Is there a time limit to apply for unemployment benefits in NY?
I got laid off from my warehouse job about 6 weeks ago and have been trying to find work on my own, but things are getting tight financially. I keep hearing different things about deadlines for filing unemployment claims with NYS Department of Labor. Is there actually a time limit to apply? I'm worried I might have waited too long and missed my chance. The my.ny.gov website is confusing and I can't figure out if there's a cutoff date. Can someone explain what the actual rules are?
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Samantha Johnson
You haven't missed your deadline! In NY, you can file for unemployment benefits as long as you're still unemployed, but there are some important timing considerations. You can only get benefits starting from the week you actually file your claim - not backdated to when you lost your job. So if you file today, your benefits would start this week, not 6 weeks ago when you were laid off. The sooner you file, the better.
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Santiago Martinez
•Oh thank goodness! So I won't lose out on benefits completely, just the weeks I didn't file for? That's still better than nothing.
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Nick Kravitz
There's technically no hard deadline but you're losing money every week you wait. NYS Department of Labor has a one week waiting period for your first claim anyway, so you really should file ASAP. The online application on my.ny.gov takes like 20 minutes if you have all your employment info ready.
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Hannah White
•Wait, I thought they got rid of the waiting week during COVID? Or did that end?
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Nick Kravitz
•Yeah the waiting week is back now. It ended in 2021 I think.
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Michael Green
I had the same worry when I got fired last year! I waited almost 2 months because I thought I could find something quickly. Big mistake - lost out on like $2400 in benefits. File now and keep looking for work. You have to do job searches anyway as part of the weekly claim requirements.
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Mateo Silva
Just make sure you have all your employment history ready when you file. NYS Department of Labor needs info on all jobs from the last 18 months, including exact dates and wages. If you're missing info it can delay your claim approval.
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Santiago Martinez
•I have my pay stubs from my last job but what about the part-time job I had before that? Do they need those too?
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Mateo Silva
•Yes, any job where you earned wages in the last 18 months needs to be reported, even part-time or temporary work.
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Victoria Jones
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask questions before filing, I used this service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected. Check out claimyr.com if the phone lines are giving you trouble.
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Cameron Black
•How much does something like that cost? Seems like it might be expensive.
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Victoria Jones
•It's worth it compared to losing weeks of benefits because you can't get answers. Much cheaper than missing out on filing altogether.
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Hannah White
the system is so frustrating!! i waited 3 weeks to file because i thought there might be some penalty or something. turns out the only penalty is losing money by not filing sooner. just do it online and get it over with
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Dmitri Volkov
Don't beat yourself up about waiting 6 weeks - I made the same mistake when I lost my retail job last fall. I was so focused on job hunting that I put off filing thinking I'd find something quickly. The key thing is you can still file now and start getting benefits going forward. Just gather up your W-2s, pay stubs, and employment dates from the last 18 months before you start the online application. The my.ny.gov site walks you through it step by step once you create an account. You'll need to certify for benefits every week and show you're actively looking for work, but at least you'll have some income coming in while you continue your job search. Better late than never!
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Connor O'Neill
•This is really helpful advice! I'm in a similar situation - lost my job 3 weeks ago and keep putting off filing because the whole process seems overwhelming. Good to know it's not too late and that the my.ny.gov site actually guides you through it. Did you run into any issues during the application process that I should watch out for?
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Nadia Zaldivar
•@Dmitri Volkov The main thing that tripped me up was having to enter exact employment dates and wages for ALL my jobs in the past 18 months, not just my most recent one. I had to dig through old pay stubs and tax documents to get the precise start/end dates and total earnings. Also, make sure you have your Social Security card handy - the system is pretty strict about matching your info exactly. One tip: if you worked for a big company, sometimes their HR department can give you an employment verification letter with all the dates and wages if you can t'find your records. The whole application took me about 45 minutes because I had to keep stopping to look up information. Just be patient and don t'rush through it or you might make mistakes that delay your claim.
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Emma Johnson
Don't worry Santiago, you definitely haven't missed any hard deadline! I was in a similar situation last year - got laid off from my construction job and waited almost 8 weeks because I kept thinking I'd find something soon. The good news is you can still file now, you'll just miss out on those 6 weeks of potential benefits. New York doesn't have a strict cutoff date for filing, but like others said, benefits only start from when you actually submit your claim. I'd recommend filing this week if possible - even if you find a job next month, at least you'll have some financial cushion while you're still searching. The application process isn't as bad as it seems once you get started. Just make sure you have your employer's information ready, including their unemployment insurance account number if you can find it on old pay stubs.
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Samantha Hall
•Thanks Emma! That's reassuring to hear from someone who went through the same thing. I actually do have some old pay stubs saved, so I'll look for that unemployment insurance account number you mentioned. Did you have any trouble with the weekly certification process once your claim got approved? I keep hearing mixed things about how strict they are about the job search requirements.
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