NY unemployment phone certification system freezing after 'Do Not Hang Up' message - no questions asked

YES!! This happend to me 3 times this week! The phone system is messed up. After it says not to hang up, it's supposed to ask you all those questions about if you worked and stuff but instead it just goes silent. I'm pretty sure our certifications aren't going through because my payment history isn't showing anything new. I ended up using the website to certify after wasting 2 hours trying the phone system over and over.

The phone system has been having intermittent issues since they did that system update in February 2025. When you get the silence after the 'do not hang up' message, your information is being processed but the next part of the script isn't triggering. The system is basically frozen at that point. You have three options: 1. Use the NY.gov website to certify online (most reliable) 2. Try calling during non-peak hours (before 8am or after 6pm) 3. If you absolutely need to certify by phone and keep having this issue, there's a service called Claimyr that can help you get through to an actual agent. I used it last month when I had a similar issue - www.claimyr.com. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Don't wait too long though - you only have until Saturday to certify for the previous week!

This is a known technical issue that NYSDOL still hasn't completely fixed. The silence happens when the voice recognition system fails to initialize properly after the initial data collection. Your certification is NOT being processed when this happens. If you need to certify by phone (some people have specific requirements that make this necessary), here's what to do: 1. Call from a landline if possible - cell connections sometimes cause this problem 2. Try pressing 0 or # when the silence starts - sometimes this resets the voice module 3. Call during early morning hours when the system has less traffic But honestly, the online system is much more reliable right now. Just make sure you get your certification in before your week's deadline.

im getting the EXACT same thing!!!! been trying for 3 days!!!! this is so RIDICULOUS! how are we supposed to get our money if their system doesnt work???? i cant even pay my rent this month cause of this!!

Just FYI - I checked with a friend who works at a call center for NY unemployment. They said this phone issue is affecting about 30% of callers right now. It's apparently related to their voice recognition system update that's still being rolled out. They're aware of it but the fix might take another week or two. In the meantime, definitely use the website if you can!

The whole system is a joke tbh. Last year they lost my claim completely and I had to start over. Then they said I owed them money! Phone never works right and website crashes all the time. Classic NY govt inefficiency lol

I had this exact same problem last week and found a solution! When the system goes silent after the "do not hang up" message, you need to wait exactly 2 minutes (time it!), then press 1. For some reason, the system is skipping the prompt that asks you to press 1 to begin the certification questions, but it's still waiting for the input. After I pressed 1, all the regular certification questions started. I've done this twice now and it worked both times! If that doesn't work for you, the website is definitely more reliable right now. Just make sure you're using a supported browser (Chrome and Edge work best with their system).

Update: Just got off the phone with someone at unemployment (took FOREVER to get through). They said they're aware of the phone certification bug and are working on it. The guy told me that if you try after 7pm it sometimes works better because there's less traffic on their system. Also said our claims won't be considered late if it's because of their system issues, but document when you tried to call just in case.

I was having the same issue trying to certify for my daughter's benefits (I'm her authorized representative). I was about to lose my mind after trying a dozen times! I finally paid for Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They were able to manually process her certification over the phone. The video demo shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Not ideal to have to use a service, but when you're desperate to get your benefits and can't get through normally, sometimes you have to try something different. The agent I spoke with actually confirmed this is a known issue they're working to fix.

Just so everyone is clear: When the phone system goes silent after saying "do not hang up," your certification is NOT being processed. This is a system error. You need to either: 1. Use the NY.gov website to certify (preferred method) 2. Try the phone system during off-peak hours 3. Try the workaround mentioned above (waiting 2 minutes then pressing 1) 4. Call the main customer service line to speak with an agent The NYSDOL has confirmed this is a technical issue they're working to resolve. Make sure you get your certification completed by your deadline to avoid payment delays. If you miss your regular certification period due to this issue, you'll need to speak with an agent to file for back weeks.

Update: Just wanted to let everyone know that I started using the website for certification and it's been working perfectly. Much easier than dealing with the phone system! My payments have been processing normally. Thanks to everyone who helped with suggestions!