When can you collect unemployment benefits - NYS Department of Labor eligibility question
I'm really confused about when exactly you're eligible to collect unemployment benefits in New York. I got laid off from my restaurant job last month but I'm not sure if I qualify or when I can start collecting. I worked there for about 8 months and before that I had a part-time retail job for like 6 months. Do I need to wait a certain amount of time after getting laid off? And how much work history do you need to qualify? I've been putting off filing because I'm worried I don't meet the requirements and don't want to mess anything up with NYS Department of Labor.
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Yara Khoury
You can apply for unemployment benefits immediately after losing your job - there's no waiting period to file your claim with NYS Department of Labor. For eligibility, you need sufficient work history in your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters before you filed). With 14 months of work history, you should definitely qualify. The key requirements are: you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, able and available to work, and actively seeking employment. Don't wait to file - benefits are only paid from the date you file your claim, not from when you became unemployed.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Thank you! That's really helpful. I was worried I needed to work somewhere for a full year or something. Should I file online through the NYS Department of Labor website?
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Keisha Taylor
Yeah file ASAP because like they said benefits only start from when you file not when you got laid off. You'll need your social security number, employer info for the last 18 months, and bank account info for direct deposit. The NYS Department of Labor website walks you through everything step by step. Just make sure you have all your employment dates and wages ready.
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StardustSeeker
•This is exactly right. I made the mistake of waiting 3 weeks to file and lost out on those benefits completely.
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Paolo Marino
Wait I'm confused about the work history thing. I thought you needed to work for the same employer for a certain amount of time? I've been at my current job for only 4 months and I'm worried about getting laid off. Would I qualify for unemployment benefits or do I need to have worked longer at this specific job?
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Yara Khoury
•No, it's not about how long you worked for one employer. NYS Department of Labor looks at your total work history across ALL employers during your base period. As long as you earned enough wages from any combination of jobs during that time frame, you can qualify. The 4 months at your current job would count toward your total work history.
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Amina Bah
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I filed my claim last year. Spent hours on hold trying to ask questions about my eligibility. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you connected to real NYS Department of Labor agents without the endless hold times. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to verify my claim status.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Interesting, I'll keep that in mind if I run into issues. Hopefully the online filing process is straightforward enough that I won't need to call.
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Oliver Becker
•That actually sounds really useful. The NYS Department of Labor phone system is absolutely terrible. Always busy or you get disconnected after waiting forever.
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Natasha Petrova
Just file already! Stop overthinking it. If you don't qualify they'll tell you. Better to find out than sit around wondering. The worst thing that happens is they say no and you're in the same position you're in now.
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