New York unemployment system will be down, payments delayed in early November

Name: Hotel and Gaming Trades Council
Address: 707 8th Avenue (between 44th & 45th Streets), New York, New York, 10036, US
Telephone: (212) 245-8100
Price range: $

October 5, 2026

The New York State Department of Labor has announced that the unemployment insurance system will be upgraded and down for maintenance this November. The upgrade will begin on Monday, November 2nd, 2026 at 5PM and is expected to take 9-12 days.

Plan ahead

During this time, the unemployment system will be unavailable and new claims and weekly certifications will not be accepted or paid out. Unemployment payments will be delayed. Once the system is back up, workers will be able to file or certify for all payments for the period that the system was down.

What to expect

The week of October 26th – November 1st

Anyone who needs to file/certify for unemployment for the week of Monday, October 26th – Sunday, November 1st should do so before Monday, November 2nd at 5PM. If you miss this deadline, you will be able to backdate your claim once the new system is up.

The week of November 2nd – November 8th

The unemployment insurance system will be down this entire week. Once the new system is up, you will be able to file or certify for any payments for this week.

The week of November 9th – November 15th

The unemployment insurance system is expected to be back up sometime between Wednesday, November 11th – Saturday, November 14th. Once the new system is up, you will be able to file or certify for any payments due to you for the period the system was unavailable.

Job search activities in the new system

The new unemployment insurance system will require you to provide more specifics about the three required job search activities that you do each week. You should keep track of your job search activities while the system is down to avoid difficulties with your certifications.

Stay tuned

For more information, please visit the New York Department of Labor’s website here. Please note that the Department of Labor’s claim support will be unavailable while the system is down. The union will update our website when the unemployment insurance system has been restored.