The whole system is an absolute joke. I couldn't update my bank info online AT ALL regardless of what bank I tried. Spent literally 6 hours on hold over 3 days. Found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a person in about 45 minutes. The agent I spoke with manually updated my banking info right there on the call. Highly recommend if you're stuck in this nightmare: claimyr.com

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just had my Chime account rejected when trying to update my direct deposit info. It's so frustrating because like you said, getting paid 2 days early was really helpful for budgeting. I've been looking into some of the suggestions here - thinking about trying a local credit union since multiple people mentioned they work well with government payments. Has anyone had experience with Navy Federal or USAA if you're eligible for those? Also seeing a lot of mentions of that Claimyr service for actually getting through to someone on the phone - might have to try that since I've been on hold for hours with no luck.

File anyway!! The worst they can say is no and then at least you'll have started the process. I thought I wouldn't qualify because of irregular work but ended up getting benefits. NYS Department of Labor adjudication process will review your whole work history.

I'm sorry for your loss, Carmen. Caring for elderly parents is such important work even though it doesn't count toward traditional employment records. From what others have shared, it sounds like your 8 months of work might actually be enough if the wages were sufficient during the right quarters. NYS Department of Labor also has provisions for people who had to leave work for family caregiving situations. When you do file, make sure to explain your caregiving situation - they may have additional programs or considerations for people in your circumstances. The online application walks you through everything step by step, so even if you're unsure, it's worth starting the process.

Just make sure you don't wait until the last minute on Saturday! I almost missed my deadline once because the system was down for maintenance.

Pro tip from someone who's been claiming for a while - I always set a Sunday morning alarm for 6 AM to file my weekly claim. The system is super fast at that time and you get it done early in the week so you don't stress about forgetting. Also, keep all your work search records organized because they can ask for them at any time. The NYS Department of Labor takes that stuff seriously.

This is exactly what happened to me last year! I was so confused when I saw that IRS TREAS 310 deposit randomly appear. It turned out to be a tax adjustment for unemployment benefits I had received the previous year. The IRS apparently reviews these automatically and sends refunds when they determine you overpaid taxes on your unemployment income. The whole process is pretty confusing because they don't give you much advance notice, but it's legitimate. You should definitely verify it through the IRS website or by calling them, but chances are it's exactly what everyone else is saying - a tax refund related to your unemployment benefits.

I had the exact same thing happen to me about 6 months ago! Got a random IRS TREAS 310 deposit and had no idea what it was for. Turns out it was definitely related to my unemployment benefits from the previous year. The IRS does these automatic adjustments when they review how unemployment income was taxed, and sometimes they find that people overpaid. It's totally legitimate - I was worried at first that it was some kind of mistake and they'd want it back, but it's actually money you were owed. The frustrating part is they're terrible at explaining what the payment is for when they send it. I eventually got a letter about 3 weeks later that "explained" it, but it was full of tax codes and basically incomprehensible. If you want peace of mind, definitely try to verify it through the IRS website or give them a call, but from what you're describing it sounds exactly like what happened to me.

Don't forget about the waiting week! Even if you qualify you won't get paid for the first week. Also if you have any vacation pay or severance that could delay your benefits too.

I went through something similar and it's so frustrating when they don't give you clear details! One thing that helped me was requesting my full claim file through my.ny.gov - you can see exactly what your employer reported and what NYS Department of Labor based their decision on. Since you mentioned going from full hours to just 15 hours a week, that definitely sounds like constructive dismissal which should qualify you. Make sure you have documentation of your original schedule vs the reduced hours. Also, don't sleep on the appeal deadline - you only have 30 days from the determination date. I'd definitely recommend appealing and requesting a phone hearing where you can explain your side directly to a judge.