What you need for unemployment - NYS Department of Labor requirements checklist?
I'm about to file for unemployment for the first time and honestly have no idea what you need for unemployment benefits in NY. My job ended last Friday and I keep seeing different info online about documents and requirements. Can someone give me a straight answer about what you actually need for unemployment when filing with NYS Department of Labor? I have my W2 from last year but not sure what else they want. Really don't want to mess this up and delay my claim.
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Clarissa Flair
You'll need your Social Security card, driver's license or state ID, and employment history for the past 18 months including employer names, addresses, dates worked, and reason for separation. Also bring your most recent pay stub and any separation paperwork like a termination letter. The NYS Department of Labor online application will walk you through everything step by step.
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Eve Freeman
•Thanks! Do I need the actual physical documents or can I just have the info written down? And what if I don't have my last employer's exact address?
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Caden Turner
just filed mine last week, you dont need physical docs just the info. for addresses you can look them up online or call the company. the hard part is remembering exact start/end dates for all your jobs
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McKenzie Shade
Here's what you actually need for unemployment in NY: 1) Your SSN 2) Contact info 3) Banking info for direct deposit 4) Complete work history for past 18 months including employer details and gross wages earned 5) Reason you're no longer working. The my.ny.gov portal saves your progress so you don't have to complete it all at once. Most importantly, file as soon as possible - your claim starts the week you file, not when you lost your job.
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Eve Freeman
•This is super helpful! One more question - do I need to provide proof of my job search right away or is that something that comes later?
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McKenzie Shade
•Job search requirements kick in after your first week of benefits. You'll need to keep a log of your job search activities and be ready to provide details if NYS Department of Labor requests it during your weekly claim.
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Harmony Love
I've been trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor for three days about my application and keep getting disconnected. The phone system is absolutely terrible. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a human being there? I have questions about my work history that I can't figure out from the website.
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Rudy Cenizo
•I had the same problem last month trying to reach NYS Department of Labor agents. A friend told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically calls for you and gets you connected to an actual person. I was skeptical but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI) and decided to try it. Worked perfectly - I was talking to a NYS Department of Labor rep within 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing. Definitely worth it when you're stuck.
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Natalie Khan
MAKE SURE you have EXACT employment dates and wages or they'll make you wait forever for verification!! I was off by like 2 weeks on my start date and it took them a month to straighten it out. The NYS Department of Labor system is so picky about details.
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Daryl Bright
thanks for asking this, i was wondering the same thing. good to know about the 18 month thing, i thought it was just the last job
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Ava Thompson
One thing that really helped me when I filed was having my bank routing and account numbers ready for direct deposit setup. Also, if you've had multiple jobs in the past 18 months, try to gather as much wage info as possible - even if you don't have exact amounts, having a rough estimate speeds things up. The system will pull your actual wage records from employers later for verification. And definitely file online at my.ny.gov rather than trying to call - the online system is way more reliable than their phone lines!
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