How to reach a real person at NY unemployment office - need phone number that works

Unfortunately there's no 'secret' direct number to bypass the system. The 888-209-8124 is still the main number, but try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM. That's when I finally got through after trying for a week. Have your NY.gov ID and all your claim info ready when you call. Also, make sure you're fully completing the prompts - if you try to skip them by pressing 0 repeatedly, the system will disconnect you.

the trick is to call on wednesday morning. less people call midweek for some reason. thats how i got thru last month. waited 45 min but finally talked to someone

I was in the same situation last month - couldn't get through for WEEKS. I was getting desperate because my benefits were on hold and I couldn't pay my electric bill. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr. It's a service that basically calls for you and gets you in the queue to speak with an agent. I was skeptical at first, but I got through to someone at NY unemployment in under 30 minutes after trying myself for days. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out.

The NY unemployment system is DESIGNED to be impossible to reach a human!!! They make it difficult ON PURPOSE so people give up and they don't have to pay claims. I spent TWO MONTHS trying to reach someone last year about my missing backpay. The whole system is broken and nobody in Albany cares because it's not THEIR rent money on the line!!!!

Try this specific sequence that worked for me last week: 1. Call 888-209-8124 2. When prompted, enter your Social Security Number 3. Select option 1 for "Claim questions" 4. Then select option 3 for "Existing claim" 5. When it asks about filing a weekly claim, select option 2 for "No" 6. Then select option 2 again for "All other questions" This route tends to have slightly shorter wait times in my experience. Still took about an hour on hold, but I did eventually speak with a representative. Also, using a landline if possible seems to help - I've been disconnected more often when calling from my cell.

have u tried emailing them? sometimes thats faster than phone

my brother had same problem last month but he went to the career center in person and they helped him. maybe try that?

UPDATE: I finally got through this morning! I used the sequence that @helpful_person suggested and called right at 8:00 AM. Was on hold for 52 minutes but finally spoke to someone who fixed my claim issue. For anyone else struggling with this - PERSISTENCE is key. Keep trying different approaches until something works.