What day do I certify for unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor?
I just got approved for unemployment and I'm confused about when I'm supposed to certify each week. My friend said it's Sundays but I thought I read somewhere that it depends on your last name or something? I don't want to mess this up and miss a payment. Can someone explain what day to certify for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor? Do I have to do it on a specific day or can I do it any day of the week?
12 comments


Sophia Clark
You can certify any day of the week, but your weekly claim period runs Sunday through Saturday. Most people certify on Sundays or Mondays after the week ends. The key is to certify for the week that just ended - so if you're certifying on Sunday, you're certifying for the previous Sunday through Saturday period. Make sure you're logging into your my.ny.gov account and going to the NYS Department of Labor section.
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Ryan Young
•Thank you! So I can do it Monday morning for the week that ended Saturday night? That makes more sense for my schedule.
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Katherine Harris
wait i thought you had to do it on sundays?? i've been doing mine every sunday morning and getting paid fine
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Sophia Clark
•You don't HAVE to do it on Sunday, that's just when the new week starts. You can certify any day as long as it's for a completed week. Some people prefer Sunday because it's easier to remember.
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Madison Allen
The NYS Department of Labor system is available 24/7 for weekly certifications, but I recommend doing it early in the week. If you wait too long, you might forget or run into technical issues. I always certify on Monday mornings - it gives me the weekend to think about any work I did that week and I can access my job search log easily.
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Joshua Wood
•This is good advice. I made the mistake of waiting until Friday once and the system was down for maintenance. Had to wait until the next week and it delayed my payment.
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Justin Evans
I've been having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about my certification schedule because my account shows some weird dates. After weeks of busy signals, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at NYS Department of Labor in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to explain my specific certification dates and fix the issue with my account.
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Emily Parker
•Never heard of that but sounds useful. The phone lines are always busy when I try to call.
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Ryan Young
•Thanks for sharing this! I might need to call them if I have more questions about my certification process.
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Ezra Collins
Just to add - make sure you're answering all the questions honestly when you certify. They ask about any work you did, job refusals, if you were able and available, etc. Don't rush through it or you could end up with an adjudication issue later.
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Zara Ahmed
Great question! I was confused about this too when I first started. The key thing to remember is that you're certifying for a completed week (Sunday through Saturday), and you can do it any day after that week ends. I personally certify on Sunday evenings - it helps me stay organized and I can review my job search activities from the week that just ended. The NYS DOL system will show you exactly which week you're certifying for, so you don't have to worry about getting mixed up. Just make sure you don't skip a week or you might have to call them to fix it!
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GalaxyGlider
•This is really helpful, thank you! I like the idea of certifying on Sunday evenings - that way I can make sure I have all my job search activities documented for the week that just ended. Do you know if there's a deadline for when you have to certify each week, or can you do it later in the following week if needed?
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