I just went through this same process last month! Got approved for about $2,800 in back pay and it took exactly 4 business days to hit my account with direct deposit through Wells Fargo. What helped ease my anxiety was checking the NY.gov payment history page - it updated to show "Payment Issued" about 6 hours before the money actually appeared in my banking app. They definitely don't send any email notifications, so you just have to keep checking. The waiting is brutal when you have bills piling up, but based on when you got approved, you should hopefully see something by tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Keep us posted on when it comes through - these timeline updates really help others going through the same thing!

Just wanted to add my recent experience to help with the timeline expectations! I got approved for NY back pay ($3,400) about 3 weeks ago and it took exactly 2 business days to hit my account with direct deposit through TD Bank. The key thing I learned is to keep refreshing the NY.gov payment history page - mine updated to show "Payment Issued" around 11 PM on day 2, and then the money was pending in my bank account when I woke up the next morning. No email notification at all, which is frustrating but seems to be normal. Miguel, since you got approved yesterday and have direct deposit, I'd expect you'll see movement in your payment history by tomorrow evening at the latest. The $4,800 amount shouldn't cause any delays - mine was processed as one lump sum. Fingers crossed it comes through quickly for you!

Just wanted to add that even though you can file up to 52 weeks later, your weekly benefit amount is calculated based on wages from a specific base period, so waiting too long might affect which quarters are used in your calculation. Another reason to file promptly.

Just to clarify something that might be confusing - while there's no hard deadline like 30 or 90 days, you definitely want to file within your first week of unemployment if possible. I learned this the hard way when I got laid off from my warehouse job last year. The key thing to remember is that unemployment benefits are meant to replace lost wages, so every week you delay filing is potentially a week of benefits you're missing out on. The system is designed for you to file immediately after job loss, not weeks or months later. Don't overthink it - you can always provide additional documentation after you file your initial claim.

my cousin does seasonal work at a resort and gets unemployment every winter. just make sure you file right away when the season ends

I work seasonal construction and have been getting unemployment benefits during slow winter months for the past 3 years. The trick is documenting everything - keep pay stubs from all your seasonal jobs and make sure your employers report your wages correctly. Also, when you file your weekly certification, be honest about your availability but emphasize that you're actively looking for work even during off-season. The NYS DOL website has a good calculator to estimate if you've earned enough in your base period to qualify.

did you try the online messaging system? sometimes thats faster than calling. go to your account and click on messages and start a new one. describe your issue clearly and ask for help. they got back to me in 3 days which isn't great but better than nothing.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My payments stopped 2 weeks ago after months of regular deposits. The "pending" status is driving me crazy and I can't get through to anyone on the phone either. Reading through all these comments, it sounds like the callback service might be worth trying since so many people have had success with it. Has anyone tried contacting their local unemployment office directly instead of the main number? I'm wondering if that might have shorter wait times. Also going to check my spam folder again after reading that suggestion - maybe I missed something. This whole system is such a mess but at least it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one going through this nightmare right now.

I went through this exact same nightmare 2 months ago! My card showed $0 but the portal said $1,200 in payments were released. After reading horror stories online about people waiting weeks to get through, I was dreading the calling process. I tried the regular number for 3 days straight with no luck - either busy signals or getting disconnected after hours on hold. Finally broke down and used that claimyr service everyone mentions (was skeptical at first but desperation won). Got connected to an actual human in about 90 minutes and turns out there was a "fraud prevention hold" on my account that nobody bothered to notify me about. The agent removed it immediately and said my payments would appear on the card within 24-48 hours. Sure enough, all the money showed up 2 days later. Definitely don't wait it out - these issues don't resolve themselves and the longer you wait, the more stressful it gets when bills are piling up!

This is such a common and frustrating issue with NY unemployment! I went through something similar a few months ago where my card showed $0 even though payments were marked as "released" online. In my case, it turned out they had automatically set up direct deposit to my old checking account from a previous claim, even though I specifically requested the debit card this time. The old account was closed so the payments just bounced around in limbo. I had to call multiple times to get them to cancel the direct deposit and reissue everything to the card. The whole process took about 10 days but I did eventually get all my back payments. My advice: don't wait for it to magically fix itself - you need to speak with an agent to figure out exactly where your money went. Try calling right at 8am when they open, or if you can't get through after a few days, that claimyr service people mentioned might be worth trying. Also check your online account thoroughly for any hidden notifications or action items that might explain the hold. Good luck!