Check your bank account again - sometimes the deposit comes through with a weird description that doesn't obviously look like unemployment. Mine showed up as 'NYS DOL UI BENEFIT' or something like that and I almost missed it.

I went through this same issue about 6 months ago. After my claims showed approved for almost 3 weeks with no payment, I finally got through to someone at NYS DOL who told me there was an "identity verification hold" that wasn't showing up anywhere in my online account. They had to manually release it. The frustrating part is there's no notification when these backend holds happen - your claim just sits in limbo while everything looks normal on your end. Try calling first thing Monday morning at exactly 8am, that's when I had the most luck getting through.

Check your claim status online - if it shows any kind of pending issue or adjudication in progress, that's what's holding up your payment. Also make sure you're not missing any required job search activities that could trigger a payment hold.

I went through the same thing a few months ago! The first payment is usually the slowest because they're still processing everything on the backend even though it shows "approved" online. Like others said, 2-3 business days after certification is normal, but the very first one can take up to a week. Don't panic yet - if you certified Sunday, give it until Friday before calling. One thing that helped me was setting up text alerts through my bank so I'd know immediately when the deposit hit instead of constantly checking my account.

Update: I just changed my withholding preferences to only withhold federal taxes, not state. Thanks everyone for explaining! My payment should be a little higher now without the state portion being taken out. I'll leave the federal withholding on so I don't get hit with a big tax bill next year.

This thread has been super helpful! I was in the same boat - saw the Governor's announcement about unemployment tax relief and expected to see a bigger difference in my payments. Now I understand it's just the state portion that's being waived for 2025, and only when we file our tax returns next year. For anyone else who's confused like I was: federal taxes are still being withheld if you selected that option when you first applied. You can change this in your account settings, but remember you'll still owe those federal taxes come tax time - it's just a matter of paying now vs. paying later.

I think it depends on your situation honestly. Mine got approved in like a week because it was straightforward - got laid off from my restaurant job when they closed permanently. But my friend who got fired is still waiting after a month because they're investigating whether it was misconduct or not.

From my experience, the decision makers are adjudication specialists who are trained staff members at NYS Department of Labor. They handle cases that need manual review - things like disputed separations, eligibility questions, or when employers contest claims. The automated system only handles straightforward cases where everything checks out immediately. Since you're at 2 weeks pending, you're likely in the manual review queue. I'd recommend documenting everything about your job separation and keeping records of your job search activities just in case they need additional info. The waiting is frustrating but try to be patient - they do eventually get through all the cases.

The whole system is a joke if you ask me. Why can't they just tell us exactly when payments will hit? It's 2025 and we're still playing guessing games with our rent money. I've had deposits come on different days of the week with no explanation from NYS Department of Labor.

I've been tracking my deposits for the past few months and noticed they tend to hit earlier in the week when I file my claim right at midnight on Tuesday. If I wait until later in the day Tuesday to file, the deposit seems to push to Thursday or Friday. Also, direct deposit through certain banks like Bank of America tends to be faster than others. One thing that really helped me was setting up text alerts from my bank so I know the exact moment it hits rather than constantly checking my balance. NYS Department of Labor's processing is pretty consistent - it's usually the bank processing that adds the extra day or two of uncertainty.