I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Got laid off from my main job at a tech startup last month due to budget cuts, but I had quit a small evening tutoring job about 5 months earlier because it was interfering with my full-time work performance. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I was really stressing about those confusing questions on the NY unemployment form. It's clear from everyone's real experiences that the system is designed to focus on whether your primary income source was lost involuntarily, not to penalize you for quitting smaller side jobs. Based on all the advice here, I'm definitely going to answer NO to question 1 (since I didn't lose ALL employment due to lack of work) and YES to question 1a (since my main job definitely paid way more than $5040). It's so reassuring to see that so many people have been in this exact situation and gotten approved without issues. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it makes navigating this stressful process so much easier when you can learn from people who've actually been through it successfully!

I'm in almost the exact same situation! Got laid off from my main consulting job about a month ago due to client budget cuts, but I had quit a small freelance project about 3 months earlier because the client was being difficult to work with. This whole thread has been incredibly helpful - I was really confused by the wording of those questions and was worried about answering them wrong. Reading through everyone's real experiences has given me so much confidence that I'm approaching this correctly. Based on all the advice here, I'm definitely going to answer NO to question 1 (since I didn't lose ALL employment due to lack of work - I voluntarily quit the freelance work) and YES to question 1a (since my main job definitely paid way more than $5040). It's so reassuring to see that the system really focuses on whether your primary income source was lost involuntarily, rather than trying to penalize you for smaller jobs you might have left on your own. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it makes this whole process feel much less intimidating when you know what to expect!

The whole system is messed up if you ask me. Self employed people pay taxes but get no unemployment protection. Meanwhile people who worked traditional jobs get benefits. Makes no sense!

Ryan, definitely try applying if you had that W2 income from the community college teaching job! The key is whether you earned enough in covered wages during your base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 quarters). Even if your photography business was your main income, those W2 wages could make you eligible. The worst they can do is deny you, but you might be surprised. Just make sure when you apply that you focus on the loss of your teaching work rather than the photography business decline, since only the W2 employment counts toward eligibility.

As a fellow military spouse who recently navigated this process in New York, I wanted to share that you absolutely qualify for unemployment benefits! The PCS move definitely counts as good cause. When I filed my claim after our move to upstate New York last year, I made sure to upload clear copies of the military orders and wrote a detailed explanation in the separation reason section. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to keep a record of all your communications with NYS Department of Labor - save confirmation emails, write down reference numbers, etc. It really helped when I had questions later. The process was much smoother than I expected, and the weekly job search requirements are manageable even while you're still unpacking. Don't stress too much about finding the "perfect" job right away - focus on getting your claim approved first, then you can take your time finding something that works for your family's situation. Welcome to New York and good luck with your claim!

I just wanted to add my experience as a military spouse who went through this exact process when we PCS'd to Fort Drum from Virginia about 8 months ago. New York really does make it straightforward for military spouses! One thing that helped me was calling the NYS Department of Labor customer service line after I submitted my application to confirm they received all my documents properly. The representative was able to tell me right away that my PCS orders were clear and complete, which gave me peace of mind. Also, if you're worried about the job search requirements while you're still settling in, you can count things like researching employers in the area, attending virtual job fairs (there are several specifically for military spouses), and even taking online courses to improve your skills. The Fort Drum community has been incredibly welcoming, and there are actually quite a few spouse-owned businesses and remote opportunities here. Don't hesitate to reach out to the Spouse Club once you're ready - they have great networking events and job resources. You'll do great navigating this process!

This happened to me too! Turns out the issue was that I had entered my mother's maiden name exactly as she told me, but the system had it recorded differently from when I first applied. I had to go back and look at my original unemployment application to see how I spelled it initially. Sometimes we spell names phonetically but the official records might have a different spelling. Also check if there are any middle names involved - I was just using "Smith" but the system wanted "Smith-Jones" because that's what was on my mom's birth certificate. Good luck!

I just went through this exact same nightmare last week! Here's what finally worked for me: I had to call the technical support line (not the regular unemployment line) at 1-888-209-8124. They have a separate team that deals with website/system issues. The wait was still long but not as bad as the main line. The tech support person was able to see that there was actually a glitch in my account where the maiden name field had some invisible characters or formatting issue. They cleared it out and had me re-enter it, and it worked immediately. Might be worth trying the tech support route before spending money on those calling services. Also, try entering it in ALL CAPS - that's how they had me do it and it stuck. Hope this helps! 🤞

As someone who just filed my first unemployment claim 10 days ago, this entire thread has been incredibly valuable! I've already received 6 scam attempts - texts, emails, and even a robocall claiming my benefits were "under review" and I needed to press 1 to speak with an agent. What really surprised me was how quickly these scams started coming after I filed. It makes me wonder if there's something about new filers that makes us targets, or if they're just casting a wide net and hoping to catch people who don't know better yet. I've been following everyone's advice about bookmarking the official site, never clicking email links, and calling the real NYSDOL number to verify anything suspicious. One additional tip I discovered: I turned off auto-preview for text messages on my phone so I have to actively open texts to see their content. This gives me an extra second to think before potentially clicking malicious links. The community support here is amazing - it's clear that experienced members really care about protecting newcomers like me from these predators. I'm keeping a log of all scam attempts (thanks for that tip, Ezra!) and will definitely be reporting them. It's disgusting that these criminals target people who are already dealing with job loss, but at least we can help each other stay protected!

I'm brand new to both this community and filing for unemployment (just submitted my first claim yesterday), and I can't believe how timely this thread is! I literally got my first scam text this morning claiming to be from "NYS Unemployment Services" asking me to verify my account to "prevent delays in processing." Reading through everyone's experiences has been both terrifying and incredibly educational. It's clear these scammers specifically target new filers like me who might not know what official communications look like yet. The text I got had several red flags I now recognize thanks to this thread: - It came from a random phone number, not an official source - Asked me to click a link to "verify" my account - Used urgent language about preventing delays - The sender name was "NYS Unemployment Services" instead of the proper "New York State Department of Labor" I'm implementing all the protective strategies mentioned here: bookmarked the official labor.ny.gov site, saved the real NYSDOL phone number in my contacts, set up a separate email for unemployment communications, and started a log to document any suspicious messages I receive. As a newcomer, I'm genuinely grateful for this community looking out for people like me who are navigating this system for the first time. It's disgusting that scammers prey on people during already stressful situations, but threads like this are helping us fight back with knowledge and awareness. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and keeping us newcomers safe!