NYS Department of Labor - do you apply for unemployment where you live or work?
I'm really confused about where I need to file my unemployment claim. I live in Rochester but my job was in Buffalo - about 70 miles away. When I got laid off last week, I wasn't sure if I should apply through NYS Department of Labor based on where I live or where I worked. I tried calling but couldn't get through to anyone. Does anyone know the rules for this? I don't want to mess up my claim by filing in the wrong place.
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Edison Estevez
You file where you worked, not where you live. Since your job was in Buffalo, you file with NYS Department of Labor for New York state. The location within the state doesn't matter - it all goes through the same system at labor.ny.gov. Your employer paid unemployment taxes to New York, so that's where your claim needs to be processed.
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Jibriel Kohn
•Thank you! That makes sense. So even though I live in Rochester, I just file normally through the NY system since Buffalo is still in NY?
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
yeah its where you worked for sure, had the same situation when i lived in syracuse but worked in albany, still just filed normal through ny unemployment
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James Johnson
The key thing is which state your employer paid unemployment insurance taxes to. If you worked in Buffalo, your employer was paying into the New York unemployment system. You file with NYS Department of Labor regardless of where you live within the state. Go to labor.ny.gov and start your claim there. Make sure you have your employer information ready - you'll need their business name, address, and your dates of employment.
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Jibriel Kohn
•Perfect, I have all my employment info saved. Should I apply right away or wait a few days?
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James Johnson
•Apply as soon as possible. There's a waiting week anyway, so don't delay. The sooner you file, the sooner your claim can be processed.
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Sophia Rodriguez
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone too. If you need to talk to someone about your specific situation, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to unemployment agents. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.
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Mia Green
•Interesting, never heard of that. Does it actually work or is it just another service taking advantage of people who need help?
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Sophia Rodriguez
•It worked for me when I had an adjudication issue. Much easier than trying to call myself and getting hung up on constantly.
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Emma Bianchi
The whole system is confusing honestly. Why can't they just make it clear on the website where you're supposed to file? I spent an hour looking through labor.ny.gov trying to figure this out when I got laid off. Shouldn't have to guess about something this basic.
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Lucas Kowalski
just file in ny since thats where your job was, dont overthink it
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