NY unemployment website down for days - anyone else unable to log in?
I've been trying to access my NY unemployment account since Monday to certify my weekly benefits, but the website keeps showing an error page. Sometimes it loads partially then freezes, other times I just get a blank screen or 'service unavailable' message. Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there some maintenance happening they didn't announce? Getting worried since my certification is due tomorrow and I really need this payment to come through on time.
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James Martinez
yep its been down for me too since tuesday afternoon. tried on my phone and laptop, same problem. typical nysdol garbage systems
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Chloe Boulanger
•Thanks for confirming it's not just me. Do you know if there's any way to certify when the website is down? I can't afford to miss this week's payment.
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Olivia Harris
There's an unannounced maintenance period happening right now. The NYSDOL posted about it on Twitter late last night - it's supposed to be back up by tomorrow morning at 8 AM. If you need to certify before the deadline, you can use their automated phone system at 1-888-581-5812 for regular UI benefits.
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Chloe Boulanger
•Thank you so much! I had no idea about the phone option. Will try that right now.
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Alexander Zeus
•the phone system never works for me either. i called 36 times yesterday and couldnt get through!!
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Alicia Stern
Been dealing with this same issue since Monday. After wasting hours trying to get through on the regular phone line, I finally used Claimyr to reach an actual agent within 10 minutes. They helped me certify over the phone and explained the site is down for database updates. If you need to talk to someone quickly, check out their demo at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - saved me from missing my certification deadline. Their website is claimyr.com
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Gabriel Graham
•Is this legit? Sounds kinda sketchy to use a third party service when dealing with unemployment stuff... Has anyone else tried this?
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Alicia Stern
•It's completely legitimate - they don't access your unemployment account or anything like that. They just help you navigate the phone system to get to a real person faster. I was skeptical too but it worked when nothing else did.
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Drake
The website issues are related to their quarterly system update. This happens every few months, but usually they announce it better. According to their technical support department, they're implementing new security features and updating the certification process. If the website isn't working by tomorrow morning as scheduled, you have a 7-day grace period to complete your certification without penalty. Just document your attempts to access the system (screenshots with timestamps) in case you need to prove you tried before the deadline.
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Chloe Boulanger
•That's a huge relief about the grace period! I'll definitely take screenshots. Do you work for NYSDOL or how do you know all this detailed information?
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Drake
•I don't work for them, but I've been navigating the NY unemployment system for almost two years now and have had to learn all the ins and outs. I also participate in their claimant feedback program where they share upcoming changes with regular users.
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Sarah Jones
OMG i thought it was just MY computer!!! i've been FREAKING OUT since tuesday because i thought i got locked out of my account or something!!! has anyone tried using a different browser? i only tried on chrome
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Alexander Zeus
•tried on chrome, edge, and even firefox. none work. its their system thats broken not our browsers
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Chloe Boulanger
UPDATE: I managed to certify by calling the automated phone system! The number is 1-888-581-5812 and you just follow the prompts. It was actually easier than the website. Thanks everyone for your help!
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James Martinez
•nice! glad it worked out. gonna try that myself right now
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Gabriel Graham
I'm wondering if this website problem is related to those news stories about increased fraud detection? My friend said they're upgrading their systems to catch people who are working while claiming... kinda worried since I picked up a small gig last week that I was planning to report on this certification. Will the phone system still let me report this income properly?
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Olivia Harris
•Yes, the phone system will prompt you to report any work and earnings. Make sure to have the exact amount ready when you call. And you're doing the right thing by reporting the income - it's much better to be honest than risk an overpayment issue later.
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Alexander Zeus
the website is ALWAYS having problems!! last month it was down for like 3 days and i missed my certification and had to call and wait 2 HOURS to talk to someone to fix it. NY unemployment system is so broken its ridiculous!!!!
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Sarah Jones
•for real!!! why can't they fix their website?? every other website works fine but somehow unemployment is always broken 🙄
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Drake
The website is back up now. Just successfully logged in and was able to access all features. They've added some new security measures - you'll need to reverify your identity with the new two-factor authentication system they've implemented. Have your phone ready to receive a text code when logging in.
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Chloe Boulanger
•Just checked and you're right! Thanks for the heads up about the new security feature. The interface looks different too - much cleaner actually.
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Carmen Lopez
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info in this thread! I was also locked out since Tuesday and was getting really stressed about missing my certification deadline. I tried the phone system at 1-888-581-5812 like some of you suggested and it worked perfectly - much faster than I expected. For anyone still having trouble, I found that calling around 7 AM seemed to have shorter wait times. Also confirmed the website is back up now with the new 2FA system. Really appreciate this community having each other's backs during these technical issues!
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AstroAdventurer
•This is so helpful! I'm new to the NY unemployment system and was panicking when I couldn't access the website yesterday. Reading through everyone's experiences here really calmed my nerves. Good to know about the 7 AM call time tip - I'll remember that for future issues. It's reassuring to see people looking out for each other in situations like this!
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