When to file a new NY unemployment claim after finishing my benefit year?
Just certified for my final week of benefits yesterday. My benefit year is ending this week after receiving payments for the past 10 months. Wondering if I need to wait until next Sunday to start a new claim or if I can call the office tomorrow? I still need unemployment since I haven't found a job yet. Really don't want to have a gap in payments. Not sure if there's a specific process for continuing benefits when your benefit year expires versus starting from scratch. Anyone gone through this recently?
46 comments
Butch Sledgehammer
You need to file a new claim ASAP after your benefit year ends. Don't wait. If you're still eligible, you definitely want to minimize any gap in payments. You'll have to go through the whole application process again though, and they'll determine if you qualify for a new benefit year.
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Freya Ross
After months of trying to get through the regular phone lines and getting nowhere, I finally found this service called Claimyr that got me a callback from an actual human at unemployment. They call and wait on hold for you, then connect you when a rep picks up. Totally saved me when I was in your exact situation. The agent walked me through the whole reapplication process - talking to an agent got my money flowing again wayyy faster than trying to figure it out online. Check them out at claimyr.com or this video explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Leslie Parker
•Does this actually work? Seems like one of those too-good-to-be-true things 🤔
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Freya Ross
•Yeah it actually does. I was super skeptical too but i was desperate after 3 weeks with no benefits. They connected me to a real person in like 30 mins when I'd been trying for days on my own.
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Sergio Neal
•wait another company promising to fix the nightmare that is ny unemployment? i'll believe it when I see it lol
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Freya Ross
•they don't fix unemployment, they just get you past the phone tree hell. still gotta deal with the rep yourself but at least you GET a rep
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Savanna Franklin
•I'm so tired of these 'services' that pop up to 'help' with unemployment. The system is broken by design and no app can fix that 🙄
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Freya Ross
•i felt the same way but claimyr.com isn't trying to fix the whole system - they just help you get a callback instead of waiting on hold for 6 hours. was worth it for me when i needed to fix my claim
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Juan Moreno
You have to file a new claim as soon as your benefit year ends. Call them Monday if possible. You'll need to go through the whole application again, but you dont want a gap in your benefits. They'll review if you've worked enough during your previous benefit year to qualify for a new claim. Good luck, the system is a mess rn.
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Sara Unger
•Thanks for the info! Do you know if I need any specific documents ready when I call?
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Juan Moreno
•Have your employment history, social, ID, and any work you've done in the past year (even part time). They might ask for wage info too
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Amy Fleming
Wait a week. I called the day after my benefit year ended and the rep told me their system wasnt ready to process my new claim yet. Wasted 2 hours on hold just to be told to wait. The whole unemployment system is a joke fr.
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Alice Pierce
•THIS! Happened to me too. The reps dont even know their own rules half the time.
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Sara Unger
•Ugh that's exactly what I'm worried about. Did you end up having a gap in payments?
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Amy Fleming
•Yeah about 3 weeks with nothing. Then they finally processed it and I got backpay, but still had to live on nothing for those weeks
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Esteban Tate
Here's the ACTUAL correct answer to your question about ny unemployment. After your benefit year expires, you have to file a new claim. You CAN file online or by phone right after your benefit year ends - you don't have to wait for the next week. BUT... Here's the catch - if you haven't earned enough wages during your previous benefit year (usually need at least 10x your weekly benefit amount in new work), you probably won't qualify for a new claim with a new weekly amount. In that case, they might put you on something called "Extended Benefits" if you're eligible and if those are currently available in NY (they change this all the time). If not, you gotta look at alternatives like job training programs through the career center. The most important thing is to CALL THEM directly instead of trying to figure it out online. The website doesn't handle these transition situations well. I've gone through this twice now, and getting a human on the phone is essential. I personally recommend using claimyr.com to get through to an agent. I was pulling my hair out trying to reach someone until I found them. You schedule a callback and they connect you with an actual unemployment rep. Saved me weeks of frustration and got my benefits sorted in one day instead of waiting forever.
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Sara Unger
•Thank you for such a detailed answer! I'm pretty sure I didn't make enough during my benefit year to qualify for a new standard claim. Do you know if Extended Benefits are currently available in NY?
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Esteban Tate
•Last I checked, regular Extended Benefits weren't available in NY right now because the unemployment rate dropped too low to trigger them. But call and check - they might have other programs available depending on your situation. 👍
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•Not all heroes wear capes. This is the most useful explanation I've seen on here in forever.
