What does an unemployment approval letter look like from NYS Department of Labor?

You'll receive a 'Monetary Benefit Determination' letter, either through your online account inbox or by mail. It shows your weekly benefit amount, base period earnings, and tells you if you're approved. The letter will have your benefit year dates and explain your job search requirements. Check your online account under 'Correspondence' - that's usually where it appears first before the physical letter arrives.

mine took almost 2 weeks to show up online, don't panic yet. when it comes it'll have all your benefit info and the amount you can collect each week

The approval letter is pretty detailed actually. It includes your base period (the year they used to calculate your benefits), your total benefit amount for the year, your weekly amount, and importantly - your job search requirements. Make sure you read the whole thing because it explains what you need to do to keep getting benefits. Also look for any issues that might require additional documentation.

I've been waiting 3 weeks and still nothing!! This is ridiculous, I can't even get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to find out what's happening with my claim. The whole system is broken.

The letter also tells you when to start filing your weekly claims. Don't start filing before you get that letter because the dates matter. My approval letter specifically said to begin filing claims starting the week of [specific date]. Also keep that letter safe because you might need to reference your benefit year dates later.

I just went through this process last month. The approval letter will show up in your online account first under "Correspondence" - usually takes 7-14 business days after you file. It's called a "Monetary Benefit Determination" and will clearly state if you're approved or denied. If approved, it shows your weekly benefit amount, total benefits available, and your benefit year dates. Don't worry too much about the 10 days - that's still within the normal timeframe. Just keep checking that correspondence section daily!

I'm also waiting on my approval letter - filed my claim 8 days ago and checking my online account obsessively! It's reassuring to hear that 10-14 business days is normal. One thing I noticed is that my claim status shows "pending" but there's a section that says "Issues that may affect your claim" and it's empty - is that a good sign? Also, for those who got approved, did your claim status change from "pending" to something else before you received the actual Monetary Benefit Determination letter?

I just got my Monetary Benefit Determination letter last week after waiting 12 days - it showed up in my online account under Correspondence on a Tuesday morning. The letter is pretty comprehensive and includes your weekly benefit amount (mine was $320/week), your base period earnings breakdown, benefit year start/end dates, and specific instructions about when to start filing weekly claims. One thing that caught me off guard was that it also included work search requirements that I needed to complete within 7 days of receiving the letter. Make sure you read through the entire document carefully because there are action items you need to complete to keep your benefits active. The good news is once you get this letter, you can typically start filing your weekly claims right away as long as you meet the requirements listed!

Just wanted to share my recent experience to help ease your anxiety! I filed my claim 2 weeks ago and got my Monetary Benefit Determination letter in my online account after 9 business days. It's a pretty official-looking document that clearly states "APPROVED" at the top if you're approved. Mine showed a weekly benefit of $298 (I was making around $48k), and it included all the details others mentioned - base period, benefit year dates, and work search requirements. The key thing is to check the "Correspondence" section in your online account daily rather than just the main dashboard. Don't stress too much about the 10-day mark - you're still well within the normal processing window!

I'm in a similar boat - filed my claim 12 days ago and have been refreshing my online account constantly! Reading through everyone's experiences here is really reassuring. It sounds like the Monetary Benefit Determination letter is what we're all waiting for, and 10-14 business days seems to be the normal range. I appreciate everyone sharing their weekly benefit amounts too - it helps set realistic expectations. One thing I'm wondering about is whether there are any signs in your online account that indicate your claim is being processed normally vs. if there might be issues? My status just says "pending" but I'm hoping that's normal at this stage.