Ok everyone, I FINALLY got through this morning at 8:02am! The wait was only 17 minutes instead of 2+ hours. The issue was that they needed additional verification for my identity (exactly what you mentioned @user7). They're sending me a link to upload documents. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

Congrats on getting through @Maya! That's such a relief after all that frustration. For anyone else still struggling - I've had success with the early morning strategy too. Also wanted to add that if you're dealing with identity verification issues, make sure your documents are recent (within the last 6 months) and that all text is clearly readable. I had to resubmit mine twice because the first photos were too blurry. The whole process took about 10 business days once I got the documents right.

Just wanted to jump in here since I'm going through the exact same thing! Missed my career appointment about a week and a half ago, went back to make it up 5 days later, and I'm still stuck waiting for the hold to lift. Been filing my weekly claims religiously but no payments yet. Reading through all these experiences is honestly such a relief - I was starting to think I did something wrong during my makeup appointment. Sounds like the 2-3 week timeline is pretty standard across the board. Really appreciate all the practical advice here, especially about calling the career center directly instead of the main unemployment line. That makes so much sense that they'd have a separate system that might sync faster. Definitely trying that first thing tomorrow morning. Also keeping all my documentation organized just in case I need to escalate. The claimyr service sounds like a solid backup plan too if the direct approach doesn't work. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines and what worked - makes this whole waiting period way more bearable knowing we're all in this together! 🙏

Just went through this same exact situation about a month ago! Missed my career appointment and made it up 3 days later, then had to wait almost 3 weeks for the hold to lift. Super frustrating but it does get resolved eventually. The advice everyone's giving here is spot on - definitely call the career center directly instead of the main unemployment line. They were able to see my makeup appointment completion immediately and put notes in my file. Also used claimyr after 2 weeks of waiting and finally got through to someone who could expedite the review. Most importantly - keep filing those weekly claims no matter what! I got full backpay for all the weeks I was on hold once it cleared. The system is just slow but they will make you whole. One thing I'd add is to screenshot everything - your makeup appointment confirmation, weekly claim submissions, any correspondence. Having that documentation ready made the final resolution much smoother when I did get someone on the phone. Hang in there, you're doing everything right! The 2-3 week timeline everyone's mentioning seems pretty accurate based on my experience too. 💪

I'm going through this exact same frustrating situation right now! Got an overpayment notice for $850 about 3 weeks ago and have been losing my mind waiting for payment instructions that never arrived. Like so many others here, I've been checking my mail daily, refreshing my email constantly, and logging into my NY.gov account multiple times hoping to find ANYTHING that tells me how to actually pay this back. The anxiety has been terrible because I just want to resolve this and move on, but their system makes it literally impossible! I tried calling the main unemployment number twice but gave up after 90+ minutes on hold each time. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - I was starting to think I was going crazy or had missed something obvious. I also moved about 7 months ago so the address issue makes perfect sense. It's absolutely ridiculous that they can send out these scary overpayment notices but then can't figure out how to sync their own address databases to send payment instructions to the right place! Definitely calling 1-800-533-6600 tomorrow morning right at 8:30am with all the great tips from this thread. @Zara Ahmed thank you SO much for posting this and following up with your resolution - it gives me hope that this nightmare will actually end once I get the right person on the phone. Will update once I hopefully get through to them!

I'm dealing with this EXACT same issue right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! Got an overpayment notice for $1,350 about 5 weeks ago and have been checking my mail and email obsessively every single day for payment instructions that never came. The stress has been absolutely crushing because I genuinely want to pay this back immediately but they've given me zero way to actually do it! Like so many others here, I tried calling the main unemployment line multiple times and wasted hours on hold just to be told they "can't help with overpayment issues." It's like being trapped in bureaucratic hell where you want to do the right thing but the system actively prevents you from doing it. I also moved about a year ago, so reading about the address database sync issues explains everything. It's mind-boggling that a government agency can demand payment but can't figure out basic mail delivery in 2025! I'm definitely calling 1-800-533-6600 tomorrow morning at 8:30am sharp with all the fantastic advice from this thread. @Zara Ahmed thank you so much for posting this question and especially for the follow-up update - knowing that others have successfully resolved this gives me actual hope after weeks of anxiety. Will absolutely post an update once I (hopefully) get through to them. This community is incredible for helping people navigate these bureaucratic nightmares!

Just wanted to add my experience here - I filed for unemployment last month and had the same concern about my 401k. The online application doesn't even ask about retirement accounts, only about work income and any part-time earnings. I've been certified for 4 weeks now with no issues. The NYS Department of Labor really does keep it simple - they just want to know about wages from employment, not your savings or investments.

I went through this exact same worry when I got laid off 6 months ago! Had about $120k in my 401k and was panicking that it would disqualify me somehow. But everyone here is absolutely right - the NYS Department of Labor only cares about your work wages for calculating benefits. Your retirement savings are completely separate. I've been collecting unemployment for months now with zero issues. The key thing to remember is just don't touch that 401k money while you're on unemployment, because then it becomes actual income you'd need to report. But as long as it's just sitting there growing (hopefully!), you're totally fine. Good luck with your claim!

I'm currently on day 11 of "under review" status and finding this thread has been such a relief! Filed my claim after being laid off from my warehouse job and had absolutely no idea what "under review" meant - was convinced I'd screwed something up on the application. The NY DOL website is basically useless for explaining their own processes, which is incredibly frustrating when you're already stressed about losing your income. Reading everyone's experiences here has really helped me understand that this adjudication process is completely standard and not something to panic about. I've been doing my weekly certifications since finding this thread - definitely feels weird doing them when you don't even know if you're approved, but sounds like that's crucial for not losing potential benefit weeks. It's crazy how much anxiety could be avoided if they just put a simple explanation on their website about what this status actually means and typical timeframes. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and timelines - really helps to know this waiting period is normal and most people do get approved eventually!

I'm currently on day 4 of "under review" status and this thread has been a lifesaver! Just filed my claim last week after getting laid off from my hospitality job and seeing that vague message pop up with zero context had me convinced I'd somehow messed up my application. It's honestly shocking how NYS DOL provides no explanation of what "under review" actually means - would it kill them to add a simple note saying "we're verifying your information, typical processing time 1-3 weeks"? Reading everyone's experiences here has been way more helpful than anything on their official website. I had no clue that adjudication was a standard part of the process for all new unemployment claims. Already started doing my weekly certifications based on all the advice in this thread - feels weird certifying when you don't even know if you're approved yet, but definitely don't want to risk losing benefit weeks once this review is complete. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and outcomes - it really helps to know this waiting period is totally normal and I'm not the only one going through this stressful process!