New York State is waiving the 7-Day waiting period for unemployment insurance benefits for people who are totally or partially unemployed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closures or quarantines.
The Unemployment Insurance hotline is experiencing intermittent phone issues and long wait times. You should use the DOL website if possible to file your claim and wait for DOL to contact you directly. Everyone who is eligible will get their benefits.
Visit the U.S. Department of Labor website.
Expiration of Federal Unemployment and Pandemic Benefits
On September 5, 2021, the following federal unemployment benefit programs expired across the country, per federal law:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
- Extended Benefits (EB)
- $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
- $100 Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)
Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits will continue to be paid to eligible claimants. To be considered eligible for UI after September 5, 2021, a claimant must be unemployed and be in the first 26 weeks (or 104 effective days) of benefits.
Claimants may reapply for UI benefits when they reach the end of their current benefit year. To be eligible for a new UI claim, applicants must have worked and earned enough wages in covered employment. Applicants who received no wages from covered employment during the past five quarters will not be eligible for a new UI claim.
Learn about reapplication options, job search resources and other assistance.
Tourism Worker Recovery Fund
The Tourism Worker Recovery Fund helps New Yorkers in the most impacted tourism and hospitality industry sectors who were on extended federal unemployment insurance the last week before those benefits ended and have yet to see their earnings fully recover. The New York State Department of Labor will issue one-time payments of $2,750 to as many as 36,000 qualified workers in tourism sector industries.
New Yorkers who are eligible will be contacted directly via text or email.
Learn more about the Tourism Worker Recovery Fund.
