What happens if i stop certifying for unemployment benefits in NY?
I've been getting unemployment for about 6 weeks now but I'm thinking about just stopping my weekly certifications. I might have found some part-time work but it's not guaranteed yet and I'm not sure if I want to deal with reporting the hours and having my benefits reduced. What actually happens if I just stop filing my weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor? Can I start them back up later if this job doesn't work out? Will they close my claim completely?
12 comments
Join the conversation
Vera Visnjic
If you stop certifying, your claim will go into what's called 'inactive' status after missing your weekly certification deadline. NYS Department of Labor doesn't automatically close your claim right away, but you'll stop receiving payments immediately. You can reactivate by filing your weekly claim again, but there are some important things to know. You'll need to report what you were doing during the weeks you didn't certify, and if you were working, you'll need to report those earnings. The job search requirement still applies even if you're not certifying.
0 coins
Mason Lopez
•So I won't lose my whole claim? That's good to know. Do I need to tell them I'm stopping or can I just not file next week?
0 coins
Jake Sinclair
You don't have to notify them that you're stopping, but be careful about the gap. I stopped certifying for 3 weeks last year when I thought I had a job lined up, and when I came back they made me explain what I was doing during those weeks. Since I was job searching the whole time I was fine, but if you're working you HAVE to report it when you restart or you could get hit with an overpayment later.
0 coins
Brielle Johnson
•This is really important - I know someone who got an overpayment notice for not reporting work during a gap in certification.
0 coins
Honorah King
wait so if I miss like one week of certifying does that mess up everything?? I forgot to do mine last Sunday and now I'm freaking out
0 coins
Vera Visnjic
•No, missing one week doesn't mess everything up. You can still file for that missed week, but you need to do it soon. Log into your my.ny.gov account and see if the missed week is still available to certify.
0 coins
Oliver Brown
The system is so confusing about this stuff. I've been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor for two weeks to ask about pausing my claim but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a way to actually get through to talk to someone?
0 coins
Mary Bates
•I had the same problem trying to reach NYS Department of Labor about my adjudication issue. Kept getting busy signals or hung up on after waiting forever. Someone on here mentioned this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to unemployment agents by phone. I tried it and actually got connected to someone at NYS Department of Labor within like 20 minutes. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Check out claimyr.com if you're tired of the runaround.
0 coins
Oliver Brown
•Thanks I'll check that out. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get some actual answers about my claim.
0 coins
Clay blendedgen
Just stopped mine last month when I started a new job. Everything worked out fine when I reactivated it 4 weeks later after the job ended. Just make sure you keep track of any work you do during the gap because they will ask about it.
0 coins
Chloe Martin
I was in a similar situation a few months ago. You can definitely stop certifying and restart later - your claim won't disappear immediately. But here's what I learned the hard way: if you do get that part-time job, you're better off continuing to certify and reporting the hours/earnings rather than stopping completely. NYS allows you to work part-time and still collect partial benefits, and it keeps your claim active. When I stopped for 5 weeks and then restarted, they asked a lot of questions about what I was doing during the gap, and the whole reactivation process was more of a hassle than just staying active would have been. Plus you maintain your job search contacts requirement even when not certifying.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•This is really helpful advice! I didn't realize you could work part-time and still get partial benefits. Do you know roughly how they calculate the partial payments? Like if I work 20 hours a week at $15/hour, would I still get something from unemployment or does it depend on how much my weekly benefit amount is?
0 coins