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Emily Thompson

Changed my direct deposit info for NY unemployment - when will payment hit KeyBank?

Anyone know how long it takes for payments to show up in KeyBank after switching from direct deposit? I had to change my banking info last Monday because my old account got compromised. Cancelled direct deposit and opted for the KeyBank card instead. My weekly certification was processed yesterday but no money in sight yet. Will it automatically go to the KeyBank account by Friday? And do I need to wait for them to mail me a physical card before I can access the funds? The website isn't clear and I've been calling all week with no luck getting through to anyone. Bills are due next week and I'm starting to stress.

When I cancelled my direct deposit last year, it took about 7-10 days before my payment showed up in KeyBank. You'll need to wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail which took about two weeks for me. The card comes in a plain white envelope so check your mail carefully! You might want to call KeyBank directly to check if your account is set up - their customer service is actually decent compared to trying to reach unemployment.

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Ugh, two weeks for the card? That's gonna be cutting it super close with my rent due. Did you get any kind of confirmation email when your account was created with KeyBank?

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Nope, no email confirmation. The system is archaic like that. Just a card that shows up randomly. But once you have it, future payments show up pretty quickly.

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Mine actually came in 8 days! Its totally random tho. Depends on your local mail service too.

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I used this too after seeing it mentioned here. Got through in about 40 min when I'd been trying for days. Worth every penny since I got my payment issue fixed same day.

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KeyBank is the WORST. My roommate went through this back in April. The card took forever to arrive, then he had to call to activate it, which was another nightmare. And their ATM fees are ridiculous. If you can switch back to direct deposit with a different bank I would.

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For those saying u need to wait for the card - that's not always true! You can actually call KeyBank customer service (not unemployment) once your account is established and set up online banking before your card arrives. Then you can transfer money out electronically if u need it before the card comes. Saved my butt when I was waiting for my card and had bills due!

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Wait really?? Do you have the number for KeyBank? This would be a lifesaver if true

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Yep! The number should be 866-295-2955 for the unemployment card specifically. Have your SSN ready, they'll use that to verify your account.

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I tried this last month and they still made me wait for the card cause they mail a PIN separately sometimes. YMMV 🤷‍♂️

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In my experience, when you switch payment methods, there's usually a 1 week delay in payments. So if your weekly certification was processed yesterday, it probably won't hit KeyBank until next week. NY unemployment systems run on ancient technology and any change takes FOREVER to process. The most annoying part of the whole system tbh

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This is facts. The NY unemployment systems literally run on COBOL which was invented in like the 1950s 💀

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Right?? And then they wonder why everything breaks down when there's high volume. They should take some of that covid relief money and update their systems fr

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My advice - call KeyBank directly at 1-866-295-2955. They can tell you if your account is active and if there are any pending deposits. Way easier to get through than unemployment. If a payment has been sent from unemployment to KeyBank, they'll be able to see it even if it hasn't posted yet.

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Here's what happened with me when I cancelled direct deposit last year: 1. It took about 5 business days for the payment to actually hit my KeyBank account 2. The card took almost 2 weeks to arrive (regular mail, plain envelope) 3. You can call KeyBank directly to check if money is in your account before the card arrives 4. Once you have the card, future payments are pretty quick (1-2 days) The most important thing is to keep certifying weekly even while you're waiting for all this to sort out. And if you're in a real bind waiting for the card, try claimyr.com to get through to unemployment - they might be able to rush your card or give you more specific info about your account status.

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Thanks for the detailed breakdown. I'm definitely going to continue certifying. Do you remember if there was tracking available for the card?

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No tracking unfortunately. It just shows up. Make sure your address is correct in your NYSDOL account!

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the whole system is a joke. took me 3 months to get my first payment last year and another month when i had to switch to keybank. the govt doesnt care about us 🤡

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Quick tip: If you're really desperate for the money before the card arrives, you can call KeyBank and request an emergency cash advance from your balance at certain bank locations. Saved me when I was about to get evicted waiting for my stupid card to come.

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This is actually a good tip! I had to do this once. They limit how much you can get this way but it's better than nothing when you're desperate.

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NY unemployment and KeyBank have like zero communication with each other which is the most frustrating part. Unemployment will tell you the money was sent, KeyBank will say they never got it, and you're just stuck in the middle like 🤷‍♀️

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This is exactly what I'm afraid of happening. Did you ever resolve your issue?

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Yeah eventually. Had to call unemployment like 50 times before getting through. Should've used one of those calling services tbh

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WHY does ny unemployment make everything so damn complicated??? Every other state has figured out how to make direct deposit work smoothly but new york is still stuck in 1985 with their systems 😤

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Can someone explain to me why KeyBank even exists? Like why can't NY unemployment just use normal direct deposit like every other government agency? The whole debit card system feels like it's designed to make us wait longer for our money and pay more fees.

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It's because KeyBank has a contract with the state. They make $$$ on all the fees they charge when people use the cards. Follow the money 💰

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they also make interest on all the unclaimed funds sitting in accounts. its a racket.

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Ugh of course it's about money. Classic NY 🙄

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I had to cancel direct deposit in February and switch to KeyBank. Took exactly 8 business days for money to hit my KeyBank account, and another 6 days for the card to arrive. The most annoying thing is there's no way to check the status during that waiting period.

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Not sure if this helps but i found i could get way more information by contacting my local state assembly person's office. They have special contacts at unemployment and can often find out exactly what's happening with your claim/payments when regular customer service is useless.

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This is actually a great tip that more people should know about. My assemblyman's office fixed my claim in 2 days after I spent weeks getting nowhere with NYSDOL directly.

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Hot take: the KeyBank card is actually better than direct deposit if you have a bank that hits you with fees. No monthly fees, and you can transfer the money out to your regular bank for free once it hits. The initial wait sucks but after that it's smooth sailing.

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That's a good point. My regular bank charges fees if I don't keep a minimum balance. Might be a silver lining to this situation.

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Hey Emily! I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. From my experience, once you cancel direct deposit and switch to KeyBank, your first payment usually takes 5-7 business days to hit the KeyBank account. Since you certified yesterday, I'd expect to see it by early next week at the latest. The physical card is a separate issue - that typically takes 7-14 days to arrive in the mail, but here's the key thing: you DON'T have to wait for the card to access your money! Call KeyBank at 1-866-295-2955 with your SSN and they can help you set up online banking to transfer funds out before the card arrives. This saved me when I was in a similar bind with bills due. Also keep certifying weekly even while waiting - don't let this mess up your ongoing claims!

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