NYS Department of Labor deadline - how long do I have to apply for unemployment after losing my job?
I got laid off from my warehouse job two weeks ago and I keep hearing different things about deadlines for filing unemployment claims. Some people say you have to apply within a week, others say it's a month. I'm getting really stressed because I don't want to miss some cutoff date and lose my benefits. Can someone tell me exactly how long I have to apply for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor? Also does the clock start from when you got fired or from when you last worked? I had some vacation days that pushed my last day of work out a bit.
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Paloma Clark
You should file as soon as possible, but there's no strict deadline like a week or month. NYS Department of Labor allows you to file up to one year after becoming unemployed, but here's the catch - your benefits can only be backdated to the week you actually filed your claim. So if you wait 2 months to file, you lose those 8 weeks of potential benefits. The clock starts from when you became unemployed (lost your job), not your last day of work if you used vacation time.
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Evelyn Kelly
•Wait so I already lost 2 weeks of benefits?? That's like $800 I can't get back. Why doesn't anyone explain this clearly when you get fired?
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Heather Tyson
•Unfortunately yes, those 2 weeks are gone. But file TODAY so you don't lose any more. The application process on my.ny.gov takes about 30 minutes and you can start collecting from the week you file forward.
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Raul Neal
I made this same mistake and waited 3 weeks to apply because I thought I might find another job quickly. Lost out on almost $1200 in benefits that I couldn't get back even though I was approved. The NYS Department of Labor is really strict about the no-backdating rule.
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Jenna Sloan
•omg that sucks!! i'm filing mine literally right now, got laid off yesterday
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Christian Burns
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about your claim timing, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than sitting on hold for hours just to ask about filing deadlines and claim status.
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Sasha Reese
•The bigger issue is people not knowing they should file immediately. The unemployment system really doesn't do a good job of communicating these basic rules. Half the people I know who got laid off during my company's downsizing waited weeks to apply thinking they had some grace period.
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Muhammad Hobbs
Just file online at my.ny.gov ASAP. Don't overthink it. You need your social security number, employment history for the last 18 months, and your employer's info. The whole process takes maybe 20-30 minutes and then you'll start getting weekly claim forms. The longer you wait the more money you're throwing away.
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Edwards Hugo
•This is really helpful info, thanks! Just to clarify - when you say employment history for the last 18 months, does that include all jobs even if they were part-time or temporary? I had a few different gig jobs before my warehouse position and I'm not sure if I need to include all of them or just my most recent full-time employer.
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