Got NY unemployment back pay but weekly benefits stopped - is this normal?

not normal. same thing happened to me and i had to call. turns out there was a flag on my account they needed to clear.

This actually happened to me too! So frustrating, right? I got all my backpay and then nothing for like a month even though I was certifying every Sunday. Turns out my claim had some sort of "review flag" on it after the backpay went through.

What you're experiencing isn't normal. After receiving back pay, your weekly benefits should continue as long as you're certifying correctly. There are a few possible issues: 1. There might be an identity verification issue that got triggered after the back pay 2. Your claim might be under review (common after large back payments) 3. There could be a technical glitch in how your certifications are being processed Check your NY.gov account messages to see if there are any notices. Also verify your payment history to confirm your certifications are showing as "processed" rather than "pending." Unfortunately, you'll likely need to contact NYSDOL directly to resolve this.

I went through something nearly identical in February! After I got my back pay (around $4,800), my weekly benefits just stopped processing. I tried calling for TWO WEEKS and couldn't get through - it was absolutely maddening. Finally I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 40 minutes. They basically call for you and then connect you when they reach a real person. Saved me hours of frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Turns out there was an "earnings verification" flag on my account that got triggered by the large back pay amount. The agent removed it in like 2 minutes once I actually spoke to someone, and my payments started again the next week.

NONE of this is normal!!! The NY unemployment system is COMPLETELY BROKEN and they do this ON PURPOSE to discourage people from collecting benefits they're ENTITLED TO!! I had the EXACT same issue last month - got backpay then NOTHING for 5 weeks even though I was certifying!!! I called 47 TIMES before getting through!!! The lady told me it was a "system flag" whatever that means!!! They're just making excuses!!!!!

My cousin had his payments stop after backpay too. His landlord was threatening to evict him and everything. Super stressful situation.

This is a common issue that happens with NYSDOL claims. After a large back payment is processed, the system often places a temporary hold on subsequent payments for further verification. This is part of their fraud prevention measures but unfortunately creates hardship for legitimate claimants. You'll need to contact NYSDOL directly. When you call, ask specifically about a "payment hold following back pay disbursement." The representative will need to manually clear this flag on your account. Once resolved, your weekly payments should resume with your next certification, though you may need to wait 2-3 business days for processing. In the meantime, document all your certification confirmations and keep track of the dates. This will help if you need to provide evidence of continued certification during this gap period.

Hey have you checked if your benefit year expired? Sometimes people get their backpay right around when their benefit year ends and then need to file a new claim to keep getting payments.

Just following up - were you able to resolve this issue? I ask because many other claimants are experiencing similar problems right now. There appears to be a systematic issue with payments following large back pay distributions in March 2025.