NYS Department of Labor how to pause unemployment benefits temporarily - is this possible?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now but I might have a temporary work opportunity coming up next month that could last 2-3 weeks. I don't want to completely close my claim since the work might not work out, but I also don't want to keep filing weekly claims while I'm working. Is there a way to pause unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor temporarily? I've looked through my.ny.gov but can't find a clear option for this. Has anyone done this before?
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Ava Thompson
You can't technically 'pause' your claim with NYS Department of Labor, but you can stop filing weekly claims during the weeks you're working. When you come back, you'll just resume filing weekly claims for the weeks you're unemployed again. Just make sure to report any earnings accurately when you file your next weekly claim after the temporary work ends.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
AuthorThat's helpful, thanks! Do I need to notify NYS Department of Labor that I'm stopping temporarily or just stop filing the weekly claims?
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Miguel Ramos
wait I'm confused about this too. I thought you had to file every week or they close your claim? I've been filing even when I work part time and just reporting the hours.
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Ava Thompson
You're thinking of partial unemployment - that's different. If you're working part-time, you do file weekly and report your earnings. But if you're working full-time temporarily, you just stop filing until you're unemployed again.
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Zainab Ibrahim
I did this exact same thing last year when I got a 3-week temp job! You just stop filing your weekly claims while you're working full-time. NYS Department of Labor doesn't require advance notice. When the temp work ended, I just logged back into my.ny.gov and resumed filing weekly claims. Your benefit year stays active, you just don't collect benefits for the weeks you're working. Make sure to keep track of your work dates though for when you file again.
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StarSailor
Did they ask you any questions when you started filing again? I'm worried they'll think something suspicious is going on.
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Zainab Ibrahim
Nope, no questions at all. It's pretty normal for people to have temporary work while on unemployment. Just be honest about your work dates and earnings if they ever ask.
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Connor O'Brien
This is so stressful trying to reach anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask questions like this! I've been calling for days about my own claim issues and can never get through. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to someone there?
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Zainab Ibrahim
I actually found a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to NYS Department of Labor when I couldn't reach them myself. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was super easy to use and I finally got to talk to an actual agent about my claim status.
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Yara Sabbagh
Just stopping filing seems too simple, are you sure that's right?? What if they think you abandoned your claim or something
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Ava Thompson
It really is that simple. NYS Department of Labor expects people to work when opportunities come up. As long as you're within your benefit year and haven't exhausted your benefits, you can resume filing whenever you become unemployed again.
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Giovanni Rossi
I was in a similar situation a few months ago! I had a 4-week contract job come up while I was collecting unemployment. I called NYS Department of Labor directly to ask about this and they confirmed what others are saying here - you just stop filing weekly claims for the weeks you're working full-time, then resume when the work ends. The agent told me there's no need to formally notify them beforehand. Just make sure to keep good records of your work dates and any earnings so you can report accurately when you start filing again. My claim stayed active the whole time and I had no issues resuming benefits after the contract ended.
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Natalie Khan
I've actually been through this exact situation twice in the past year! Both times I had temporary work opportunities while collecting unemployment - once for 3 weeks and another time for about 6 weeks. The process is really straightforward: you just stop filing your weekly claims during the weeks you're working full-time, then resume filing when the work ends. No need to call or notify NYS Department of Labor beforehand. Your claim stays active during the gap. The only thing I'd recommend is keeping detailed records of your work start/end dates and total earnings, because when you resume filing, you'll want to be accurate about any wages earned. Also, don't stress if there's a slight delay in your first payment when you resume - mine took about a week to process normally again, but that's typical. The temporary work actually ended up being great networking opportunities for me too!
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Sophia Gabriel
@Natalie Khan Wow, you ve'really been through this process multiple times! That s'so helpful to know it worked smoothly for you both times. I m'feeling much more confident about this now. Quick question about the delay you mentioned when resuming - was that just for the first payment back, or did it affect the timing going forward? I m'trying to budget around the potential gap between when my temp work ends and when I get my next unemployment payment. Also, I love that you mentioned the networking aspect - I hadn t'thought about that benefit of taking temporary work while on unemployment!
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Hunter Edmunds
@Natalie Khan This is incredibly helpful! I m'actually facing this exact situation right now - been on unemployment for about 5 weeks and just got offered a temp position that could last 2-4 weeks. Your experience with going through this twice really puts my mind at ease. When you mentioned keeping detailed records of work dates and earnings, did you use any specific format or just basic notes? I want to make sure I m'documenting everything properly so there are no issues when I resume filing. Also, did NYS Department of Labor ever ask you to verify the temporary nature of the work, or did they just accept your reported earnings without question when you started filing again?
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Freya Christensen
@Natalie Khan This is exactly what I needed to hear! I ve'been so anxious about potentially messing up my unemployment claim by taking temporary work. Your experience going through this twice really gives me confidence. One thing I m'wondering about - when you had that 6-week temp job, did you have any concerns about your benefit year running out or losing eligibility? I m'still pretty early in my claim only (been collecting for about a month but) I want to make sure I understand how temporary work affects the overall timeline of benefits. Also, did either of your temp positions end up leading to permanent opportunities, or were they truly just temporary gigs?
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NebulaKnight
@Natalie Khan This is so reassuring to hear from someone who s'done this multiple times! I m'in a very similar situation - been collecting for about 7 weeks and just got offered a temp marketing project that should last 2-3 weeks. I was really worried about how to handle this properly, but your experience makes it sound much more straightforward than I thought. When you kept those detailed records of work dates and earnings, did you just write them down somewhere or did you use the notes section in the my.ny.gov portal? I want to make sure I m'tracking everything the right way. Also, I m'curious about your comment on networking - did you find that the temp work actually helped you in your overall job search beyond just the immediate income?
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