UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at NYSDOL! They explained that I should have reported the training hours in the week I did them, even though I wasn't paid yet. They fixed my claim and explained exactly how to report going forward. For anyone in a similar situation: When you have a firm start date but are in a gap period, make sure you report any training hours during the week you actually did the training. And definitely call to explain your situation if the system flags your account. When I start my after-school job on 9/13, I'll need to report those hours each week, and my benefits will be reduced accordingly. The same applies when I start my driving job. Thank you all so much for your help! I was really stressing out about this.

This whole situation perfectly shows how broken the NY unemployment system is for people with seasonal or irregular work schedules. I'm glad you got it resolved, but it shouldn't take this much stress and confusion just to report training hours correctly! For anyone else reading this thread - definitely save it as a reference. The key takeaways seem to be: 1) Always report training hours in the week you actually do them, regardless of when you get paid, 2) Call NYSDOL immediately if the system flags your account, and 3) Be prepared to explain gap periods between training and actual work start dates. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in unemployment law just to collect benefits we're entitled to. But at least this thread shows there are solutions if you're persistent enough to get through to an actual human being!

don't bother with the mail lol... it'll take forever 😫 Either get through on the phone or find an actual office to drop off the forms. Phone is faster if you can get thru

OP, I just went through this nightmare last month! Here's what worked for me: 1) Mail your forms to the Albany address that @Natasha Petrova mentioned if you have the barcode forms - use certified mail with tracking. 2) Fill everything out in BLACK INK ONLY (learned this the hard way). 3) Write your claim number on EVERY single page. 4) Take photos of everything before you send it. 5) If you need to talk to someone urgently, I had success with Claimyr - got connected to an agent who expedited my case. The whole verification process took about 2.5 weeks once they received my documents. Hang in there, it does get resolved eventually! Also check your online inbox daily once the site is working - they send important updates there.

Hey Diego! I went through this exact same confusion when I got laid off from my marketing job last year. The "5 quarters" thing is super misleading - they actually only use 4 quarters to calculate your benefits, but they look at a 5-quarter window to pick which 4 to use. What really helped me was calling and asking them to walk through my specific situation. Since you mentioned you were in school for some of those quarters, definitely make sure they know you were working during that time. I had a similar issue where they initially flagged some quarters because I was taking night classes, but once I explained I was working full-time during the day, it was fine. Your summer internship should definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within the base period quarters they're looking at. That could actually help boost your weekly benefit amount significantly if it was good pay. One tip - when you get your monetary determination letter, go through it line by line. Mine had missing wages from a previous employer that I had to get corrected. Made a big difference in my final benefit amount!

Just went through this same process a few months ago after getting laid off from a fintech startup! The whole "5 quarters" thing threw me off too initially. What everyone's saying is correct - they look at a 5-quarter window but only use the first 4 of those quarters (skipping the most recent one). Since you mentioned starting work in September 2022 after graduating, you should have enough quarters of work history by now. Your summer internship will definitely count if it was W2 employment and falls within those base period quarters they're considering. One thing I'd add - if you had any part-time work during school (even just a few hours a week), make sure that's reflected in your wage history too. Every bit helps with the calculation. Also, don't stress too much about the online calculator giving you different numbers - it's notoriously unreliable because it doesn't account for all the nuances of which quarters they actually use. The good news is that tech workers usually have decent wages that result in higher benefit amounts. Just make sure to review everything carefully when you get your determination letter. Good luck with the job search - the tech market is tough right now but there are still opportunities out there!

update: just got my payment this morning! so it was just delayed by one day like the other person said. hope everyone else gets theirs soon too

Thanks for the update @CaptainAwesome! That's reassuring to hear. I'm still waiting on mine but feeling a bit less anxious knowing others are starting to receive their delayed payments. For anyone else still waiting, it might be worth setting up text alerts through your bank if you haven't already - that way you'll know immediately when it hits your account instead of constantly checking.

If you run into issues getting through on the phone to NYS Department of Labor (which happens a lot), I recently found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals when I needed to ask about my claim status.

Just want to add - make sure you're eligible before applying. You need to have worked enough quarters and earned enough wages. Also be prepared for the job search requirements once you start receiving benefits. NYS Department of Labor requires you to actively look for work and keep records of your job search activities.