Is it bad to file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor - worried about stigma

There's absolutely nothing bad about filing for unemployment! You paid into the system through your payroll taxes, so you've literally earned these benefits. NYS Department of Labor unemployment insurance is designed exactly for situations like yours - when you lose your job through no fault of your own. It won't affect your credit score at all, and employers can't see that you filed for unemployment when they run background checks.

File ASAP! The longer you wait, the more money you're losing. I made that mistake when I got laid off and lost out on like $800 because I waited two weeks to apply. NYS Department of Labor processes claims pretty quickly once you submit everything correctly. Just make sure you have all your employment info ready - last employer details, reason for separation, etc.

Your mom's attitude is really outdated tbh. Unemployment benefits exist for a reason and you literally paid for them through your job. I've filed twice in my career and never had any issues with future employment.

I was in the same boat last year - kept putting off filing because I felt embarrassed. Finally did it and wish I hadn't waited. The only 'bad' thing is you have to do job searches every week and report them to NYS Department of Labor, but that's actually helpful for staying motivated to find work. If you're having trouble getting through to file your claim by phone, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.

Nothing bad about it at all!! I filed when my restaurant closed during covid and it literally saved my life financially. The stigma is just old fashioned thinking.

Grace, please don't let outdated stigma prevent you from getting benefits you've earned! I work in HR and can tell you that filing for unemployment absolutely does not show up on background checks or hurt your employability. In fact, many employers understand that layoffs happen and it's completely normal. The only thing that might look bad to future employers is if you turn down reasonable job offers while collecting benefits, but as long as you're actively looking for work (which you have to document anyway), you're fine. File as soon as possible - you typically can't get benefits for weeks before you applied, so every day you wait is money lost. The NYS Department of Labor website walks you through everything step by step.