First and foremost, apply as soon as you lose the job. State unemployment offices generally take 1-3 weeks to process your application, especially for the initial claim. The compensation will be paid from the week you applied and if you delay, you will lose the benefits prior to the week of filing. You won't be allowed to back-date your claims or claim the benefits for prior weeks.
New York Unemployment Compensation Eligibility Requirements
There are some basic rules for eligibility. Even if you meet some of these rules partially, you should still apply for unemployment because state offices make a reasonable attempt to process your claim, as long as you provide a good justification.
- You must have lost your job through no fault of your own. That means if you have quit job voluntarily you may not qualify for unemployment insurance. However, there are exceptions - such as working in hazardous or inhuman working conditions etc. to this rule.
- You must be willing and able to work. If you are physically disabled, you do not qualify.
- If you have received severance package when you lost job, you do not qualify.
- You must have earned minimum wage credits. New York State minimum weeks of covered employment requirement (employer must have paid unemployment taxes on your behalf): 24
- Minimum wages earned during the base period: $1600 in one of the calendar quarters in your base period. This amount may change every year. You can get get complete eligibility criteria and the benefits calculator from state website mentioned in the next section.
Prepare documents required to apply for unemployment in NY
- Your name, address, social security number and other personal details such as telephone number, email address etc.
- Dependents name, date of birth and their social security number.
- Details of your previous employer. For each employer, you need to provide
- Name and address
- Telephone number
- Start and end dates of employment
- If you had out-of-state employment in the past 18 months, you also need to provide the employment details.
- Reason you lost the job – it has to be involuntary to be eligible to receive benefits.
- Your job skills summary
- If you are not an US citizen, keep your alien registration number and work authorization. However if you are on a work visa such as H1-B, immigration experts do not advise claiming unemployment insurance.
Apply for Benefits or Claim Extension
You can submit your application for unemployment compensation online, off-line (by mail or by visiting local employment office) or through telephone. Online application is the quickest and most efficient option which will also be available 24x7, 7 days a week.
Prepare and submit your application online here
If you choose to file over phone, call the unemployment compensation services toll-free number at 1-888-209-8124 for New York State residents (or 1-877-358-5306 for out of state residents) between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. This is a toll-free call. If you choose to file your claim by phone, an automated voice will offer you the choice of filing in English, Spanish, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Creole, or "all other languages" (translation services will be provided). Listen to the choices carefully and enter the appropriate number on your telephone's numeric keypad to file a claim. If you have never filed a claim for benefits in New York State, you will be asked to create a Personal Identification Number (PIN). This will be a four-digit number that you must keep confidential. Hearing impaired individuals, who have Telephone Device for the Deaf (TTY/TDD) equipment, may file a claim by calling a relay operator at 1-800-662-1220 and requesting the operator to call 1-888-783-1370. Service at this number will only be provided to callers using TDD equipment.
If you are applying for unemployment extension in New York, make sure you check the latest rules. Many states are in the process of revising the rules to extend the benefits beyond the initial period. Also remember that IRS will tax your unemployment benefits pay.
All the major cities in New York including New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Mount Vernon, and Albany have an unemployment office location to process unemployment claims. You can visit the local office for consultation or to file for unemployment in person
Here is a video that helps you file NYUnemployent claims
Callers who are hearing- or speech-challenged or have difficulty using the telephone for any reason may also request that friend or relative assist in the telephone claim process. If you are a person with a disability who is unable to access the services without the assistance of another person, you may allow another person to assist provided you are present each time the services are accessed including the entry of the PIN. You will be held accountable for the actions of your agent and may be subject to penalties including forfeiture of benefits if you are not present when your agent accesses our services. Callers who are hearing- or speech-challenged or have difficulty using the telephone for any reason may also request that friend or relative assist in the telephone claim process.
If you currently live outside of New York State, but all of your work in the past 18 months was in NY State (including NY City), you must file your claim with New York State. If you worked in 2 or more states in the past 18 months, you must file your claim with one of the states where you worked, regardless of where you reside. You may be able to combine wages from all the states where you worked in the past 18 months, OR use only the wages earned in the filing state. Once you file your claim in a state where you worked, that state will advise you of all your filing options in order to receive the highest benefit amount.
Receiving separation-related payments, such as severance pay or vacation pay:
Generally, a claimant is eligible for unemployment insurance benefits while receiving separation-related payments. However, an individual will not be eligible for benefits if he or she continues to receive the full salary and exactly the same benefits that he or she received while working, with the understanding that the salary and benefits will stop if he or she becomes employed elsewhere. The employer’s payment of unused vacation accruals normally does not affect an individual’s eligibility for benefits.
Working part-time while receiving benefits: If you work less than four days in a week and earn $405 or less, you may receive partial benefits. Each day or part of a day of work will result in your weekly benefit rate being reduced by one-quarter. For example, if your weekly benefit rate is $100 and you work three days and earn less than $405, you could potentially receive $25 in benefits. If you work two days, you could potentially receive $50 in benefits. If you work one day, you could potentially receive $75 in benefits. Receiving partial benefits extends the length of time you may collect benefits until you receive your maximum benefit amount or until your benefit year ends, whichever comes first. If you earn over $405 in any week, regardless of the number of days worked, no benefits can be paid for that week.
Next steps
After you have submitted your application, you should actively look out for work because the benefits you receive will not be enough to cover your living expenses. The best thing to do is to take a look at your job skills and determine if you want to improve or learn new skills so that you can use this opportunity to revive your career. There are plenty of online opportunities to earn a living while working from home.
State Unemployment Guides
Texas Unemployment Benefits GuideNevada Unemployment Benefits Guide
Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits Guide
Missouri Unemployment Benefits Guide
California Unemployment Benefits Guide
Wisconsin Unemployment Benefits Guide
Michigan Unemployment Benefits Guide
NJ Unemployment Benefits Guide
Florida Unemployment Benefits Guide
Oregon Unemployment Benefits Guide
NY Unemployment Benefits Guide
Ohio Unemployment Benefits Guide
Utah Unemployment Benefits
New Mexico Unemployment Benefits
Tennessee Unemployment Benefits
Massachusetts Unemployment Benefits
Arizona Unemployment Benefits Guide
NH Unemployment Benefits Guide
Washington Unemployment Benefits Guide
Maryland Unemployment Benefits Guide
Kansas Unemployment Benefits Guide
Georgia Unemployment Benefits Guide
Illinois Unemployment Benefits Guide
Colorado Unemployment Benefits Guide
North Carolina Unemployment Benefits Guide
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }