NYS Department of Labor waiting week unemployment - do I still have to serve one?
I just filed my first unemployment claim last week and I'm trying to figure out if there's still a waiting week requirement in New York. I keep seeing conflicting information online about whether NYS Department of Labor still makes you wait a week before getting benefits. My claim was approved but I haven't received any payments yet and it's been 10 days since I filed. Is this normal or should I be worried? I really need to know what to expect because I have rent due next week.
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Grace Patel
New York eliminated the waiting week requirement back in 2020. If your claim was approved, you should start receiving benefits for the first week you were eligible. The delay you're experiencing is probably just processing time - first payments usually take 2-3 weeks after approval. Make sure you're filing your weekly claims on time.
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Charlie Yang
•Thanks! I have been doing my weekly claims religiously. So there's definitely no waiting week anymore? That's a relief.
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ApolloJackson
yeah no waiting week in NY anymore thank god. that was such a stupid policy anyway, like people need money immediately when they lose their job not a week later
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Isabella Russo
The waiting week elimination was one of the better changes they made during COVID that actually stuck around. However, if you're not seeing any payment activity after 2+ weeks, I'd recommend calling NYS Department of Labor to check your claim status. Sometimes there are hidden issues that don't show up in your online account. I had a similar situation where my claim looked fine online but there was actually an adjudication issue that delayed everything by a month.
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Charlie Yang
•How did you manage to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor? I've tried calling multiple times but always get disconnected after being on hold forever.
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Rajiv Kumar
•I had the same problem with calling until someone told me about Claimyr. It's a service that helps you get through to actual NYS Department of Labor agents - you can check it out at claimyr.com. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration trying to call myself.
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Aria Washington
Wait I thought there was still a waiting week? I applied for unemployment last year and I swear I had to wait. Maybe I'm misremembering though, it was a stressful time
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Grace Patel
•You might be thinking of a different delay. Sometimes people confuse the waiting week with the initial processing time, or you might have had an adjudication issue that caused a delay.
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Liam O'Reilly
OMG I'm so glad you asked this question! I've been freaking out about the same thing. Just lost my job at a restaurant downtown and filed last Friday. Been googling constantly trying to figure out if I'd have to wait a whole week with no income. This thread is so helpful - I was about to panic.
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Evelyn Kelly
•I totally get that panic feeling! Restaurant work can be so unpredictable with layoffs. Just make sure you keep filing your weekly certifications even while you're waiting for that first payment - you don't want to miss any weeks. The system will backpay you once everything processes. Hang in there!
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James Johnson
Just wanted to confirm what others have said - NY definitely eliminated the waiting week back in March 2020 and it's been permanent since then. I went through this process about 6 months ago and got paid starting from my first eligible week. The 10 days you've waited is totally normal for initial processing. NYS DOL usually takes 2-3 weeks for that first payment to hit your account, especially if you're doing direct deposit setup for the first time. Keep doing those weekly certifications and you should see movement soon. If it goes past 3 weeks total, that's when I'd start making some calls.
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