Is NY unemployment extending benefits in 2025? Need to know ASAP

they havnt announced any extension for 2025 yet.. i think ur cousin might be confusing it with that bill they were talking about in march but it didnt pass

The only extension currently available is for NY residents in certain counties affected by the severe winter storms from February 2025. If you're in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, or Warren counties, you might qualify for the 13-week Disaster Unemployment Assistance extension. For everyone else, standard UI benefits are still capped at 26 weeks in New York State. What you should do now is check if you qualify for the Extended Benefits (EB) program. This automatically activates when the state unemployment rate reaches certain thresholds. Last I checked, NY hasn't triggered EB, but you should verify on your online account or with an agent. Also look into other assistance programs like SNAP benefits or emergency rental assistance while you continue your job search.

What if you THINK you qualify but the system doesn't automatically enroll you?? I had a similar situation last year where I should have gotten an extension but the system never updated my account! I kept checking online every day hoping to see something change but nothing did and then my benefits just stopped?? I ended up having to call like 45 times before finally getting through to someone who manually fixed it for me. The whole system is BROKEN and they make it SO HARD to get help!!

I had the same panic last month when my benefits were about to run out. After struggling to get through on the phone for days, I used Claimyr.com to connect with an agent right away. They have this service that calls NYSDOL for you and connects you when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of redial hell. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent I spoke with confirmed there's no general extension for 2025 yet, but they did check my account for any other programs I might qualify for. Turns out I was eligible for some training benefits I didn't know about that gave me 13 more weeks while I take an approved online course. Definitely worth asking a live agent about ALL your options because the website doesn't show everything.

To directly answer your question: No, New York State has not announced any general extension of UI benefits for 2025 as of today. Currently, these are your options after regular UI expires: 1. 599 Training Program: If you enroll in approved training/education, you might qualify for up to 26 additional weeks of benefits through the 599 program. 2. Disaster Unemployment Assistance: Only for residents in those 5 counties mentioned above affected by the February storms. 3. Extended Benefits (EB): This automatically triggers based on state unemployment rates, but NYS has not hit the threshold to activate it yet in 2025. 4. Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA): If you lost your job due to foreign trade impacts, you might qualify. You absolutely should speak with a claims specialist directly. They can review your specific case and check for programs you might qualify for that aren't visible on your online account. The system doesn't always automatically identify eligibility for specialized programs. In the meantime, make sure you're still certifying weekly even after you exhaust benefits. This maintains your claim in the system in case extensions are approved later.

My neighbor's son got something called "career services unemployment extension" just last month. I don't know all the details but apparently if you work with their career counselors on their special job search program you can get more weeks. Maybe ask about that specifically when you call?

One more important thing to check - make sure you've actually used all 26 weeks of your regular benefits. Sometimes people miscalculate how many weeks they've claimed, especially if there were weeks you didn't certify or weren't eligible. Log into your account and check your payment history to confirm exactly how many weeks of benefits you've actually received and how many you have left. Also, if you worked at all during your claim (even part-time), you may have effectively "stretched out" your benefit year. For example, if you worked part-time for several weeks and received partial UI payments, those partial payments may have used less than a full week of your benefits for each calendar week that passed.

I'm actually FURIOUS that NY hasn't extended benefits with the economy being the way it is!! My brother in California got an automatic 13-week extension when his regular UI ran out in March. WHY isn't New York doing the same thing?!? The cost of living is just as high here! Has anyone heard about any bills in the state legislature about this? Maybe we should all be calling our state representatives instead of just NYSDOL!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information. I've got a clearer picture now - no general extension available but possibly some options with the 599 training program. I'm going to: 1. Use Claimyr to get through to an agent this week 2. Ask specifically about the 599 Training Program 3. Continue certifying even after benefits end 4. Look into SNAP and rental assistance as backup I really appreciate all the advice. This community has been more helpful than the official website honestly.