How do you file a claim for Unemployment Insurance in New York?

You file one claim, then claim weekly benefits for each week you are out of work.

When to file

File during your first week of total or partial unemployment, meaning the first week you are out of work or your hours are cut. The Department of Labor warns that if you wait, you may lose benefits.

You cannot file for a week, Monday through Sunday, in which you work more than 30 hours or earn more in gross pay than the maximum benefit rate, $869 a week since October 6, 2025. If the current week is already over either limit, file the next Monday if you are still unemployed.

What to have ready

The Department asks for these when you file:

• Your full name, phone number, and full mailing address, including city and zip code
• Your Social Security number
• Your driver's license or other government-issued ID, or your employment authorization number if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Your bank account number and routing number
• For every job: the employer's legal name and address, its Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), its New York State registration number or federal ID number, your start and end dates, and your wage details
• Your DD214, if you served in the military in the last 18 months

Your W-2, or the record of employment your employer gave you, has the employer details.

Filing online with your NY.GOV ID

Your NY.GOV ID is your sign-in for the Department's online unemployment services. If you do not have one yet, create it on the my.ny.gov registration portal. Then:

1. Sign in at labor.ny.gov/signin and select "File a claim".
2. Enter your Social Security number.
3. Choose a PIN (personal identification number) and remember it: the Department asks for it every time you access your account.
4. Enter your mother's maiden name and note how you spelled it, because it becomes a security question for later sign-ins.
5. Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
6. Answer every question about your recent jobs accurately, including why you are no longer working. The eligibility guide explains the reasons for leaving that can disqualify you.
7. Certify for your first week, which means claiming benefits for that week.
8. Choose how you want to be paid if you are found eligible: direct deposit or a debit card. The weekly claims guide explains how your payments arrive.
9. Review your claim, edit anything that needs changing, and select "Submit".

Filing by phone with the Telephone Claims Center

Call the Telephone Claims Center toll-free at (888) 209-8124, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Department warns that because of enormous call volume, the wait may be considerable.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing and someone is helping you, have your helper call (888) 783-1370. If you use TTY/TDD, first call a relay operator at (800) 662-1220 and ask the operator to call the Telephone Claims Center.

If you file by phone, wait at least one business day before you create an NY.GOV ID for the online services.

Federal, military, and government workers

Former federal employees claim under Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE), and ex-military personnel under Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service Personnel (UCX). For federal workers, the Department advises:

• Generally, file in the state of your last duty station, which your most recent SF50 notice of personnel action shows.
• If a reorganization eliminated your position, select "Lack of Work" as the reason your job ended. If your dismissal notice cites performance, select the discharge reason for job performance, and see how New York treats a performance discharge.
• Gather the pay records you have, including your W-2, your pay stubs, and your SF50 and SF8 forms, to speed up your claim. After you file, send them through Secure Messaging in your NY.GOV account, or by fax to 1-518-457-9492.

Most state and local government employees who lose their jobs involuntarily may be able to collect benefits. State law makes one exception: anyone who held a high-level policymaking or advisory job without tenure, which the law calls a "major nontenured policymaking or advisory position."

After you file

Signing in to your account

Once your claim is in, you sign in at labor.ny.gov/signin with your NY.GOV ID to claim weekly benefits and to send the Department documents. Have the PIN you chose ready as well.

If you forget your username or password, or too many wrong tries lock you out, the weekly claims guide lists the self-service fix for each sign-in problem.

Your first days

Your first full week is an unpaid waiting week. You still claim it and must meet the eligibility requirements that week, as the weekly claims guide explains.

The Department uses ID.me to verify claimants' identities. If it asks you to verify yours, sign in only through its official ID.me page at on.ny.gov/id.me.

Your Monetary Benefit Determination comes in the mail and shows whether your wages are enough to set a weekly benefit. If wages on it are wrong or an employer is missing, send proof of your pay, such as pay stubs, 1099s, or a W-2:

• Online: sign in at labor.ny.gov/signin, open secure messaging, and select "Submit Documents", then "Submit Wage Documents". Use the subject line "Wage Documentation".
• By fax to 518-457-9378.

You do not need a form to send them, but adding the Request for Reconsideration form helps route your case to the right Department staff.

The date mailed on that notice also starts the 10 calendar days within which your request for the Alternate Base Period must reach the Department, and that base period may give you a higher rate.