I just want to echo what Faith and Giovanni said about filing immediately - don't wait another day! I made the same mistake a couple years ago when I got laid off from my restaurant job. I waited almost a month thinking I'd find something quickly, and it cost me over $1,200 in benefits I could never get back. The guilt and regret was awful, but dwelling on it didn't help my situation. What helped was focusing on getting the process started and looking into other assistance programs while waiting for unemployment to kick in. Also, when you do file, don't get discouraged if the website is slow or crashes - it's unfortunately normal. Just keep trying and maybe use those off-peak hours Faith mentioned. The whole experience taught me that swallowing your pride and asking for help immediately is always better than waiting and hoping things work out on their own. You've got this Carmen - file today and start moving forward!

I'm reading through all these responses and feeling so much better knowing I'm not alone in this situation! It sounds like the consensus is clear - I need to file TODAY and stop beating myself up about the 6 weeks I missed. Thank you everyone for the practical advice about having documents ready, trying off-peak hours, and looking into emergency assistance programs while I wait for unemployment to start. Special thanks to Faith and Giovanni for the professional insights - the 2-1-1 tip and workforce development center resources are exactly what I needed to hear. I'm going to take a deep breath, gather my employment paperwork, and file my application this morning. Then I'll call 2-1-1 about emergency rent assistance. It's an expensive lesson learned, but at least I can still get 26 weeks of benefits going forward and there are other resources to help bridge the gap. Thanks again everyone - this community really came through with helpful advice when I needed it most!

last week i had to try like 8 times to get thru when claimin my partial hours they really need to fix there system im so sick of this!!!!!

I've been dealing with this same exact issue for the past two weeks! The system keeps cutting me off right when I try to enter my work hours. What finally worked for me was calling the main line (888-209-8124) at exactly 8:00 AM on Monday morning and speaking very slowly and clearly when entering numbers. Also, I learned that if you're working different hours each day, don't try to enter a weekly total - the system gets confused. Enter each day separately like: Monday 4 hours, Tuesday 6 hours, etc. Still took me 3 tries but at least I got through eventually. The whole system is such a mess but hang in there!

Just wanted to jump in and say I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now! Certified yesterday and it shows I already claimed but nothing in payment history. Reading through all these comments is actually really reassuring - sounds like this is happening to a lot of people lately and the payments are still going through even when the website is being glitchy. Gonna check my actual bank account now instead of just staring at the blank payment history page 😅 Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Wow, reading through all these comments is actually making me feel so much better! I'm literally going through the EXACT same thing right now - certified on Monday, system says I already claimed, but payment history is completely blank. I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong with my claim. Just checked my bank account after reading everyone's advice and surprise surprise - the money is actually there! 🙌 The NY DOL website is such a mess but at least the actual payments are still processing. This whole thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it seems like this glitch is happening to tons of people lately. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - super helpful to know I'm not alone in this! Definitely gonna start taking screenshots of everything from now on just in case.

I've been on NY unemployment for about 7 months and can absolutely confirm what everyone is saying here! The certification time on Sunday makes zero difference for when you get paid. I've literally tested this myself - sometimes I certify at 7am when I wake up, other times I'm scrambling to get it done at 11:45pm after a busy day. Always get my deposit Tuesday morning regardless. The batch processing system is exactly right - NYSDOL processes everyone's certifications together Monday night, so whether you're first or last on Sunday doesn't matter at all. The only delays I've ever experienced were due to bank holidays or one time when there was a technical issue on their end that affected thousands of people. For anyone new to this, don't stress about the timing - just make sure you get it done before Sunday midnight and you're golden!

I just started collecting unemployment about 3 weeks ago and this whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I was definitely overthinking the certification timing and stressing myself out for no reason. It's incredibly reassuring to see so many people with months of experience all confirming the same thing - that Sunday certification time doesn't affect Tuesday deposits at all. I had no idea about the batch processing system or being able to check payment status on Monday nights either. This community is amazing for helping newcomers like me understand how things actually work versus what we imagine might go wrong. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - it's going to make my weekly certifications way less stressful going forward!

I went through this same confusion when I first started collecting benefits. The exemptions show up in your online account under the "Determinations" section - they're basically waivers from certain requirements. The most common one is the work search exemption if you're temporarily laid off with a definite recall date. However, if your employer keeps pushing back your return date, you might lose that exemption status and need to start doing the 3 weekly job searches. I'd recommend calling the Tele-Center (though good luck getting through) or checking if there's been any change to your exemption status in your online account. The key is staying on top of it because if you lose an exemption and don't start meeting the requirements, you could face an overpayment situation.

The exemption notifications can be tricky - NYS DOL doesn't always send automatic alerts when your status changes. I learned this the hard way when my temporary layoff exemption expired without warning. What I do now is check my online account every week before certifying, specifically looking at the "Claim Summary" and "Determinations" sections. If you see any changes in your exemption status or if your employer updates their return date estimate, that's usually when the work search requirements kick back in. Also, pay attention to the weekly certification questions - they sometimes change when exemptions expire. I'd suggest documenting your exemption status each week (screenshot or write it down) so you have a record if there are any disputes later about when requirements changed.