NYS Department of Labor waiting week criteria for unemployment - do I still need to file?
I'm confused about the waiting week requirements for my unemployment claim. I filed my initial application last Tuesday and got approved, but I'm not sure what the waiting week criteria means exactly. Do I still need to file my weekly certification during the waiting week or can I skip it? I don't want to mess up my claim by doing the wrong thing. My first payment is showing as $0 which I think might be the waiting week but I want to make sure I understand the criteria correctly.
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Debra Bai
Yes, you absolutely need to file your weekly certification even during the waiting week! The waiting week is basically the first week of your claim where you meet all the eligibility criteria but don't get paid. You still have to certify that week to maintain your claim status. If you skip filing, it could delay or mess up your whole claim.
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KaiEsmeralda
•Thank you! I was worried I might be doing something wrong. So I should expect the first week to show $0 payment but still file normally?
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Gabriel Freeman
the waiting week is so annoying tbh, like why make people wait when they already proved they're eligible?? but yeah you gotta keep filing or they'll think you abandoned your claim
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Laura Lopez
The waiting week serves as a one-week deductible essentially. You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, able and available for work, and actively seeking employment during that week. The criteria is the same as any other week - you just don't receive payment. Make sure you're logging your job search activities because NYS Department of Labor can audit those records at any time.
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Victoria Brown
•Wait, do I need to do job searches during the waiting week too? I thought maybe that didn't start until payments began.
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Laura Lopez
•Yes, job search requirements start immediately when you file your claim, including the waiting week. You need to make at least 3 job search contacts per week and keep detailed records.
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Samuel Robinson
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my waiting week. The phone lines are always busy and the website doesn't always have clear answers. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Made a huge difference in getting my questions answered quickly.
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KaiEsmeralda
•That sounds helpful! I've been trying to call for days with no luck. Did they charge you for the service?
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Samuel Robinson
•They do charge a fee but honestly it was worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain the waiting week criteria properly instead of being stuck on hold forever.
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Camila Castillo
just went through this myself last month - the waiting week thing is standard procedure. you file, you wait, you get paid starting week 2. keep doing everything normally and it works out fine
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