I think the whole system is designed to make us paranoid. They want you worried about every little thing so you dont claim what youre entitled to. The bank monitoring thing is probably just scare tactics

From my experience dealing with NYS DOL, they primarily focus on cross-referencing your reported earnings with employer wage records and state databases. The most common triggers for deeper scrutiny are inconsistencies between what you report and what shows up in their systems - like unreported W-2 income or discrepancies in employment dates. If you're consistently accurate with your weekly certifications and job search documentation, you're unlikely to face any banking-related investigations. The system is more about catching people who aren't reporting income rather than monitoring everyone's bank accounts.

same thing happened to my brother but he ended up being fine after he submitted additional documentation

I'm sorry you're going through this stress. I haven't been audited myself yet, but from what I've read, the most important thing is to gather all your documentation now - save emails, screenshots of job applications, any correspondence with employers, even rejection letters if you have them. The NYS DOL wants to see that you made genuine efforts to find work, not just went through the motions. Keep detailed records of dates, company names, positions applied for, and how you applied (online, in person, etc.). If you do end up owing money back, don't ignore it - they have ways to collect including tax refund intercepts. But like others said, you have appeal rights and they do work with people on payment plans.

Your weekly claim certification and NYS Department of Labor approval process runs on their normal schedule regardless of holidays. The delay only happens at the final step when your bank receives the ACH deposit. So you'll still see your payment processed in your my.ny.gov account, it just takes longer to show up in your actual bank account.

I've been dealing with this for months now and here's what I've learned - holiday delays are pretty predictable once you know the pattern. If your normal deposit day is Tuesday and there's a Monday holiday, expect it Wednesday. If Wednesday is your day and there's a Thursday holiday, it'll likely come Friday. The key is knowing that it's always 1-2 business days after your normal day, never before. I actually started keeping track in a little notebook so I can plan my budget around holiday weeks. Hope this helps other people avoid the stress I went through my first few times!

jail?? no way unless you like stole thousands and thousands. my brother in law had overpayment for way more than that and just had to pay it back in installments

I went through something very similar last year with a $3,200 overpayment from NYS DOL. Like you, I was terrified about criminal charges, but after consulting with an employment attorney, I learned that prosecution is extremely rare for cases like ours. The attorney explained that NY Penal Law requires proving "intent to defraud" for criminal charges, which is very difficult when it's honest reporting mistakes. I ended up appealing the overpayment with documentation showing my confusion about the reporting requirements, and they reduced it by about 60%. Even if you can't get it overturned completely, they offer reasonable payment plans. The anxiety is the worst part - once I started dealing with it directly, it became much more manageable. You're going to be okay.

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. Turns out there was a system-wide issue this morning that affected a bunch of accounts. The agent was able to reset my account immediately. I'm back in now! Thanks everyone for your help.

This is so frustrating! I'm dealing with the same lockout issue right now. Been trying since 7am and nothing works. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and solutions here - it's good to know it's not just me going crazy. Going to try that Claimyr service since I can't afford to wait around on hold all day. The fact that this happens so regularly with their system is ridiculous for something so important as accessing our benefits!