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Elin Robinson
Don't listen to these people saying call right away. You technically CAN file a new claim as soon as your BYE (benefit year end) date hits, but here's the secret - their computer system updates on Sundays. If you file on Monday you're gonna hit bugs and the rep will probably tell you to try again later. Save yourself the headache and wait till Sunday.
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Atticus Domingo
•^^^^^ This is facts. I work in IT (not for unemployment) but all their batch processes run over the weekend. Monday is the WORST day to try to do anything with their system.
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Beth Ford
•disagree. i filed on a tuesday after my bye and had no issues. depends on the rep you get tbh
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Morita Montoya
Just went thru this last month, you'll get a message in ur account telling u to file a new claim when ur year ends. You can do it right away - don't have to wait a whole week. But dont expect it to go smoothly lol. Took me 3 tries online before I gave up and called. Then it was fixed in 20 min once I got a person.
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Kingston Bellamy
i filed a day after my benefit year ended and got stuck in pending hell for like 6 weeks 💀 The system is such trash
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Joy Olmedo
•omg 6 weeks?? how did you survive? i'm already panicking about a potential 1 week gap
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Kingston Bellamy
•credit cards and ramen noodles lmao. also had to borrow money from my mom which was humiliating at my age
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Sara Unger
•This is exactly what I'm afraid of 😱 Did you ever call them?
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Kingston Bellamy
•tried calling literally 50+ times. never got through. eventually it just randomly fixed itself
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Isaiah Cross
Call them ASAP! I waited a week after my benefit year ended thinking I was doing the right thing, and ended up with a 3-week gap in payments that I never got back. The system is designed to make you fail I swear.
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Kiara Greene
•💯 The system is 100% designed to discourage people from collecting benefits they're entitled to
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Evelyn Kelly
i swear no one who designed the ny unemployment system has ever been unemployed 🤡
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Paloma Clark
•Or they designed it badly on purpose to make people give up 👀
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Heather Tyson
•facts! it's like they intentionally make it as confusing as possible
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Raul Neal
•the whole thing runs on COBOL from like the 1970s, what do you expect lol
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Jenna Sloan
Been in your situation twice now. Here's what you do. First, try filing online right after your benefit year ends. The system MIGHT let you do it, but it often glitches. When that inevitably fails, you need to get on the phone with them. The problem is their phone system is deliberately designed to prevent you from talking to humans. After going crazy trying to get through the normal way, I discovered this service called claimyr.com that basically waits on hold for you and calls you when they get a human. Not cheap but worth every penny when you consider the alternative is potentially weeks without benefits. Once you get a human, ask specifically about filing a "transitional claim" since your benefit year is ending. They'll check if you've earned enough in your base period to qualify for a new claim. If not, they should be able to tell you what other options you have. Don't listen to anyone who says "just wait and see what happens" - be proactive! The system is designed to make you give up.
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Sara Unger
•Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to be proactive about this. Did you have to provide any additional documentation when you refiled?
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Jenna Sloan
•Just have your ID and social security number ready, and a list of any work you did during your benefit year (even part-time or gig work). The more prepared you are, the faster it goes.
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Christian Burns
what happens is the system was setup for normal times, not these crazy last few years. used to be most people would work enough during a benefit year to qualify for a new claim but now with covid and all that its a mess. ur gonna have to call cause the website cant handle complicated stuff
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Sasha Reese
I waited until Sunday after my year ended to file a new claim online, and it went through no problem. Got my first payment from the new claim the following week with no gap. But I think I just got lucky from what I've heard from others.
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Muhammad Hobbs
•you definitely got lucky. the unemployment gods smiled upon you that day lol
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Noland Curtis
•Wish I had your luck! I did the same thing and ended up waiting 2 months to get paid 😭
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Diez Ellis
Its different for everyone. Some people refile and get paid the next week, others get stuck in review for months. The system makes no sense. Welcome to NY unemployment roulette!
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Vanessa Figueroa
Pro tip: call your state rep's office if you get stuck in pending status after refiling. They can escalate your claim. Saved me after 5 weeks of nothing.
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Abby Marshall
•THIS!! My assemblyman's office fixed my claim in 3 days after I was stuck for a month. They have special contacts at unemployment.
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Sadie Benitez
•which rep did you contact? i'm in brooklyn and have been stuck for weeks
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Vanessa Figueroa
•Just google your district and find your assembly member or state senator. Either one can help. They all have staff dedicated to helping with unemployment issues.
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