New York State Website

The TEL-SERVICE Line

The TEL-SERVICE Line lets you:

  • claim your unemployment insurance benefits;
  • find out the status of a payment,
  • find out about information on how to qualify for unemployment insurance;
  • find out how to file and what you will need when you file for unemployment insurance;
  • find out how much you can receive in Unemployment Insurance benefits and for how long;

Using the TEL-SERVICE Line:

You may call TEL-SERVICE Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until midnight or Saturday from 12:01 a.m. until Sunday at midnight. Calls made Sunday are for the week ending that day.

From a touch tone telephone or a telephone with a pulse/tone switch (be sure the switch is set to TONE before responding), call 1-888-581-5812 for New York State residents or 1-888-864-9920 if you live outside of New York State.The system will advise you to choose between the following options:

Option 1: Obtaining General Unemployment Insurance Information:

After pressing option "1", you will be given a list of options for general unemployment insurance information. These options include:
  • Information about qualifying for unemployment insurance;
  • How to file for unemployment insurance;
  • If you want to know how much you can receive for Unemployment Insurance benefits and for how long; or
  • If you want to know what you will need when you file for unemployment insurance.

Option 2: Claim weekly benefits or other claim services:

After you press option "2" and your Social Security Number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) have been verified, the system will ask you if you want to claim unemployment insurance benefits or inquire about the status of your payments.

*If you are a person with a disability who is unable to access our services without the assistance of another person, you may allow another person to assist provided you are present each time the services are accessed including the entry of the PIN. You will be held accountable for the actions of your agent and may be subject to penalties including forfeiture of benefits if you are not present when your agent accesses our services.*

Claiming your weekly unemployment insurance benefits:

To claim unemployment insurance benefits, say 'claims' or press "1".

After you press option "1", you will then be asked a series of questions to verify your eligibility for benefits for the prior week. Listen carefully to the questions and to the instructions for responding. The responses you speak or the numbers you press tell the system your answer. If you are unsure of what to say or which number to press, do not respond. The question will be repeated twice. If you do not respond by the third time, your call will be ended and you will have to call again.

The system will repeat your answers and ask you to confirm that your responses are right. If the information is incorrect, the system will advise you to say "no" or press "2". The system will repeat the questions again so you may correct your answers.

At the end of the weekly certification, if you say "yes" or press "1", you are certifying that the statements are true and correct and that you are not claiming benefits for any part of this week under another State or Federal Unemployment Insurance Law. The Law provides penalties for false statements.

Claiming Unemployment Insurance fraudulently or allowing someone to obtain benefits or access to your claim using your PIN, is a serious offense and can lead to severe penalties, including criminal prosecution and imprisonment. You could lose up to 20 weeks of benefits if you allow another person to use your PIN. You should never write your PIN or Social Security number on your Chase Direct Payment Card.

REMINDER - If you get disconnected or hang up the telephone before the system advises you that your claim has been entered for processing, you will have to call again to certify for your benefits.

Other Claim Services:

To inquire about the status of your payments, say 'payment status' or press "2".

After you press option "2", the system will provide you with up-to-date payment information. You may find out when your most recent weekly benefits were processed or hear a history of all benefits processed.

Please do not call the Telephone Claims Center to verify information provided by TEL-SERVICE unless the system tells you to. The Telephone Claims Center staff access the same computer data as the TEL-SERVICE Line.

Special notes about the telephone certification system:
  • YOU MUST MAKE THE CALL YOURSELF! Having someone else call for you could result in severe penalties.
  • When you call TEL-SERVICE, you will use the PIN you created when you first filed your claim for benefits either online or through the Telephone Claims Center.
  • NEVER TELL ANYONE YOUR PIN!! REMEMBER, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE AND LIABLE FOR YOUR CLAIM. Your PIN is your electronic signature for claiming and receiving information on your unemployment insurance benefits. Your PIN protects against another person certifying for your benefits or obtaining payment information on your claim.
    *If you are a person with a disability who is unable to access our services without the assistance of another person, you may allow another person to assist provided you are present each time the services are accessed including the entry of the PIN. You will be held accountable for the actions of your agent and may be subject to penalties including forfeiture of benefits if you are not present when your agent accesses our services.*
  • If you forget your PIN or if you think someone else might know your PIN:
    You may reset your PIN at Benefits Online Page after you enter your Social Security number and select the icon, 'Forgot PIN?', on the 'Enter your PIN' page. You may also call the Telephone Claims Center and select the option to reset your PIN.
  • If the line is busy, keep trying until you get through.
  • If everything is in order on your claim, your payment will be released within three business days after your call.
  • TEL-SERVICE can only process a one-week certification. You must request payment during the first week following the week you initiated your claim or on the Sunday at the end of the week that you are claiming.
  • If you have moved since last claiming benefits, you cannot use TEL-SEVICE to change your address. You may change your address by logging in at Benefits Online Page and selecting the icon to 'Claim Weekly Benefits'. You may also call the Telephone Claims Center and select the option to change your address.
  • When you get a job, you should claim credit for the last days you were out of work, then simply stop claiming benefits. Do not claim benefits for any week in which you work more than three days or earn more than the maximum benefit rate (currently $405).