File ASAP! I made the same mistake thinking I'd bounce back quickly. The job market is tougher than it looks right now. At least with UI you'll have some income while you search. Just make sure you understand the job search requirements - you have to apply to a certain number of jobs each week and keep records.

Don't beat yourself up about waiting - lots of people think they'll find work quickly and end up in the same boat. The important thing is to file now before you lose any more potential benefits. When you apply, make sure you have your employment history for the past 18 months ready, including dates, employer info, and reason for separation. Also be prepared for the initial application to take some time - it's pretty thorough but worth doing carefully to avoid delays later.

Just went through this myself - my benefits ended exactly at 26 weeks. Make sure you file your final weekly claim even if it shows 0 days remaining, sometimes there are small adjustments. Also start preparing now for what you'll do after benefits end. The job search pressure definitely increases when you're getting close to the deadline.

@Zainab Yusuf - I'm currently at week 20 myself so I understand the anxiety! One thing that really helped me was calling my local One-Stop Career Center. They have counselors who can help you prepare for when benefits end and sometimes know about programs or temporary assistance that might bridge the gap. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you're signed up for job alerts on multiple platforms so you're not missing any opportunities in these final weeks. The countdown is stressful but you've got this!

Just to add some clarity here - while you do have up to one year to file your initial claim in NY, there are some important things to keep in mind. If you're eligible for benefits, you'll typically receive payments for up to 26 weeks (though this can vary based on economic conditions). The key thing is that your benefit year starts when you file, not when you lost your job. So if you wait 6 weeks to file like you did, you're essentially losing 6 weeks of potential benefits. Also make sure you have all your employment information ready when you file - previous employer details, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc. The process isn't as overwhelming as it seems once you get started!

I'm in a similar situation - got laid off about 4 weeks ago and have been procrastinating on filing. Reading all these responses is really motivating me to just bite the bullet and do it this week! It sounds like the online application through my.ny.gov is the way to go. Quick question though - when you file, do you need to already be actively job searching or can you start looking after you submit your claim? I've been doing some casual browsing but haven't really ramped up my search yet.

just got my back pay too!! 5 weeks worth came through yesterday, definitely helped catch up on bills

Just wanted to add that when you get your back pay, make sure to double check the dates and amounts against your claim history. I got mine last month but there was an error where they counted one week twice and missed another week entirely. Had to call and get it sorted out, but they fixed it pretty quickly once I got through to someone. Also worth noting that if you had any part-time work during those waiting weeks, they'll calculate the back pay with those earnings deducted, so don't be surprised if it's less than your full weekly benefit amount times the number of weeks.

Omg are you me??? This LITERALLY just happened to me last week! I freaked out but then my payment came through normally anyway. I think its just the system being glitchy af as usual.

Hey! I went through something similar a few months ago. The system randomly flagged me as "working" when I definitely wasn't. Turns out it was because I had done a one-time freelance gig like 6 months earlier and somehow the system got confused about the dates. Even though you said you haven't worked at all, double-check if there's ANY income from anywhere - even like selling something on Facebook Marketplace or getting paid back for something. Sometimes the system picks up on weird stuff. But honestly, if you were able to certify and answered truthfully, you'll probably get paid normally. The NY system is notorious for these random glitches that fix themselves. Just keep screenshots of everything in case you need to prove what happened later!