Is there a waiting week for unemployment in New York 2025 - confused about new claim
I just filed my first unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor last week and I'm really confused about whether there's still a waiting week or not. I've been reading different things online and can't figure out what's current for 2025. My claim status shows 'pending' but I don't know if that's normal or if I'm supposed to wait a week before getting paid. I worked at a restaurant for 2 years before getting laid off due to slow business. Can someone explain how this works now? I really need to know when to expect my first payment because rent is due soon.
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Nia Jackson
Good news - New York eliminated the waiting week requirement back in 2020 and it's still gone in 2025. You should be eligible for payment starting with your first week of unemployment as long as your claim is approved. The 'pending' status you're seeing is likely just the normal adjudication process where NYS Department of Labor verifies your eligibility and employment history.
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Luca Romano
•Oh that's such a relief! Do you know how long the adjudication usually takes? I'm getting worried about the pending status.
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Mateo Hernandez
yeah no waiting week anymore thank god. mine took like 2 weeks to get approved though so dont panic if it stays pending for a bit
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CosmicCruiser
The adjudication process can vary but typically takes 1-3 weeks for straightforward cases. Since you mentioned you were laid off due to slow business, that should be pretty clear-cut for a voluntary separation. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims even while it's pending - that's important for getting backpay once approved. You can do this through the my.ny.gov portal.
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Luca Romano
•Wait, I should file weekly claims even while it's pending? I didn't know that. I haven't filed one yet since my claim is still pending.
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CosmicCruiser
•Yes, definitely file your weekly claims! If you don't file them during the pending period, you could lose those weeks of benefits even after approval. Log into my.ny.gov and file for any weeks you've been unemployed since filing your initial claim.
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Aisha Khan
I had the WORST time trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor when my claim was stuck in adjudication for almost a month. The phone system is absolutely useless - you either get disconnected or sit on hold forever. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor within like 10 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much stress trying to figure out what was wrong with my claim.
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Ethan Taylor
•How much does something like that cost though? I'm already broke from being unemployed.
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Aisha Khan
•It was totally worth it for me since I was about to lose my apartment. Way better than spending hours every day trying to call and getting nowhere.
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Yuki Ito
The whole system is so confusing honestly. I remember when there used to be a waiting week and everyone complained about it, now they got rid of it but half the time your claim gets stuck in limbo anyway so you're still waiting! At least when there was a waiting week you knew what to expect.
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Mateo Hernandez
Just keep filing your weekly claims like everyone said. That's the most important thing. I missed filing for 2 weeks when mine was pending and had to fight to get those weeks back later.
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Luca Romano
•Thanks everyone, I'm going to file my weekly claim right now. This has been really helpful!
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Harmony Love
Hey Luca! Just wanted to add that you should also make sure you're meeting the work search requirements while your claim is pending. In NY you need to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and keep records of them. You can do this through job applications, contacting employers directly, or attending job fairs. Don't forget to log these in your weekly certification - it's required even during the pending period. Good luck with your claim!
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Victoria Scott
•@Harmony Love You can use any legitimate job search method for the work search requirements! NYS DOL accepts applications through Indeed, LinkedIn, company websites, staffing agencies, networking events, and even direct contact with employers. The key is just documenting what you did - like saving job posting links, noting company names and dates you applied, etc. The NY.gov jobs site is also good to check since some employers prefer to post there for state residents. Just make sure whatever you do counts as a genuine attempt to find work!
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Eli Wang
Just went through this same situation a few months ago! The waiting week elimination is still in effect for 2025, so you should get paid for your first week of unemployment once approved. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - make sure you have direct deposit set up in your my.ny.gov account because paper checks can add extra delays. Also, keep all your employment documents handy (last pay stub, separation notice if you got one) in case they need additional verification. The restaurant industry layoffs are usually pretty straightforward for approval since it's clearly not your fault. Hang in there!
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Sofia Martinez
•@Eli Wang Thanks for mentioning the direct deposit tip! I actually haven t'set that up yet - I was so focused on just getting the claim filed that I didn t'think about payment method. Do you remember how long it took to set up direct deposit in the system? I m'worried that if I change it now while my claim is pending it might cause more delays.
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Ella Thompson
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is super quick - it only takes a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and shouldn t'cause any delays with your pending claim. I actually added mine after my claim was already approved and it worked fine. Just go to the Payment "Method section" in your account and enter your bank routing and account numbers. Way better than waiting for checks in the mail! You can change it anytime without affecting your claim status.
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Sofia Ramirez
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is super quick - it only takes a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and shouldn t'cause any delays with your pending claim. I actually added mine after my claim was already approved and it worked fine. Just go to the payment preferences section and enter your bank routing and account numbers. The system will usually do a small test deposit first to verify the account, but that doesn t'hold up your regular payments. Definitely worth doing now rather than waiting for a paper check that could take weeks to arrive!
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NeonNova
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is really quick - it only takes a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and won t'delay your claim processing at all! You just need your bank routing number and account number. I changed mine while my claim was still pending and it didn t'cause any issues. Way better than waiting for checks in the mail, especially when you need the money quickly. Just go to the payment preferences section in your account settings.
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Mateo Silva
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is super quick - it took me maybe 2 minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and it was active for my next payment. Don t'worry about changing it while pending, it won t'affect your claim processing at all. Just go to the payment options section in your account and add your bank routing and account numbers. Way better than waiting for checks in the mail!
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Ravi Sharma
•@Sofia Martinez Direct deposit setup is pretty quick - usually takes just a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal under payment preferences. I set mine up while my claim was still pending and it didn t'cause any delays at all. Actually, I d'recommend doing it sooner rather than later because once your claim gets approved, you want payments to start flowing as fast as possible. Just have your bank routing and account numbers ready. The system will usually do a small test deposit first to verify the account, but that only takes 1-2 business days. Way better than waiting for checks in the mail!
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Nina Fitzgerald
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is super quick - it only takes a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and shouldn t'cause any delays with your pending claim. I d'actually recommend doing it ASAP because once your claim gets approved, you want payments to start flowing as fast as possible. You just need your bank routing number and account number. The system processes the change right away, so if your claim gets approved this week you d'still get direct deposit rather than waiting for a paper check in the mail.
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Teresa Boyd
•@Sofia Martinez Setting up direct deposit is super quick - it only takes a few minutes in the my.ny.gov portal and shouldn t'cause any delays with your pending claim. I d'actually recommend doing it sooner rather than later because once your claim gets approved, you want payments to start flowing as fast as possible. Just go to the payment preferences section and enter your bank routing and account numbers. The system will usually verify it within a business day or two. Much better than waiting weeks for a paper check to arrive in the mail!
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