How to upload documents to NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim - system keeps timing out
I've been trying to upload documents to my unemployment claim for the past two days and the NYS Department of Labor website keeps timing out. Every time I select my files and click upload, it just sits there loading forever and then gives me an error message. I need to submit my work separation paperwork and wage verification forms by Friday or my claim might get delayed. Has anyone else had trouble with the document upload feature on my.ny.gov? What's the trick to getting files uploaded successfully?
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Dylan Wright
The upload system works best with smaller file sizes. Try compressing your documents to under 2MB each and use PDF format instead of photos. Also make sure you're using Chrome or Firefox - the upload feature doesn't work well with Safari or older browsers. Clear your cache before trying again.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
AuthorThanks! I was trying to upload phone photos that were probably huge files. Let me convert them to PDF and try again.
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Sofia Torres
ugh same problem here! spent an hour yesterday trying to upload my pay stubs and it kept failing. the whole NYS Department of Labor website is so slow lately
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GalacticGuardian
I had this exact issue last month. The key is to upload documents one at a time instead of trying to do multiple files at once. Also, don't navigate away from the page while it's uploading - I know it looks like it's frozen but just let it sit there. Sometimes it takes 5-10 minutes per document but it will eventually go through.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
AuthorGood to know about not navigating away. I definitely was closing the browser thinking it crashed. Will try the one-at-a-time approach.
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Dmitry Smirnov
If you're still having trouble getting through to upload documents, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor about my claim issues. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was able to get help submitting my paperwork over the phone when the website wasn't cooperating.
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Ava Rodriguez
How does that work exactly? Do they just help you get through to someone or do they handle the upload for you?
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Dmitry Smirnov
They basically get you connected to a real NYS Department of Labor agent who can help with whatever you need - in my case it was submitting documents that wouldn't upload. Much easier than trying to call the regular number and getting busy signals.
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Miguel Diaz
Try uploading during off-peak hours like early morning or late evening. The system gets overloaded during business hours when everyone is trying to access it. I usually do my weekly claims and document uploads around 6 AM and never have issues.
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Zainab Ahmed
Same boat as everyone else - this system is trash. Been trying to upload my layoff notice for three weeks now. Every time I think it worked, I check back and the documents aren't there. SO FRUSTRATING when you're just trying to get your benefits processed!
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Dylan Wright
Make sure you're getting the confirmation message after upload. If you don't see 'Document successfully uploaded' then it didn't actually go through even if it looked like it was working.
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Isabella Oliveira
I've found that using an incognito/private browsing window sometimes helps with the upload issues. The regular browser might have cached data that interferes with the upload process. Also, if you have any browser extensions running (like ad blockers), try disabling them temporarily - they can sometimes block the upload functionality. Worth a shot if the other suggestions don't work!
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