After You've Applied For Unemployment Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to file a new claim for unemployment insurance is through our improved online filing system. This is only for new claims.

Weekly Certifications

If you already have a claim, please go to labor.ny.gov/signin to make weekly certifications or to view your claim information.

Frequently Asked Questions

File your claim during your first week of total or partial unemployment. If you wait, you may lose benefits. You may not file for a week when you work more than 30 hours or earn more than $504 gross pay between Monday and Sunday. You must wait until the next Monday to file, if you are still unemployed.

To request credit for a period for which you did not file a valid claim, write to:
New York State Department of Labor
Central Support Unit
P.O. Box 15130
Albany, New York 12212
Your letter should include your:

We will investigate and decide if you qualify for benefits.

After you file your claim, we will send you a Monetary Determination. This letter shows your base period and the employers and wages used to determine if you have enough earnings to establish a claim. Review this form for accuracy. Be sure you agree with the amount of earnings reported. Check the list for all your employers. Do not return this form. Keep it for your personal records. NOTE: The Wage Reporting System does not show wages earned:

Thus, the initial Monetary Determination may not list them. If we fail to list an employer, job or earnings, fill out a Request for Reconsideration (found in the claimant handbook). We will use those wages to calculate your correct benefit rate.

If you have no pay stubs:
Send any documents you may have that we can use as proof
OR
Explain why you have no proof of earnings (for instance, you were paid in cash or "off the books").
If the information shown on the Monetary Determination is correct, you do not need to take any action.
If you do not qualify, the Monetary Determination will explain why. Check that the Monetary Determination form is correct. Fill out the Request for Reconsideration if:The wages shown on the form are wrong or
Your employment and earnings are missing
Send correct wage information for all four Basic Base Period Quarters and the Alternate Quarter. To speed up the review of your claim, be sure to include proof of your employment and wages, such as pay stubs that total the amount of earnings you list on the form for the time in question.

If you have no pay stubs:
Send any documents you may have that we can use as proof
OR
Explain why you have no proof of earnings.

You may read and print the UI Claimant Handbook.
We will review your Monetary Determination based on the proof you submit. We may contact your base period employer(s) to verify the wages paid to you in that time. If your benefit rate changes, we will mail you a revised Monetary Determination.

You should complete the Request for Alternate Base Period form only
IF
You already have a benefit rate using the Basic Base Period
BUT
Your "high quarter" wages are in the Alternate Base Period quarter
AND
You wish to request a rate based on the Alternate Base Period wages
(See your Monetary Determination for specific dates and wages.)

The Alternate Base Period wages shown on the Monetary Determination are not your high quarter wages or your weekly benefit rate is $504

Do not return this form

The Alternate Base Period wages are not shown on the Monetary Determination

Enter the amount you earned in the Alternate Base Period on the Request for Alternate Base Period form
AND
Attach proof of the total amount of earnings (such as copies of pay stubs) that you listed on the form for the calendar quarter in question
OR
Explain why you have no proof of your earnings

There is a deadline for us to consider you for the Alternate Base Period. Fill out the Request for Alternate Base Period form. The Department of Labor must receive your completed form within 10 days from the "Date Mailed" on the Monetary Determination.

Once wages are "used," they cannot be included in a future claim. If you choose to use the Alternate Base Period wages, you will not be able to use this employment and wages again. This may affect your entitlement to a later claim.

You should begin receiving a higher weekly benefit when you certify for weeks of unemployment. Additionally, you may be entitled to receive back payments for weeks you were previously paid at the lower weekly benefit rate. If you have not received your back payments within three weeks of receiving a notice from the DOL that your weekly benefit rate was increased, you can let us know by sending a message through the secure messaging system in your online account or by calling us at 888-209-8124.

To contact us about your increased benefit rate through our online system, log in to labor.ny.gov/signin with your NY.gov username and password. Select “Go to My Inbox” and then “Compose New.” Select “Payments Due After Benefit Rate Increase” for the subject line, compose your message with the dates you would like investigated, and then click “Send."

If you have not received your back payments within three weeks of receiving a notice from the DOL that your weekly benefit rate was increased, you can let us know by sending a message through the secure messaging system in your online account or by calling us at 888-209-6851.

