What time can I claim unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I'm new to this whole unemployment thing and I'm really confused about the timing. When exactly can I submit my weekly claim? Is there a specific time of day I need to do it? I tried logging into my.ny.gov this morning around 8am but it seemed really slow. Are there better times to access the NYS Department of Labor system? I don't want to mess this up and miss my payment.
13 comments


Jade Lopez
You can file your weekly claim starting on Sunday at 12:01 AM and you have until 7:59 PM the following Saturday to submit it. The NYS Department of Labor system is usually less busy early morning or late evening. I always do mine on Sunday around 6 AM and never have issues.
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Arjun Patel
•Thanks! So I don't have to wait for a specific day based on my last name or anything like that?
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Jade Lopez
•Nope, that's not how it works in NY. Everyone can file starting Sunday morning.
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Tony Brooks
the system is always crashing during peak hours!! i usually try around 10pm on sundays and it works fine
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Ella rollingthunder87
I had the same problem when I started claiming. The NYS Department of Labor website gets overloaded during business hours. I found that filing really early (like 5 AM) or after 9 PM works best. Also make sure you're answering all the questions correctly - if you worked any hours that week you need to report them even if it's just a few hours.
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Arjun Patel
•Good to know about reporting work hours. I might pick up some part-time work soon so I'll need to remember that.
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Yara Campbell
If you're having trouble getting through on the website during busy times, you might want to check out claimyr.com. They have this service that can help you get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent when you need to talk to someone. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it when I had issues with my claim status and it saved me hours of trying to call.
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Isaac Wright
•Interesting, I've never heard of that. Does it actually work or is it just another scam?
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Yara Campbell
•It's legit - they basically handle the waiting on hold part so you don't have to sit there for hours. Worth checking out if you need to actually speak to someone at NYS Department of Labor.
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Maya Diaz
Wait I'm confused, I thought you could only file on certain days? My friend said she can only file on Tuesdays because of her SSN or something
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Jade Lopez
•Your friend might be thinking of a different state. New York lets everyone file their weekly claims anytime between Sunday 12:01 AM and Saturday 7:59 PM.
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Tami Morgan
Just make sure you don't wait until the last minute on Saturday! I almost missed my deadline once because the system was down for maintenance.
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Katherine Shultz
Pro tip from someone who's been claiming for a while - I always set a Sunday morning alarm for 6 AM to file my weekly claim. The system is super fast at that time and you get it done early in the week so you don't stress about forgetting. Also, keep all your work search records organized because they can ask for them at any time. The NYS Department of Labor takes that stuff seriously.
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