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UPDATE: Finally got through to someone this morning! You were all right - I needed to speak with a specialist about the certification discrepancy. Apparently, the system had my certifications but they were in some kind of pending status because of the previous identity verification hold. The agent had to manually release each week's certification one by one. She said I should see all my back pay (about $2,870) within 2-3 business days. Fingers crossed! Thank you all for your help.
Great update! This is exactly what happens with the certification reconciliation process. The UI system puts certifications in a special queue when there's been an identity verification issue, and they need manual release by a specialist. The 2-3 business day timeframe is accurate in my experience. Glad you got it resolved!
That's fantastic news! So glad it worked out for you. When you get that backpay, make sure you set aside some for taxes - they don't always withhold the correct amount on backdated claims!
Another important point: If you're waiting for a refund related to unemployment taxes but can't access your transcript online, you can request it by mail using Form 4506-T. It's free and will show if the IRS has processed any adjustments to your account. Takes about 10 business days to arrive.
Wait I'm still confused about something... are you talking about a NEW unemployment tax refund for 2025? Or are you still trying to get the old one from 2020-2021? Because those are totally different things and I haven't heard about any new unemployment tax exemption for 2025???
You're right to question this. There is currently NO unemployment tax exemption for 2025. The 2020-2021 exemption was a one-time pandemic relief measure. Unless Congress passes new legislation (which they haven't as of now), unemployment benefits received in 2025 are fully taxable with no special refund program.
Update: My cousin tried calling for hours yesterday with no luck. We're going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned above tomorrow. They already filed the unemployment claim online but haven't heard anything back yet. The company is now claiming they were fired for "poor performance" even though they've never had a negative review in 3 years. Is there any way to speed up the wage claim process? Every day without income is making things more stressful.
That "sudden poor performance" defense is extremely common in retaliation cases and actually strengthens your cousin's position. The timing makes it suspicious - no documentation of issues until immediately after they asked about wages. Make sure your cousin mentions this new development to NYSDOL when they get through. For the wage claim, request "emergency processing" due to financial hardship - there's a checkbox for this on the claim form that can expedite review.
Final update from our experience: Finally got through to NYSDOL using Claimyr - well worth it! The unemployment claim is now being expedited, and a wage investigator has been assigned to the overtime case. They said the sudden "poor performance" claim without documentation is a red flag for retaliation. For anyone else in similar situations - document EVERYTHING, file claims immediately, and expect the employer to come up with excuses. Getting through to a real person makes all the difference in these cases!
Dmitry Popov
I just went through something similar! I got approved end of December but nothing came through until Valentine's Day. So frustrating! I was checking my bank account every morning hoping to see something. When I finally got through on the phone they said something about a "pending review status" that nobody told me about. The system is so broken.
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Dylan Mitchell
I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned above after struggling for THREE WEEKS to reach anyone. It actually worked - got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes. My issue was similar - had the determination letter but no payments. Turned out they had a question about my previous employer but never bothered to tell me! Once I spoke to someone, I got all my backpay within 48 hours. The whole unemployment system seems designed to make you give up.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Wow that's fast! We're going to try calling ourselves one more time using the timing tips from earlier comments, but if that fails I think we'll try that service. At this point, we just need to get this resolved before we fall further behind on bills.
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