To contact us about your increased benefit rate through our online system, log in to labor.ny.gov/signin with your NY.gov username and password. Select “Go to My Inbox” and then “Compose New.” Select “Payments Due After Benefit Rate Increase” for the subject line, compose your message with the dates you would like investigated, and then click “Send.”

Please wait at least three weeks before reaching out because your payment may still be in process. If you do not receive your payment, you can let us know by sending a message through the secure messaging system in your online account or by calling us at 888-209-8124.

To contact us about your increased benefit rate through our online system, log in to labor.ny.gov/signin with your NY.gov username and password. Select “Go to My Inbox” and then “Compose New.” Select “Payments Due After Benefit Rate Increase” for the subject line, compose your message with the dates you would like investigated, and then click “Send.”

First, finalize the base period and the high quarter wages to establish your rate. Then, we can reconsider your benefit rate.
To qualify for this recalculation, you must have:
At least 20 weeks of work in your base period
AND
Any benefit rate increase must be at least $5 more than your current benefit rate
BUT
Cannot exceed the maximum benefit rate (currently $504)

For each week you wish to receive benefits, you must request payment by claiming benefits for that week.
Before we can pay any benefits, you must serve an unpaid waiting period. This equals one full week of unemployment benefits. You must claim credit for your waiting week during the period that:

The waiting period extends into the next week if you:

Each week that you are unemployed, you must certify that you are eligible for payment if you want to receive unemployment benefits. Be very careful in reading questions and in answering truthfully. You certify that weekly claim on Sunday, for the week ending that day.

See the Guide for Claiming Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fact Sheet
WARNING: Use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or internet anonymizer service may cause problems with your ability to apply or certify for benefits. Turn these services off before accessing online services.
You may claim your weekly unemployment benefits:

Both systems are available in English and Spanish. The Tel-Service system is also available in other languages, including Haitian-Creole, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Polish, Bengali, Arabic, French, Italian, Hindi, Vietnamese, Urdu, Nepali and Tagalog.
If you use TTY/TDD equipment, call a relay operator first at 800-662-1220, and ask the operator to call the Telephone Claims Center at 888-783-1370.
If you are claiming weekly benefits online, you may do so:

An unemployment week runs Monday through Sunday. If you wish to claim benefits for a week of unemployment, you have from the Sunday date at the end of that week through the next Saturday to do so.
The first week of your claim is a waiting period and is not paid. Remember, you must claim benefits for each week and get credit.
When you claim weekly benefits, you must answer questions to certify how many hours you were ready, willing and able to work during the past week. The certification system only handles certification for one week at a time.
You cannot claim for a given week more than a week later either online or using Tel-Service. The system will not accept certifications for any back weeks or other periods of time. If you miss claiming benefits for a week during which you were unemployed, you can request credit for this week by secure message, fax or regular mail. Do not call the Telephone Claims Center to request back credit for a week.
To submit a request by secure message, sign in to your account at https://apps.labor.ny.gov/IndividualReg/ and click on the envelope icon on the My online Services page. To fax your request, send to (518) 457-9378.
By mail, send to:
New York State Department of Labor
PO Box 15130
Albany, NY 12212-5130

Be sure to include the beginning and ending dates of the time period for which you did not claim benefits and the reason you did not claim benefits promptly in your request. Also, include the last four digits of your Social Security number on the upper right corner.
We will review your request and decide if you are eligible to receive benefits for that time period. This review can take two to three weeks, unless we need more information. In that case, it may take longer. During this time, be sure to continue claiming benefits for all weeks you are unemployed and eligible for benefits. If we write or call you to request more information, please respond promptly so the review is not delayed.
When you use the phone or online systems to claim your weekly benefits, you must certify for yourself. Having someone else claim your weekly benefits for you is a serious offense. It can lead to severe penalties, including criminal prosecution and jail time.

NYS DOL’s new partial unemployment system uses an “hours-based” approach. Under the new approach, claimants can claim partial unemployment for a week if they work 30 hours or fewer and earn $504 or less in gross pay excluding earnings from self-employment. With this change, claimants’ benefits will not be reduced for each day they engage in part-time work and will be reduced in increments based on total hours of work for the week.
Partial benefits are available as follows:

If you earn more than $504 in any week, no matter how many hours you worked, you cannot receive benefits for that week.

