What time does NYS Department of Labor unemployment system open for filing claims?
I'm trying to file my weekly claim but the my.ny.gov site keeps saying the system is unavailable. Does anyone know what time the NYS Department of Labor unemployment system actually opens? I've been trying since 6am and it's still not working. Really stressed because today is my certification day and I don't want to miss the deadline.
12 comments


Aiden O'Connor
The NYS Department of Labor system is usually available 24/7 for weekly claims, but they do maintenance on Sunday nights from midnight to 6am. If you're having trouble accessing it during normal hours, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser. The weekly claim filing window stays open until the following Saturday, so you have time.
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Sofía Rodríguez
•Thanks! I didn't know about the Sunday maintenance window. I'll try again in a few hours and see if that fixes it.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
same thing happened to me last week!! kept getting error messages all morning but it worked fine around noon
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Jamal Brown
If you're still having problems after trying different browsers, you might need to call the NYS Department of Labor directly. I had persistent login issues last month and had to speak to someone to reset my account. Fair warning though - their phone lines are super busy and you'll probably be on hold for hours. I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me through to an agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration.
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Fatima Al-Rashid
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. Did they charge you anything for helping you get through?
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Jamal Brown
•They do charge a fee but honestly it was worth it compared to wasting entire days trying to get through myself. Way less stressful than the usual NYS Department of Labor phone nightmare.
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Giovanni Rossi
The whole NYS Department of Labor system is garbage honestly. I've been dealing with claim issues for months and half the time their website doesn't even work properly. You'd think they could maintain basic functionality but nope!
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Aaliyah Jackson
•I feel your frustration but the system has actually improved a lot since 2020. Still not perfect but much more stable than it used to be.
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KylieRose
Try using the mobile app instead of the website, sometimes that works better when the main site is having issues
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Sophia Gabriel
I had the same issue this morning! The system was down for me until around 8:30am. What I've learned from dealing with this repeatedly is that if you're still having trouble, try accessing it through the NY.gov mobile app or try again during off-peak hours like late evening. Also, make sure you're using the correct URL - sometimes scam sites pop up in search results. The real site is my.ny.gov. Don't panic about missing your certification day - you usually have until midnight on Saturday to file your weekly claim, so you have plenty of time!
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Rachel Clark
I've been through this same frustration multiple times! The system tends to be most reliable in the afternoon/evening hours. If you're still having issues, try these steps: 1) Clear your browser cache and cookies completely, 2) Try using incognito/private browsing mode, 3) Make sure you're on the official my.ny.gov site (not a lookalike), and 4) Try a different device if possible. The mobile app sometimes works when the website doesn't. Don't stress too much about the timing - you have until Saturday night to certify, so you're not cutting it close at all. The system just gets overloaded during peak morning hours when everyone tries to file at once.
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Lucy Lam
•This is really helpful advice! I'm dealing with the same issue right now and will definitely try the incognito mode trick. It's so frustrating when you're already stressed about unemployment and then the system won't even let you file. Thanks for the reminder about having until Saturday - that takes some pressure off!
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