NY unemployment claim still pending after a month - was 1099 worker

As a former 1099 worker myself, I can tell you that ny unemployment tends to take longer to process these claims. They have to verify your earnings differently than W2 employees. But a month is still too long to be waiting. Keep trying to call, but try early morning (like right when they open) or late afternoon before they close. Those tend to be less busy times.

After weeks of trying to reach someone on the phone and getting nowhere, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically waits on hold for you and then calls you when an actual person picks up. Honestly, it was the only way I could talk to a live agent. My claim was fixed the same day once I finally spoke to someone. They also have this helpful video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

1099 workers usually have more trouble with unemployment claims. The system is really designed for W2 employees. Did you have any W2 work in your base period before the contract job? That can make a big difference in your eligibility.

I went through the EXACT same situation. Was a 1099 worker and then my claim was stuck in pending for literally 6 weeks. Found out it was because they needed additional documentation to verify my earnings. I uploaded my 1099 forms and bank statements showing deposits from my employer through the online portal and it got processed within a week after that. Check to see if there are any action items in your online portal!

The ny unemployment system is BROKEN af. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Your only real option is to somehow get a human on the phone. When I was in your shoes last year I set an alarm for 7:55am every day and started calling right at 8:00am when they opened. Took me 2 weeks of trying but finally got through that way. Good luck my dude 👍

Here's what you need to know about being a 1099 worker filing for unemployment in NY: First, your claim will take longer to process because they need to verify your independent contractor income differently than standard W2 income. They often need to manually review these claims. Second, make sure you've uploaded ALL documentation they might need - 1099 forms, contracts showing your work arrangement, bank statements showing income, tax returns, etc. Even if they haven't specifically asked for these, having them in the system can speed things up. Third, you ABSOLUTELY need to speak with a representative to move your claim forward when it's been pending this long. Unfortunately, the phone system is deliberately designed to be frustrating. Your options are: 1. Call repeatedly using multiple phones at exactly 8:00am when they open 2. Try reaching out to your state representative's office - they sometimes have special channels 3. Use a service like claimyr.com that will wait on hold for you and connect you with an agent 4. Send a secure message through your online account every 2-3 days asking for status updates Don't give up! Once you get someone on the phone, they can usually resolve these issues quickly. The problem isn't usually complicated - it's just getting through to someone who can help. And document EVERYTHING - dates you called, what was said, confirmation numbers, etc. This can be helpful if you need to appeal anything later.

Have you tried contacting your state assembly person? Thats what finally worked for me after my claim was stuck for 7 weeks. Their office has direct contacts at unemployment and can often get things moving.

r u in NYC or elsewhere in the state? The phone success rate seems to be different depending on where ur located

If it makes you feel any better, mine was pending for 2 months 😭 Its complete bs how they leave people hanging with no income and no updates. Eventually mine just randomly changed to approved one day.

send a message through the secure messaging system on your account. sometimes they actually respond to those and it can get your claim moving.

As a former NYS DOL employee (I quit last year), I can tell you the 1099 claims often get flagged for extra review. They're checking to make sure you were truly an independent contractor and not misclassified. Try faxing your documentation to their office as well as uploading it - sometimes the faxes get processed faster because fewer people use that method now.

check your spam folder in email!! i had the same issue and it turned out they had sent me several emails requesting more documentation but they went to spam. once i submitted what they needed it was approved in a week.

The government dosent care about us, you'll probably be waiting another month tbh. Its all so broken. Nobody answers the phones because they dont want to help us.

Try claimyr.com - it was the only thing that worked for me after weeks of trying to get thru. They wait on hold and then call you when they get a human. Talking to an agent fixed my issue in like 10 minutes after it had been stuck for weeks.