Please note: If you are certifying for benefit weeks prior to August 16, 2021, you must use the prior guidelines, which can be found at on.ny.gov/partialui.

Yes, if you work 30 hours or fewer in a week and earn $504 or less, you may receive partial UI. When you file your UI claim:

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) are not like the Paycheck Protection Program because they do not have to be used for payroll. Therefore, you may be able to receive both an EIDL and unemployment insurance or pandemic unemployment assistance benefits.
If you are receiving an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, please note:

We consider you employed in any week when you perform any services for more than four hours total, whether this work is:

It makes no difference whether this work is covered employment or whether you are paid for that day. For example, work on a straight commission basis is still work. It does not matter that you may not receive the commission until sometime later. It also does not matter if you have not made any sales or received any compensation.
You must report all of the work you do, whether it is for:

You must report any activity that brings in or may bring in income at any time.
If you are:

Call the Telephone Claim Center and give all the details before you claim your weekly benefits.

You must report any activity that brings in or may bring in income at any time. If you are:

call the Telephone Claim Center and give all the details before you claim your weekly benefits.

Tell the Telephone Claims Center before you take any steps to start a business. Unless you are part of the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), these activities may result in the loss of unemployment insurance benefits. See more information on SEAP. The Department of Labor considers you employed if you operate or start a business:

We issue payments through:
A debit card
OR
Direct deposit into your checking account

Debit Card
The debit card lets you withdraw your benefits via an ATM or at a Point-of-Sale terminal. Debit cards are safer than checks. Only the Department of Labor can deposit money into the debit card account. For details, visit our Debit Card for Unemployment Insurance Benefits page. The debit card provided by the Department is free. We encourage you to avoid using third-party debit cards typically purchased at stores.
Direct Deposit
You may choose to have your weekly benefits electronically transferred into your checking account, if your bank has a direct deposit program. For details, visit our Direct Deposit Information page.

Do not respond to emails or text messages from unknown sources that ask you to disclose personal information, such as your:

This is a clear mark of potential fraud. NOTE: The Department of Labor may use DocuSign, emails and texts to communicate with you about the status of your claim. These communications will be clearly labeled as being sent from the Department of Labor. See the DocuSign FAQs.
If you think someone has compromised your account, contact:

Never tell anyone your PIN or write your PIN down where others can see it. As a safety measure, we also recommend that you reset your PIN often. You should also reset your PIN any time you think someone else knows it. To change your PIN, call the Telephone Claims Center at (888) 209-8124 and follow the menu options to change your PIN. You may need to speak with a representative. Call during the hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

First, see if we have released your benefit payment. Then, check to see if we deposited your benefit payment into your checking account or your debit card account.
For debit card users:
To find out if we have released a payment, log in with your NY.gov ID click on 'Unemployment Services'. Then, click on 'View Payment History.'
If we have released the payment:m check your debit card account by going to GoProgram.com, using the Way2Go Card mobile app, or calling the Way2Go Program Customer Service Line at (844) 649-9845

You will need your PIN.
For direct deposit users:
To find out if we have released a payment, log in with your NY.gov ID and click on 'Unemployment Services'. Then, click on 'View Payment History.'
If we have released the payment, check with your bank three business days after the payment release date to see if the payment is in your checking account.
If there is a problem on your claim, the Telephone Claims Center may contact you. Follow the directions they give you. If we have not credited your payment and the Telephone Claims Center has not contacted you in two weeks, you should call the Telephone Claims Center.

If your address or phone number changes, you must update your contact information with the Department of Labor. Your benefits may be late if you do not answer letters mailed to your address on record or do not report to an appointment.

The easiest way to update your address and/or telephone number is online. You can do this when you claim your weekly benefits.
You must also contact your bank (for direct deposit) to update your contact information.

You must be ready to accept "suitable" work while you collect benefits. Suitable work is work that you can reasonably do through your past training and experience. This means that you have to look for work in all your most recent occupations, especially if the chance of getting work in your primary skill area is not good. After you have claimed 10 full weeks of benefits, suitable work also includes: