Do I need ID.me verification for NY unemployment claim opened by phone?
I just filed a new unemployment claim over the phone with a NY unemployment rep because the website kept crashing when I tried to do it online. The rep didn't mention anything about ID.me verification, but my friend who filed online had to do the whole ID.me thing. Do I still need to complete ID.me verification if I opened my claim by phone? I don't want my payments to get held up because I missed a step. Has anyone else filed by phone recently?
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Sophia Russo
Yes, you still need to verify through ID.me regardless of how you filed. NY unemployment requires identity verification for all claims starting in 2025. The phone rep should have mentioned this, but they sometimes forget. You should get an email or message in your account dashboard within 1-2 days instructing you to complete ID.me verification. Don't wait for this though - you can be proactive and just do the verification now through the link on the main unemployment page.
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Mason Kaczka
•Thanks! I'll look for that email. Do you know how long the verification process typically takes? I'm worried about delays.
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Evelyn Xu
My cousin filed by phone last month and her payments got delayed for 3 WEEKS because she didn't do the ID.me thing right away! The phone people never told her about it either!
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Mason Kaczka
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Did she eventually get all her back payments once she completed the verification?
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Dominic Green
The ID.me requirement applies to ALL claims regardless of how you file. Phone agents sometimes miss mentioning it because they're rushing through calls. I would recommend completing it ASAP to avoid payment delays. The system won't release payments until your identity is verified. To find the verification link: 1. Log into your NY.gov account 2. Go to your unemployment dashboard 3. Look for the "Identity Verification Required" section 4. Click the link and follow the ID.me instructions Make sure you have your driver's license or state ID and a smartphone for the selfie verification.
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Hannah Flores
•yeah the ID.me thing is a pain but once its done your good. took me like 15 min
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Kayla Jacobson
I filed by phone in February and DID NOT have to do ID.me because I had already verified my identity through the DMV last year!!! Maybe you don't need it if you've verified through another state agency? The system is so confusing and NOBODY ever explains anything properly!!!!
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Dominic Green
•That's partially correct but potentially misleading. If you verified through ID.me for ANY NY state service within the past 12 months, you may not need to reverify. However, this is not universal, and many people still need to complete verification specifically for unemployment. The safest approach is to check your dashboard for any verification requirements rather than assuming you're exempt.
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William Rivera
I've been trying to reach someone at NY unemployment for 3 days to ask this exact same question! The automated system just keeps disconnecting me after 2 hours on hold. Did you use a special number to get through to a person? I'm desperate to talk to someone since my ID.me verification is stuck in pending mode.
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Grace Lee
•I was in the same boat last week - impossible to get through! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting all day. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - totally worth it when you're dealing with verification issues that are holding up your payments. The agent cleared up my ID.me issue right away.
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Mason Kaczka
Update: I checked my account and there WAS an ID.me verification requirement that I completely missed! It was under "Required Actions" on the dashboard. I'm doing it now. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Sophia Russo
•Glad you found it! The ID.me process should take about 15-20 minutes if everything goes smoothly. Make sure your phone is charged for the face verification step, and have good lighting. Once verified, it usually takes 24-48 hours for the system to update and remove the hold on your payments.
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Hannah Flores
i had a problem with id.me where it kept rejecting my drivers license cause it was cracked but i called and they helped me fix it. def do the verification asap or you wont get paid
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Evelyn Xu
My neighbor works for unemployment (not in NY tho) and he says ID verification is federal requirement now, not just NY thing. Everybody has to do it no matter what.
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Dominic Green
•That's not entirely accurate. While many states have implemented ID.me or similar verification systems, it's not universally required by federal law for all states. However, NY has indeed made it mandatory for all claims as part of their fraud prevention measures. The requirements vary by state, but in NY's case, everyone does need to complete verification regardless of how they filed.
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