work the interface is confusing. Just keep clicking through each section even if you're not 100% sure - you can always call and correct things later if needed. The important thing is getting your claim date established.
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