Calling this number was a tale of two situations, as I initially had a pleasant experience with the automated system before following up with one of the worst customer service experiences I'd ever had.
When I dialed this number, I got a message saying that this was the information line for the New Jersey Labor Department and I would be able to get information through the automated system. If I still had questions after going through the automated system, I could speak to a representative.
I was first asked if I was an employer or worker, and I selected worker. I then selected general information about unemployment on the next menu and asked for information about how to apply for benefits. The system then offered me several options for information, and I selected how much I needed to earn to be eligible for unemployment.
The system told me I would need to earn $260 a week for 20 weeks or $13,000 in the past 52 weeks to qualify for unemployment. It further said that I would need to file a claim to get a final decision on whether I was eligible for unemployment. I then asked for information about how much I could receive each week, and I was told I'd receive roughly 60% of my weekly wages for the duration of my unemployment period.
The system continued to explain that the maximum weekly benefit rate for the calendar year of 2023 was $830. If my benefits fell short of this number, I could increase the amount that I received by filing for dependency benefits if I were eligible. With most of my questions being answered, I next opted to speak to a representative to ask how long I could get benefits for.
After a wait of about seven minutes, I was connected to a representative, who asked me to provide my name, Social Security number and claim information. Not wanting to give this information, I attempted to say I was only looking for information about how long I could get benefits for. She rudely cut me off and asked if I was a call-back number. I said no, and she asked how I had gotten to her and what numbers I had dialed.
I told her I'd hit 0 to speak to a representative, and she said again rudely that I needed to provide my name and Social Security number so as not to waste time. I hung up the phone, as she clearly was not going to provide any help without my having a genuine claim.
Overall, I thought the automated system was helpful, but the person on the other end of the phone was anything but. I get that she might be having a busy day, but that's no excuse for badgering someone who's looking for information and might not be ready to provide personal identification details. Based on this interaction, I wouldn't want to use this phone number unless absolutely necessary.
This is NJ Unemployment's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a NJ Unemployment agent. This phone number is NJ Unemployment's best phone number because 77,172 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 609-292-0695 include Problem With a Claim, Schedule Appointment, Make a Claim, Account Access, Find an Office and other customer service issues. The NJ Unemployment call center that you call into has employees from New Jersey and is open 24 hours, 7 days according to customers. In total, NJ Unemployment has 5 phone numbers. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to NJ Unemployment representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.
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