Is ny unemployment website down? Can't certify my weekly benefits

Same here! Been trying since sunday morning. The website keeps timing out or giving me that stupid "We cannot process your request at this time" message. This is the third week in a row somethings been wrong with the ny unemployment website. Getting really tired of this garbage system 😡

I finally got through! After days of trying the website I found a service called claimyr.com that called NY unemployment for me and got me a callback with a live agent. Talking to an actual person got my certification processed right away and they told me the money should hit my account in 2-3 days. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent after trying for days on my own. Check out this video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

The website ALWAYS crashes on Sunday and Monday mornings. Too many people trying to certify at once. Try late at night like after 10pm or super early in the morning. That's what worked for me last time this happened.

ok so this is what worked for me. cleared my browser cache, tried using Firefox instead of Chrome (for some reason chrome hates the unemployment site), and made sure I had a stable internet connection. Finally got through at like 2am when fewer people were on the site. Worth trying different browsers.

This happens LITERALLY every month. The ny unemployment system is built on technology from like 1985 and can't handle the volume. They've been "upgrading" it for years and it only gets worse. Welcome to NY where nothing works properly 🤦‍♂️

I know this sounds dumb but try a different device. My laptop couldn't get through but weirdly it worked fine on my phone. The mobile version of the site seems more stable sometimes.

As someone who works in IT (not for NYSDOL thank god), here's what's probably happening: Their system is overwhelmed with traffic at the beginning of the week when everyone tries to certify at once. The servers can't handle the load and start timing out requests. Your best options are: 1. Try during off-peak hours (very late night or very early morning) 2. Use a different browser or clear your cache 3. Try the mobile site or the phone system 4. If all else fails, you need to talk to a human. This is where most people get stuck because getting through to an agent is nearly impossible Honestly, after helping several family members with unemployment issues, the fastest solution I've found is using claimyr.com - they call and wait on hold for you, then connect you to an agent when one is available. It's the best money I've ever spent to finally get benefits paid quickly after website issues like you're describing. Good luck - the NY unemployment system is a nightmare but there are ways through it!

anybody else notice how these website crashes always happen when rent is due? 🤔 starting to think it's not a coincidence...

This might be related to the system maintenance they announced last week. There was a small notice on the site saying they were doing updates that might cause "temporary service interruptions" - which in NYSDOL speak means "completely broken for days" 🙄

Called the main number 65 times today. SIXTY-FIVE. Either busy signal or disconnected after waiting. This is beyond ridiculous. How do they expect people to survive??

FYI for anyone who can't certify online - if you miss your certification window because of THEIR technical issues, you can do a backdated certification when you finally get through. Make sure to explain it was because of the website being down, not your error. I had to do this last month and they approved it.

Anyone try the automated phone certification? It's ancient and annoying but sometimes works when the website is down. The number is 1-888-581-5812 for NY unemployment phone claims.

NYSDOL Twitter says they're "aware of the issue and working to resolve it" - which means absolutely nothing as usual. Been saying that for 3 days now.

So frustrating dealing with ny unemployment! Just got off the phone with them (after using claimyr.com to get through) and they said the certification system should be back up fully by tomorrow morning. The agent told me lots of people are having the same problem and they're processing a backlog of certifications that got stuck in the system.

Ugh, same exact thing happening to me! Been trying since Sunday and the site just keeps crashing or giving me that "request cannot be processed" error. Really stressing me out because I have bills due this week too. The fact that this happens EVERY month is just unacceptable - how are we supposed to survive when their ancient system can't handle basic traffic? Going to try some of the suggestions here like using Firefox and trying at weird hours. If that doesn't work I might have to look into that claimyr service people are mentioning. This whole situation is just ridiculous.

This is absolutely maddening! I've been dealing with the same certification nightmare since Sunday. Tried every browser, cleared cache, even borrowed my friend's computer thinking it was my device. Nothing works! The site either times out completely or gives me that useless "technical difficulties" message. I'm supposed to get my payment today and now I'm panicking about making rent. Called 47 times yesterday and either got busy signals or sat on hold for over an hour before getting disconnected. How is this even legal? We depend on these benefits to survive and their system fails us every single week. I'm honestly at my breaking point with NYSDOL's incompetence. Going to try the late night approach tonight but if that doesn't work I might have to look into some of these third-party services people are mentioning just to talk to an actual human being.