NY unemployment hotline wait times are insane - 25 mins still on hold!
Been trying to reach someone at the NY unemployment office about my claim status and I'm losing my mind with these wait times. Currently at 20 minutes on hold and nobody has picked up yet. The automated system kept asking me to verify information then promised 'Your call is important to us' every 30 seconds. Does anyone know if there's a better time to call or a different number that doesn't have such ridiculous wait times? *UPDATE: 25 mins on hold now—someone finally picked up but I think I'm just being transferred because the hold music changed LOL. At this point I'll probably grow old waiting to speak to an actual human who can help me.
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Niko Ramsey
Omg the wait times r crazy now. I waited 1hr 45min last week!!! And then got disconnected right when someone answered 😡
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Anna Kerber
•Are you serious?? That's absolutely ridiculous! Did you end up calling back or find another way to get through?
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Seraphina Delan
Those wait times are actually pretty standard for NY unemployment these days. I've found that calling right when they open at 8:00 AM on Tuesdays or Wednesdays tends to have slightly shorter wait times. Avoid Mondays at all costs - wait times can be 2+ hours because of weekend backlogs.
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Anna Kerber
•Thanks for the tip! I'll try Wednesday morning next time. I ended up waiting 47 minutes total today before finally getting through to someone who could help.
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Jabari-Jo
i tried calling for THREE DAYS straight and couldnt get through. finally got someone on day 4 and they told me i was missing a form... which their website never mentioned i needed! whole system is a joke
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Kristin Frank
•Same problem here. The website directions and what the actual reps tell you are completely different! I've been waiting for 6 weeks now for my claim to process because of all the back and forth.
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Micah Trail
I've been dealing with the NY unemployment system for years now (seasonal worker) and can confirm wait times have gotten significantly worse in 2025. Best strategy is to call at 8:05 AM (not right at opening when everyone calls) and have all your info ready. Alternatively, I've had great success with a service called Claimyr that gets you through to an agent without the wait. They basically call for you and then connect you when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE or just go to claimyr.com. Totally worth it when you're dealing with time-sensitive claim issues.
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Nia Watson
•I was skeptical about this Claimyr thing but after my FOURTH attempt waiting on hold for over an hour, I tried it. Actually works as advertised - got through to a real person in about 15 minutes total. Just FYI for anyone else losing days of their life on hold.
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Alberto Souchard
The wait times are INSANE because they've DELIBERATELY understaffed the office!!!! I used to work in government and this is a CLASSIC move - make services so frustrating that people give up. Then they can claim lower numbers needing help and justify budget cuts. WAKE UP PEOPLE
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Anna Kerber
•That's a depressing thought, but honestly makes sense. After my experience today I can definitely see how people would just give up trying to get benefits they're entitled to.
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Seraphina Delan
Quick tip: While waiting on hold, document everything. Note the time you called, how long you waited, who you spoke with, and what they told you. If there are issues later with your claim, having this documentation can be incredibly helpful when filing appeals or complaints. NY unemployment requires a paper trail for everything.
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Kristin Frank
•This is so true! I had to file an appeal because they said I never called, but I had all my phone records and notes from previous conversations which saved me. Get names and ID numbers of every person you talk to!
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Jabari-Jo
anyone else notice the hold music switches between really loud and super quiet? drives me NUTS when im trying to work while waiting
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Niko Ramsey
•Yes!! And sometimes it just cuts out completely and I panic thinking I got disconnected but then it comes back
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Anna Kerber
**FINAL UPDATE:** Finally got through after 47 minutes total. For anyone else stuck in this situation, I found that staying completely silent during the automated system rather than responding actually got me to a human faster. The rep I spoke with was actually really helpful once I finally reached them - they fixed an issue with my claim that had been pending for weeks. Just wish the process wasn't so painful!
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Seraphina Delan
•Great tip about staying silent through the prompts! The system is designed to route the most complex cases to agents, so sometimes not fitting into their automated categories gets you human help faster. Glad you got your issue resolved.
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Evelyn Rivera
I'm dealing with this same nightmare right now! Been calling for 3 days straight and either get disconnected after an hour+ wait or the system just hangs up on me. It's honestly shocking how broken this system is - like they're actively trying to prevent people from getting the help they need. Has anyone tried reaching out to their local representatives about these wait times? I'm wondering if there's any political pressure we can apply to get more staff hired or better systems implemented.
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Hunter Edmunds
•I actually contacted my state senator's office about this exact issue last month! Their constituent services team said they've been getting tons of complaints about NYSDOL wait times and staffing issues. They told me they can sometimes help escalate urgent cases directly to the department, which might be worth trying if you're dealing with something time-sensitive like missed payments or claim holds. At the very least, the more people who complain to their reps, the more pressure there is to actually fix this broken system.
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