Is it bad to apply for unemployment - NYS Department of Labor consequences?
I got laid off from my restaurant job last week and my friend told me I should file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor but I'm worried it might hurt me somehow? Like will it show up on background checks or affect my credit score or something? I've never done this before and honestly don't even know if I qualify since I was only there for 8 months. Is there any downside to applying or should I just try to find another job quickly instead?
10 comments
Join the conversation
Daniela Rossi
There's absolutely nothing bad about applying for unemployment benefits - that's literally what the system is for! NYS Department of Labor UI benefits don't show up on credit reports or background checks. If you were laid off through no fault of your own and worked long enough to earn sufficient wages, you've earned these benefits. You need to have worked at least 2 quarters and earned enough wages to qualify, but 8 months should be plenty.
0 coins
Sophie Hernandez
•That's such a relief! I was really stressing about it affecting future jobs or something. Do I need to wait a certain amount of time before applying?
0 coins
Ryan Kim
Actually you should apply ASAP because there's a waiting period anyway. Don't wait thinking you'll find something quick - even if you do find work right away, you can just stop claiming. But if your job search takes longer than expected, you'll be glad you filed when you did. The NYS Department of Labor online system makes it pretty straightforward.
0 coins
Zoe Walker
•This is so true! I waited 3 weeks thinking I'd find something fast and basically lost 3 weeks of benefits I could have collected.
0 coins
Elijah Brown
Honestly I was in the same boat as you - super nervous about filing my first claim. But unemployment insurance is something we all pay into through our paychecks specifically for situations like this. You're not taking charity, you're using a benefit you've already paid for. The only "bad" thing would be letting pride stop you from getting help you're entitled to.
0 coins
Maria Gonzalez
Just make sure you're 100% honest when you file. If you were fired for misconduct rather than laid off, that's different. But if it was truly a layoff due to business reasons, you should be fine. Also be prepared to do job searches and report them weekly if your claim gets approved.
0 coins
Sophie Hernandez
•It was definitely a layoff - they had to cut staff because business was slow. Thanks for mentioning the job search thing, I hadn't thought about that requirement.
0 coins
Natalie Chen
One thing that helped me when I was struggling to get through to NYS Department of Labor for questions about my claim - I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way better than spending hours on hold getting disconnected.
0 coins
Ryan Kim
•That actually sounds really helpful. The phone lines are always jammed and half the time you get hung up on anyway.
0 coins
Santiago Martinez
lol why would it be bad? that's literally what unemployment is for when you lose your job. file today and start getting paid
0 coins