What documents are needed for unemployment claim filing with NYS Department of Labor?
I'm about to file for unemployment benefits and want to make sure I have everything ready before I start the application on my.ny.gov. Can someone tell me exactly what documents are needed for unemployment filing? I got laid off from my manufacturing job last week and don't want to mess this up or have delays because I'm missing paperwork. I have my social security card and driver's license but not sure what else NYS Department of Labor requires.
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Mateo Rodriguez
You'll need your Social Security number, driver's license or state ID, and employment history for the last 18 months. That includes employer names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation. Also bring your last pay stub if you have it, and any separation paperwork from your employer like a pink slip or termination letter. The NYS Department of Labor system will ask for all this info during the online application.
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Nia Thompson
•Thanks! I have most of that but need to track down addresses for a couple previous jobs. Do I need exact street addresses or will company names work?
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Try to get exact addresses if possible - the my.ny.gov system can be picky about incomplete employer information and it might delay your claim processing.
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Aisha Hussain
dont forget about your alien registration number if youre not a citizen, that trips people up alot
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GalacticGladiator
I just went through this process last month. Besides what others mentioned, you should also have your bank account information ready for direct deposit setup. The NYS Department of Labor will ask for your routing and account numbers during the application. Also, if you worked for the federal government or military in the last 18 months, you'll need your SF-8 or SF-50 forms. One thing that helped me was calling my previous employers ahead of time to confirm their addresses and get any separation documents I was missing.
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Ethan Brown
•How long did your application take to complete? I'm worried about the system timing out if I don't have everything ready.
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GalacticGladiator
•The actual application took me about 45 minutes, but I had everything organized beforehand. The my.ny.gov system does timeout after periods of inactivity, so definitely gather everything first.
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Yuki Yamamoto
Pro tip - if you're having trouble reaching previous employers for documentation, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents when you need help with missing information. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it when I needed help getting my claim processed and couldn't reach anyone at the unemployment office directly.
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Nia Thompson
•Interesting, I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues. Hopefully I can get everything together without needing extra help.
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Carmen Ruiz
THE SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING!!! I filed 3 weeks ago and they keep asking for more documents. First it was my ID, then pay stubs, now they want some form I never heard of. Why can't they just tell you everything upfront???
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Andre Lefebvre
•What form are they asking for? Sometimes the adjudication process requires additional verification depending on your work history or reason for separation.
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Andre Lefebvre
Also make sure you have documentation of any severance pay, vacation payout, or pension distributions you received. The NYS Department of Labor needs to know about any money you got when you left your job because it can affect your benefit start date. This is stuff a lot of people forget about and then wonder why their benefits are delayed.
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Lucas Parker
One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you have your exact dates of employment (start and end dates) written down for each job, not just the months/years. The my.ny.gov system asks for specific dates and if you're off by even a day it can flag your application for review. I had to go back and correct mine which added weeks to my processing time. Also, if you had any union jobs, try to get your union local number handy as they sometimes ask for that too.
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