Is there a waiting week for unemployment benefits in NY?
Just filed my first unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor and I'm confused about whether there's still a waiting week. My friend from Pennsylvania said she had to wait a full week before getting any payments, but I've heard conflicting information about New York. Does NYS Department of Labor still require a waiting week before you can start collecting UI benefits? I really need to know because I'm already behind on rent and can't afford to wait an extra week if I don't have to.
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NeonNebula
No waiting week in New York! NYS Department of Labor eliminated the waiting week back in 2020. You can receive benefits for your first eligible week as long as you file your weekly claim certification on time. Make sure you're filing every week even if your claim is still pending - you don't want to miss any potential payments.
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Malik Thomas
AuthorThank god! That's such a relief. So I just need to keep filing my weekly claims and I should get paid for all eligible weeks?
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Isabella Costa
yeah no waiting week here thank goodness. but you still gotta wait for them to process your claim which can take forever these days
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Ravi Malhotra
Correct - New York does not have a waiting week for unemployment benefits. However, be aware that your first payment might still be delayed if NYS Department of Labor needs to verify your employment history or if your claim goes into adjudication for any reason. The waiting week elimination just means you'll be paid for all weeks you're eligible, including your first week of unemployment.
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Malik Thomas
AuthorWhat kind of things would put my claim into adjudication? I'm worried something might be wrong with my application.
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Ravi Malhotra
Common reasons include discrepancies in employment dates, questions about why you left your job, or if you worked in multiple states recently. Most adjudication issues get resolved within a few weeks.
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Freya Christensen
I had the same question when I filed last year! No waiting week but it still took 3 weeks to get my first payment because they had to verify my wages. The good news is once it's approved you get paid retroactively for all the weeks you filed. Just keep certifying every week no matter what.
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Omar Farouk
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected.
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Malik Thomas
AuthorHow much does something like that cost? I'm already strapped for cash.
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Omar Farouk
It's worth checking out their site for current info. For me it was worth it just to get answers about my claim instead of calling 50+ times and never getting through.
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Scarlett Forster
Just wanted to add that while there's no waiting week, make sure you file your initial claim as soon as possible after becoming unemployed. Even though you'll get paid retroactively for eligible weeks, you can only backdate your claim by one week from when you actually file. So if you wait too long to apply, you might lose out on benefits for those earlier weeks. Also, keep all your documentation handy - pay stubs, separation notice, etc. - in case they need to verify anything during processing.
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