What is identification number for unemployment - NYS Department of Labor claim setup
I'm trying to file my initial unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor and it's asking for an identification number. I've been looking through all my paperwork and I can't figure out what this is supposed to be. Is it my social security number? Some kind of employee ID from my last job? The my.ny.gov website isn't clear about this and I don't want to mess up my application by putting the wrong number in. Has anyone else run into this during the filing process?
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Diego Rojas
The identification number for your NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim is typically your Social Security Number. That's what they use to track your employment history and wages. Make sure you enter it exactly as it appears on your Social Security card - no dashes or spaces.
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Chloe Martin
•Thank you! I was overthinking it. Should I include the dashes when I type it in or just the numbers?
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Anastasia Sokolov
Yeah it's your SSN but some employers also give you a separate employee ID number that might show up on your last pay stub. Don't use that one though - stick with your social security number for the NYS Department of Labor application.
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Sean O'Donnell
I had the same confusion when I filed last year! The wording on the my.ny.gov site is confusing. It's definitely your social security number. Just enter the 9 digits without any formatting.
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Zara Ahmed
Wait I'm confused now too... I thought they might want my driver's license number or something? The form just says 'identification number' which could be anything. This is so stressful.
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Diego Rojas
•No, for unemployment claims it's always your SSN. Your driver's license number wouldn't help them verify your work history with past employers.
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StarStrider
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to verify this, I recently discovered claimyr.com which helps you actually reach an agent by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals when I had questions about my claim setup.
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Chloe Martin
•Interesting, I might check that out if I run into more issues. The phone lines are always busy when I try to call.
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Luca Esposito
just put ur ssn in there and move on, its not that complicated
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Jabari-Jo
I went through this exact same process a few months ago and can confirm it's definitely your Social Security Number. The NY Department of Labor uses your SSN to pull up your wage history from all your previous employers - that's how they calculate your benefit amount. Just enter the 9 digits with no dashes or spaces. Don't stress about it, you've got this! The rest of the application process is pretty straightforward once you get past that first screen.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Thanks for the reassurance! It's helpful to hear from someone who recently went through the same process. I was definitely overthinking it - good to know the rest of the application gets easier after this initial hurdle.
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Noah huntAce420
I had this same exact question when I filed my claim a couple weeks ago! Everyone's right - it's your Social Security Number. I was also confused by the vague wording "identification number" but that's just how the NY DOL system refers to your SSN. Enter just the 9 digits without any dashes, spaces, or other formatting. The system will accept it and move you to the next step. Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in finding that part of the form confusing!
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Natasha Volkova
•Thanks everyone for clarifying this! I was getting really anxious about messing up my application, but it's reassuring to see so many people had the same confusion with that "identification number" wording. I'll definitely just use my SSN with no formatting. Appreciate all the help!
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Mateo Sanchez
I just went through this same process last month and can confirm everyone here is correct - it's your Social Security Number! The NY DOL website really should make this clearer since so many people get confused by the "identification number" wording. Just to add one more tip: make sure you have your most recent pay stub handy too, as you'll need information from it in the next few steps of the application. The whole process took me about 20 minutes once I got past that initial confusion. Good luck with your claim!
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Omar Zaki
•That's a great point about having your pay stub ready! I wish I had known that beforehand - I ended up having to pause my application to dig through my paperwork to find it. The 20 minute timeframe sounds about right once you have everything organized. Thanks for the helpful tip!
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