Finally got NY unemployment back pay after 4 month wait - here's what worked
Just wanted to share some good news and thank everyone in this forum. After 4 MONTHS of waiting, my son finally received his NY unemployment back payments yesterday! Total came to $12,480 that the system owed him since January. We tried everything - endless phone calls, emails to representatives, even went to the local office twice. What finally worked was sending a detailed email to our state assembly person with all his documentation attached. They responded in 2 days and the money appeared in his account exactly 9 days later. Don't give up hope if you're still waiting. And seriously, thanks to everyone here who offered advice and kept us sane during the wait.
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Kiara Greene
Congrats!!! Thats really great to hear someone actually got their money! Gives me hope cause im going on month 3 of waiting ðŸ˜
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Isaiah Cross
•Hang in there! Month 3 was when I started thinking it would never happen. Have you tried contacting your local rep yet?
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Evelyn Kelly
This is excellent advice that doesn't get shared enough. NY State Assembly members and Senators have dedicated staff who can cut through unemployment backlogs. I've seen claims that were stuck for months get resolved within 1-2 weeks after legislative intervention. Be sure to include your full name, NY.gov ID, and claim information in your email to them, along with a signed consent form authorizing them to inquire about your case. You can find your representatives by searching "who represents me NY" and entering your address.
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Paloma Clark
•Is there a specific way the email should be formatted? I've been waiting for 10 weeks now and I'm getting desperate.
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Evelyn Kelly
•Subject line should clearly state "Urgent Unemployment Assistance Request" with your claim ID. In the body, include: 1) Your full contact info 2) NY.gov ID and claim details 3) When you first filed 4) Brief timeline of what's happened 5) Any confirmation numbers from calls/emails. Keep it under one page if possible. Attach (don't paste) any relevant screenshots or documents. Most importantly, explain the financial hardship the delay is causing - be specific but respectful.
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Heather Tyson
I tried contacting my assembly person THREE TIMES and never heard back!!! So frustrating that some people get help and others don't. The whole system is broken and nobody cares. I'm on month 5 of waiting for my claim to be processed. FIVE MONTHS!!
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Raul Neal
•Have you tried calling the DOL directly? I was in a similar situation last month and got nowhere with emails, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent after trying for weeks. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE. Worth every penny because the agent was able to fix my issue right on the call.
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Heather Tyson
•Never heard of that but will try ANYTHING at this point. Did they actually fix your claim on the call or just give you the usual "it's processing" BS?
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Raul Neal
•They fixed it during the call. The agent saw that my claim was stuck because of an employer verification issue. She manually overrode something in the system and my payment showed up 3 days later. Just make sure you have all your documents ready when you get through.
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Jenna Sloan
I'm glad your son's claim was resolved! For anyone else experiencing extended delays with NY unemployment benefits, here are the most common reasons for 3+ month delays: 1. Identity verification issues (especially if you've moved recently) 2. Former employer contesting the claim 3. Earnings reporting discrepancies 4. System flags for potential fraud investigation 5. Missing documentation If you've been waiting more than 8 weeks, you should request an official determination letter which will give you appeal rights. The determination letter will specify exactly what's causing the hold-up. Without this document, your claim can remain in limbo indefinitely.
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Kiara Greene
•how do u request determination letter? cant find it on website anywhere
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Jenna Sloan
•You need to call and specifically say "I want to request a formal determination letter for my claim." This is different from a general status update. If the representative says it's not available or not necessary, politely insist and reference NY Labor Law Section 620 which gives you the right to a formal determination. Get the representative's ID number and note the date/time of your call. Follow up with a secure message through your online account referencing this call.
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Christian Burns
my cousin waited 5 months last year and got all his backpay at once too. made for a nice payday lol. but seriously the wait is terrible. glad ur son got his $
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Paloma Clark
Thank you for sharing this success story! I've been following a similar path with my claim that's been pending since February. I've called the DOL about 20 times now, and each time they just tell me to keep waiting. I finally contacted my assembly member last week (sent all the documentation you mentioned) and their office emailed me back saying they've escalated my case. This gives me hope that I might actually see movement soon. Did they give your son any explanation for why it took so long in the first place?
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Isaiah Cross
•They said his identity verification got 'stuck in the system' whatever that means. Something about the address on his driver's license not matching his current address. But the crazy thing is nobody contacted us to fix it - if we hadn't reached out to the assembly person it might still be sitting there!
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Raul Neal
Im dealing with almost the exact situation with my daughter right now. Going on 3.5 months of waiting. I just sent an email to our assembly person tonight after reading your post. Did you attach any specific documents when you emailed them?
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Isaiah Cross
•Yes! I attached: 1) A scan of his driver's license 2) His initial claim confirmation 3) Screenshots showing the pending payments 4) A timeline document I made showing every contact attempt we'd made with dates and confirmation numbers. I think having everything organized made a big difference.
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Christian Burns
i got a question thats kinda related. if someone gets backpay for unemployment do they have to pay taxes on all of it at once or can they spread it out? asking for my brother whos still waiting on his claim from december
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Evelyn Kelly
•Unemployment benefits are taxable in the tax year you receive them, not when they were earned. So if your brother receives all his back pay from December 2024 in May 2025, it counts as 2025 income. He should make sure he selected to have taxes withheld (they withhold 10% for federal, nothing for NY state) or he'll need to make estimated tax payments to avoid a penalty next April.
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Isaiah Cross
Just wanted to update everyone - my son got a call from DOL yesterday explaining the whole situation. Turns out his claim got flagged because he had worked in another state briefly last year. They said the legislative office inquiry is what pushed his claim through final approval. So definitely reach out to your representatives if you're stuck!
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Kiara Greene
•just sent email to my assembly person! fingers crossed 🤞
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