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Anastasia Popov

NY unemployment certification asking about break in claim that never happened - weird employer questions?

I'm really confused about what just happened. I certified for my weekly NY unemployment benefits like I always do, but this time the system started asking me questions about a break in my claim? It wanted a return to work date and my employer's EIN number. But there wasn't any break in my claim at all! I've been consistently certifying every week. Has this happened to anyone else? I'm worried I answered something wrong and now my payment will be delayed or something. Should I call them to fix this?

Sean Murphy

yep happened to me too last week! same exact thing, asked about a break and employer info that made no sense. i just put in my last employer's info and it went thru ok. got paid normal time.

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Anastasia Popov

Oh that's a relief! Did you call them about it or just leave it as is? I'm paranoid they'll come back later saying I did something wrong.

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Zara Khan

This is actually a known issue with the NY unemployment system's 2025 update. When they migrated claims data in January, some accounts were flagged with an automatic 'break in claim' alert. The system thinks you stopped claiming and then restarted, even though you didn't. You should be fine if you just answered the questions with your most recent employer's information. Your payment might be delayed by 1-2 days while it goes through manual review, but it will process. If you don't receive your payment within 5 business days of certification, then you should contact them.

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Anastasia Popov

Thank you! That makes sense. I did enter my most recent employer info, so hopefully it works out. I'll wait the 5 days before panicking.

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Luca Ferrari

my sister got the same thing!! she said it was some kind of glitch but she got paid anyway just took an extra day

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Nia Davis

Did anyone else have this happen TWICE?? I got the break in claim questions two weeks in a row and I'm getting really nervous they're going to freeze my account or something. The second time I tried changing my answers thinking maybe I answered wrong the first time, but it still asked all the weird questions. Should I just keep certifying and hope for the best????

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Mateo Martinez

The system is programmed to automatically flag accounts for review if there's any inconsistency in your certification pattern - even something as simple as certifying at a different time of day than usual can trigger it. If you're getting paid, don't worry about it. If your payment gets delayed more than a week, you need to call them. The most effective way to reach NYSDOL right now is using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was stuck in this exact situation last month and spent days trying to get through. Used their service and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes who fixed it on the spot. They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

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QuantumQueen

This happened to me but my payment got stuck in pending for 3 weeks!!! Had to call like 50 times. They said it was a system flag but I still don't understand why. Something about quarerly review??

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Aisha Rahman

The system sometimes triggers quarterly reviews automatically, especially if there was any reported income during that period or if your benefit year is approaching its end. The 'break in claim' questions are actually part of the quarterly review process, and they're used to verify continuing eligibility. If your payment gets stuck in pending status for more than a week, call NYSDOL immediately. When you get an agent, specifically ask them to check for a 'quarterly review flag' on your account - that specific terminology will help them identify and resolve the issue faster.

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Ethan Wilson

I got something similar last year but it was asking about out of state employment which I never had. Turned out my identity was stolen and someone was trying to claim benefits in another state using my SSN. Might be worth checking your credit report just to be safe.

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Anastasia Popov

Oh that's scary. I don't think that's what's happening here since others are experiencing the same thing, but I'll definitely keep an eye on my credit report anyway. Thanks for the heads up!

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Zara Khan

Just an update for anyone finding this thread later: NYSDOL acknowledged this as a system issue in their February 2025 update. They're working on fixing it, but in the meantime, you should: 1. Answer the break in claim questions with your most recent employer information 2. Continue certifying weekly as normal 3. Allow 3-5 business days for payment instead of the usual 1-2 days The system flag is automatically cleared after the first affected payment processes. If your payment doesn't arrive within 5 business days, then you should contact them for manual intervention.

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Anastasia Popov

Thanks for the update! My payment finally came through today, so it took 3 days instead of the usual next-day deposit. Definitely a relief.

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Sean Murphy

hey does anybody know where to find your employer's EIN if you don't have it? my old boss won't answer my texts

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Aisha Rahman

You can find your employer's EIN on your W-2 form (box b). If you don't have that, you can check your paystubs as it's sometimes listed there. As a last resort, if you've filed taxes for that job, you can get a tax return transcript from the IRS which will show the EIN.

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