ok no joke every1 in my friend group who got laid off recently had their claims stuck at some point. the ONLY way to get it fixed is to talk to a human. i was lucky and got thru after 2 days of calling but my roommate used claimyr.com and said it worked great.

Hey Keisha! I went through the exact same thing last month - that "accepted" status had me refreshing my account like crazy! In my case, it took about 6 days after acceptance to see my actual benefit amount show up. They'll post a "Monetary Determination" letter in your online account that breaks down your weekly benefit amount and total benefits available. You should get an email notification when it's ready to view. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking when you're trying to budget, but it sounds like you're on the right track. Just keep certifying weekly in the meantime and checking your account daily. Fingers crossed yours comes through quickly! 🤞

Don't forget about the work availability requirement too. You need to be able and available for work each week. If you go on vacation or have any period where you can't work, you need to mark that on your weekly claim or you could be committing fraud.

Also want to add - make sure you understand the difference between "able to work" and "available for work". Able means you're physically and mentally capable of working, while available means you're not doing anything that would prevent you from accepting a job if offered (like being enrolled in full-time school during business hours). I learned this the hard way when I had to explain why I was taking a morning class. Keep documentation of everything and when in doubt, always err on the side of over-reporting rather than under-reporting!

did u try 2 stay at the job longer? sometimes if u quit too early they say its ur fault

I went through something similar last year! The good news is that with your steady employment through November 2024, you should definitely qualify for a new claim with a decent benefit amount. A few tips from my experience: 1) File online as soon as possible - don't wait, 2) Have all your employment documentation ready including your separation notice from the 3-week job, 3) Be prepared for the ID.me verification again (it's annoying but faster the second time), and 4) When you get to the employment history section, list ALL your jobs including that 3-week position. The system will automatically calculate your base period wages from your longer employment history. With a $62k salary through November, you're likely looking at a much better benefit rate than you'd expect from just 3 weeks of work. Hang in there - you've got this!

CALL THEM!!!! Don't rely on online advice (including mine lol). Every situation is different, and backdating is decided case by case. But you HAVE to talk to someone. The website won't let you backdate on your own.

Hey Shelby, I was in almost the exact same situation a few months back. Lost my job in August and didn't file until October because I was convinced I'd land something quickly. Turns out that was a costly mistake! When I finally got through to someone (took forever on hold), they were able to backdate my claim by 4 weeks, which seems to be pretty standard. The agent told me that while "I thought I'd find work quickly" isn't considered "good cause," they still have some discretion for shorter backdates. My advice: call them ASAP and be honest about your situation. Don't embellish or make up reasons - just explain that you're new to unemployment and didn't realize you should file immediately. Sometimes being straightforward works better than trying to find loopholes. Also, make sure you're filing your weekly certifications correctly going forward. The last thing you want is to deal with overpayment issues on top of everything else. Good luck - I know how stressful this whole process is!

For someone at your income level ($65k), the 10% federal withholding should be pretty close to what you'll owe. At $504 weekly that's about $50.40 withheld per week. Since unemployment benefits are taxed as ordinary income, you'd likely be in the 22% marginal bracket, but remember that's only on the unemployment income portion. The 10% withholding plus any taxes from other income/jobs should keep you from owing too much. You can always adjust it later if you find a job quickly or if your situation changes. I'd definitely recommend starting with the 10% - it's much better than getting hit with a big tax bill next April!

Just wanted to add that you can also check your withholding amount on each payment stub when you get your unemployment benefits deposited. The NYS Department of Labor will show exactly how much was withheld for federal taxes, so you can keep track throughout the year and see if you need to make any adjustments. I started with 10% withholding and it worked out perfectly for my situation - ended up getting a small refund instead of owing anything. Also worth noting that if you do find work before the year is up, you might want to adjust your W-4 at your new job to account for any under-withholding from the unemployment period.