What do I need to do to get unemployment benefits in NY - complete beginner here
I just got laid off yesterday from my warehouse job and honestly have no idea where to even start with filing for unemployment. I've never done this before and feeling pretty overwhelmed. What are the actual steps I need to take to get unemployment benefits? Do I need to apply right away or can I wait a few days? Also heard something about weekly claims but not sure what that means. Any help would be appreciated - feeling pretty stressed about paying rent next month.
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Giovanni Mancini
First thing - don't wait! You should file your unemployment claim as soon as possible because there's usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start. Go to labor.ny.gov and look for the unemployment insurance section. You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license, and information about your last employer including dates of employment and reason for separation. The weekly claims thing means you have to certify every week that you're still unemployed and looking for work.
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Amara Nnamani
•Thank you! Should I gather pay stubs too or just the basic info you mentioned?
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NebulaNinja
Yeah definitely file ASAP. The process is pretty straightforward once you get started. After you file your initial claim, you'll get a determination letter in the mail telling you if you're approved and how much you'll get per week. Then every Sunday you have to file your weekly claim certification online - that's where you tell them you're still unemployed and actively looking for work. Make sure you keep a job search log because they can ask for it.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•how many jobs do you have to apply for each week? i keep hearing different numbers
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NebulaNinja
•It's 3 work search activities per week in NY. Can be job applications, networking events, job fairs, etc. Just keep good records of what you do.
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Dylan Mitchell
OMG same boat here! Got let go last week and still haven't figured out the system. This is so confusing and stressful. Are we supposed to register with the job center thing too or just file online? Also what if we made mistakes on the application - can we fix them later?? Really worried I'm going to mess something up and not get benefits.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Yes, you need to register with the NY job center (jobs.ny.gov) within a certain timeframe. And don't panic about small mistakes - you can usually call to correct information if needed.
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Sofia Morales
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone (which happens A LOT), I recently discovered this service called Claimyr that actually gets you connected to a real person. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I was stuck trying to reach someone about my claim status for weeks and this got me through in like 20 minutes. Might be worth it if you run into issues.
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Amara Nnamani
•Interesting, never heard of that. How much does it cost?
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Sofia Morales
•They focus more on the value than pricing details, but honestly after spending hours on hold it was worth every penny to actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor.
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Dmitry Popov
been there, it sucks but you'll get through it. just make sure you file right away and don't miss any weekly certifications or they'll stop your payments
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