Anyone received their NY unemployment tourism relief check this week?

wait what tourism check?? i didnt get any email about this. is this something new for unemployment?? how much was it for if u dont mind me asking

Thanks for the heads-up! The Tourism Worker Recovery Program is part of NY's initiative to support hospitality workers who were hit hard by industry downturns. Only certain people qualify based on their work history and previous unemployment claims. The plain envelope is definitely easy to miss - I almost threw mine away thinking it was junk mail! For anyone who thinks they should have qualified but didn't receive an email in November, you can check your eligibility by logging into your NY.gov ID account and looking under the "Special Programs" section of your dashboard.

Ok I'm FREAKING OUT a little!!!! I got that email in November but haven't received ANY check yet and it's already been a week since people started posting about getting them!! Did I miss something? Do I need to call? Does anyone know the number to call about this specifically? I really need this money right now 😫

Got mine yesterday too. Almost missed it cuz it looked like junk mail lol. For anyone wondering, you had to have worked in tourism/hospitality AND received unemployment for at least 12 weeks during 2024 to qualify. At least thats what the paper inside mine said.

I've been trying to call the NYSDOL about this same issue for three days. I got the November email saying I qualified but no check yet. The regular unemployment number keeps disconnecting me after 30 minutes on hold. I finally managed to get through yesterday using Claimyr.com - it's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me HOURS of frustration. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Anyway, the agent told me that if you qualified and haven't received your check yet, it could be because: 1. Your address in the system is outdated 2. Your check is in a later batch (they're sending them through April) 3. There was a problem with your banking info They can fix all three issues if you actually reach someone!

This whole tourism check thing is a JOKE. $750 is supposed to make up for what exactly? I lost my hotel job for 8 MONTHS. My coworker got the same amount and she was only out of work for 6 weeks. Make it make sense!!! The entire NY unemployment system is designed to confuse people and make us jump through hoops. I bet half the people who qualify won't even get these checks because of some "technical error" they'll never fix.

Just to clarify for everyone - the Tourism Worker Recovery checks are being mailed out in 4 batches throughout March and April 2025: - Batch 1 (SSN ending 0-2): March 4-8 - Batch 2 (SSN ending 3-5): March 11-15 - Batch 3 (SSN ending 6-7): March 25-29 - Batch 4 (SSN ending 8-9): April 1-5 If you're outside your batch window by more than 5 business days, then you should contact NYSDOL. The eligibility was: 1) worked in tourism/hospitality sector, 2) received unemployment for at least 10 weeks (not 12 as someone mentioned) anytime between June 2024-December 2024, and 3) currently residing in New York.

mine showed up today!!! thanks everyone for the info. weird question but does anyone know if this counts as taxable income for next year? the paper doesnt say anything about taxes

By the way, for anyone who had a name change recently, I had to go through a whole separate verification process because my November email had my married name but the check system still had my maiden name. So if your name changed and you don't get your check when you should, that might be why!

Update: I deposited my check through mobile deposit and it cleared this morning. No issues. For anyone worried about the delay - a friend of mine called using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and found out his check was sent to his old address even though he updated his info online. They're resending it but said it'll take another 2-3 weeks. Might be worth checking if you've moved in the past year.