Who do you call for unemployment issues with NYS Department of Labor?
I'm having problems with my unemployment claim and need to talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor but I don't know who to call. My weekly certification got rejected and I can't figure out why. The website just says to contact them but there's like 5 different phone numbers listed and I don't know which one is right. Has anyone actually gotten through to a real person recently? What number should I be calling?
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Isabella Santos
The main UI customer service line is 888-209-8124 but good luck getting through. I've been trying for weeks.
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Malik Davis
•Ugh that's what I was afraid of. How long did you wait on hold?
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Ravi Gupta
For weekly certification issues, you want the Telephone Claims Center at 888-209-8124. Best times to call are Tuesday-Thursday between 8-10am. Have your Social Security number and PIN ready. The automated system will ask for your claim details before connecting you to an agent.
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GalacticGuru
•I tried calling Tuesday morning at 8:15 and still waited 2 hours before someone picked up
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Freya Pedersen
I had the same issue last month with my certification getting rejected. Turns out I made a mistake reporting my work hours. After waiting forever to get through on the phone, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to a NYS Department of Labor agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much time and frustration.
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Malik Davis
•Really? That sounds too good to be true. How does it work exactly?
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Freya Pedersen
•You just tell them what you need help with and they handle getting you connected to the right NYS Department of Labor department. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Omar Fawaz
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE! I've been calling for 3 weeks straight and either get disconnected or told to call back later. How are we supposed to fix issues with our claims if nobody will answer the phone???
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Chloe Anderson
•I feel your pain, same thing happened to me
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Diego Vargas
If it's just a weekly cert issue you might be able to fix it online through your my.ny.gov account. Check if there's a pending questionnaire or something you missed.
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Malik Davis
•Already checked online, nothing pending. That's why I need to call.
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Giovanni Conti
I had success getting through by calling the 888-209-8124 number right at 8:00 AM on a Wednesday. The key is to call exactly when they open - I actually started dialing at 7:59 AM. Still had to wait about 45 minutes but that's way better than the 2+ hours I was waiting when calling later in the day. Also make sure you have all your info ready - claim number, SSN, PIN, and details about what happened with your certification. The agent was actually really helpful once I got through and was able to see exactly why my cert was rejected (I had accidentally put the wrong dates for a part-time job). Good luck!
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Emma Johnson
•Thanks for the detailed advice! Calling right at 8 AM makes total sense - I bet everyone else is calling later in the morning. I'll definitely try that tomorrow and have all my paperwork ready. Did they fix your certification issue right away during that call or did you have to wait for it to process?
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Miles Hammonds
•This is super helpful! I'm going to set my alarm for 7:55 AM and try calling right when they open. Did you have to go through the whole automated system first or were you able to get transferred to an agent pretty quickly once you got through?
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Jamal Brown
•@Giovanni Conti This is exactly the kind of specific advice I needed! I ve'been calling randomly throughout the day and getting nowhere. Setting my alarm now to call right at 8 AM tomorrow. Quick question - when you say you started dialing at 7:59, did you just keep hitting redial until it went through at 8, or did you wait until exactly 8:00 to press send?
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Keisha Robinson
•@Giovanni Conti Thank you so much for this! I ve'been struggling with the same issue for over a week now. One more question - did you use a landline or cell phone? I ve'heard some people say landlines get through faster but I m'not sure if that s'actually true or just a myth. Also, when the agent helped you identify the wrong dates issue, were they able to fix it immediately or did you have to resubmit your certification?
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