NY unemployment website keeps timing out - finally got through with this method
Has anyone else been struggling with the NY unemployment website this week? It's been insanely slow and keeps timing out whenever I try to certify for my weekly benefits. After trying for nearly 3 hours yesterday and getting nowhere, I finally found a way that worked today. If you're having trouble, don't give up! Wait for each page to fully load before clicking anything (I was getting impatient and clicking multiple times which seemed to make it worse). If it gives you an error, go back to the previous page and try that step again instead of starting over. I managed to get through the entire certification process after trying this approach 3 separate times over 2 hours this morning. Just wanted to share since I know how frustrating this can be when you're depending on these benefits!
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Sean Doyle
omg THANK YOU for posting this!! i've been trying since 8am this morning and kept getting kicked out at the verification step. so frustrating!!!! gonna try ur method now
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StarStrider
•Good luck! The verification step was exactly where it was hanging for me too. Just be super patient and let each page completely finish loading.
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Zara Rashid
This is a known issue with the NY unemployment system during high traffic periods. Their servers get overwhelmed, especially on Mondays when most people are trying to certify. In addition to what the original poster suggested, I recommend trying during off-peak hours - early morning (5-7am) or late evening (after 9pm) tend to have less traffic. Also, use a wired internet connection if possible rather than WiFi, as a stable connection helps prevent timeouts.
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Luca Romano
•I tried at 5:30am today and it was STILL slow but at least I got through. this whole system is garbage, they know exactly how many people need to certify every week but won't upgrade their servers??? makes me so mad
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Nia Jackson
I had similar issues last month. What browser are u using? For me Chrome worked better than Safari.
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StarStrider
•I was using Firefox actually! Maybe I'll try Chrome next time if it's still running slow. Thanks for the tip!
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Mateo Hernandez
I've been trying for THREE DAYS to certify and keep getting kicked out!!! This is my first time on unemployment and I'm freaking out because I'm worried I'll miss the certification window and lose my benefits. Will they backpay me if I can't get through because of THEIR website issues??? My rent is due next week and I NEED this payment!
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CosmicCruiser
•Don't worry - if you're having technical difficulties certifying, you can request backdating when you do get through. Make sure to document your attempts (screenshots with timestamps help). You have up to 7 days after your regular certification day to complete it without penalties, and even after that, you can appeal if technical issues were the cause. Just keep trying using the methods others have suggested here.
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Aisha Khan
After spending 6 hours trying to get through to certify and then another 5 hours trying to reach someone by phone about a payment issue, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold all day. They have this system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me so much time and frustration! Their website is claimyr.com if anyone needs it - they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Sean Doyle
•is that legit? seems sketchy to use a third party service
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Nia Jackson
my cousin said if u clear ur browser cookies it loads faster too
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Zara Rashid
•This is good advice. Clearing cache and cookies can help resolve some loading issues, especially if you've accessed the site many times. Incognito/private browsing mode can also be effective for similar reasons.
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Luca Romano
Anyone else notice how EVERY SINGLE TIME they need to do site maintenance, they choose the busiest days?? It's like they WANT to make it hard for us to get our benefits. The whole system is designed to be frustrating so people give up. I've been on NY unemployment three times in the past 4 years and it's ALWAYS like this. Nothing ever improves.
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CosmicCruiser
•The scheduled maintenance is typically done overnight (2am-6am) to minimize disruption, but system slowdowns can persist into the next day. You can check the DOL's Twitter account for announcements about planned maintenance or known issues. They usually post updates when the system is experiencing problems.
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StarStrider
Update: I just tried to certify again for this week and it's working much better today! Only took about 10 minutes to get through the whole process. Maybe they fixed whatever was causing the slowdown.
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Mateo Hernandez
•That's great news! I finally got through yesterday after trying your method. Took me about 30 mins but at least it worked! So relieved!
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Ethan Taylor
I had this same problem last week but mine was because I accidentally had a VPN running in the background. As soon as I turned that off it worked fine. Maybe check if you have any VPNs or security software running?
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Nia Jackson
•omg this might be my issue!! I always have my vpn on, never thought about that causing problems
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Shyan Batsford
This would definitely good info thanks for the Post I've been going nuts wondering why the page keeps timing out now I know good luck everyone
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Carmen Diaz
Just wanted to add another tip that worked for me - if you're getting the "session expired" error, don't close the browser completely. Instead, open a new tab and go back to the unemployment site. Sometimes your session is still active and you can pick up where you left off. Also, I noticed that having multiple tabs open to the same site can cause issues, so try to keep it to just one tab. Hope this helps someone!
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Brian Downey
•That's a really helpful tip about the new tab trick! I never would have thought to try that. The multiple tabs thing makes total sense too - I was definitely guilty of opening like 5 tabs when I got frustrated and kept hitting refresh. Thanks for sharing this, going to bookmark this whole thread for future reference!
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NebulaNomad
Has anyone else had issues with the mobile version of the site? I kept trying on my phone during my lunch break and it was even worse than on desktop - pages wouldn't load at all. Finally gave up and waited until I got home to use my laptop. Seems like the mobile site can't handle the traffic as well as the desktop version. Just something to keep in mind if you're trying to certify on your phone!
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Yuki Ito
•Yes! I had the exact same experience with the mobile site. It was completely unusable for me - kept getting white screens and error messages. The desktop version is definitely the way to go, even though it's still slow. I think the mobile site just wasn't designed to handle this kind of traffic load. Good tip for anyone else struggling!
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Isabella Ferreira
This is super helpful! I've been dealing with the same timeout issues for the past week and was starting to panic that I'd miss my certification deadline. The tip about waiting for pages to fully load before clicking is gold - I was definitely being impatient and probably making it worse by clicking multiple times. Going to try this method tomorrow morning during off-peak hours. Really appreciate you taking the time to share what worked for you, especially since you know how stressful this whole process can be when you're relying on these benefits. Thanks for giving the rest of us hope that we can actually get through this broken system!
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