Got approved email for NY unemployment but confused about 'claim can now be paid' message
Hi everyone, I'm super confused about my NY unemployment status. Yesterday I received an email from NYSDOL saying "your claim can now be paid" but I'm not sure if that means I'm actually approved? I've been waiting for 3 weeks since I filed. The email doesn't explicitly say "approved" anywhere. Does this "can now be paid" message mean I'm good to go? When should I expect to actually see money in my account? Do I need to do something else to trigger payment? First time applying so I'm completely lost.
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ThunderBolt7
Good news! That "your claim can now be paid" email means you ARE approved. After your claim is processed and approved, NYSDOL sends that standardized email. You should receive your first payment within 3-5 business days if you've been certifying weekly. The money will go to whatever payment method you selected during application (direct deposit or debit card). Make sure you continue certifying every week on time!
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Zoe Papadakis
•Thank you! That's a relief! I have been certifying every week but wasn't sure if those were actually going through or not. I selected direct deposit but haven't received anything yet. Should I be worried if nothing shows up by the end of this week?
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Jamal Edwards
yep ur good to go, I got same message in january. money showed up 2 days later. just keep doing the weekly thing
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Zoe Papadakis
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Just to clarify, by "weekly thing" you mean the certification, right? I've been doing that on Sundays.
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Jamal Edwards
•yea certification thing on sunday. thats what gets u paid each week
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Mei Chen
Are you SURE the email is actually from NYSDOL?? There are TONS of scam emails going around! A real approval usually comes through your online account message center too, not just email. Check your account online directly (don't click email links!!!) to verify your status. So many people get these fake emails and then give away their info!!!!!
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Zoe Papadakis
•Oh no, now I'm worried again. I did click the link in the email and logged in... The message does also appear in my online account message center though when I log in directly through the NY.gov website. Does that mean it's legitimate?
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ThunderBolt7
•If the same message appears in your secure NY.gov account message center, then yes, it's legitimate. The previous commenter is right to be cautious, but in your case it sounds like you've received an official approval. The "claim can now be paid" wording is standard NYSDOL language for approvals.
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Liam O'Sullivan
Just adding my experience - I got the same "claim can now be paid" email in March 2025 and it definitely meant approved. But here's what nobody mentions: I still had to wait almost 2 weeks before money hit my account! NYSDOL is crazy slow with that first payment, even after approval. It's faster after that though - weekly payments come regularly once the first one processes. Don't panic if it's not immediate.
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Zoe Papadakis
•That's really helpful to know. I was expecting the money right away after getting that email. I'll try to be patient for a couple more weeks before getting too worried.
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Amara Okonkwo
Congrats on approval! Just make sure you don't miss any weekly certifications while waiting for that first payment. I missed one week and it completely messed up my claim - had to call them to fix it which was a NIGHTMARE. Took me 3 days of constant calling to get through.
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Giovanni Marino
•If anyone is struggling to get through to a NYSDOL agent, I recently used this service called Claimyr that actually worked for me after days of failed attempts. They connect you directly to an agent without the endless hold times. Literally saved me days of frustration. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - much better than constantly redialing yourself.
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Jamal Edwards
just waitied til tues and my $ was there after that same email. ur fine dude
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Fatima Al-Sayed
I got that same email back in February, and yes it means you're approved! But I had a random issue where my bank rejected the direct deposit (something about verification) and I didn't know until I called them. Make sure your bank info was entered correctly. I had to update mine and then got paid the next week with no problems after that. Just something to check if the payment doesn't show up in the next week or so.
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Zoe Papadakis
•I didn't even think about potential bank issues! I'll double-check my direct deposit info right now. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Mei Chen
OK so I was wrong about your email being fake (sorry!!) but DID YOU KNOW that your first payment might include back pay for previous weeks too?? If you certified for weeks while waiting for approval, they should pay ALL those weeks in your first deposit! So check if the amount matches what you're expecting! A lot of people miss this and don't get all their money!!!!
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ThunderBolt7
•This is correct. Your first payment should include all certified weeks since your claim effective date, assuming all those weeks were eligible. This is why some first payments are larger than subsequent weekly payments. You can check the payment breakdown in your payment history once it processes.
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Liam O'Sullivan
Just wanted to check back - did your payment come through yet? Mine took exactly 8 days after that email to hit my account.
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Zoe Papadakis
•Just got it this morning! It took 6 days after the email, but you were right - it included payment for all the previous weeks I'd certified. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and reassurance.
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