How long after NY unemployment back pay approval until funds arrive?
Finally got approved for my NY unemployment back pay yesterday! After weeks of calling, I managed to speak with a rep who certified all my missed weeks over the phone. They said everything was processed and approved on their end, but they were pretty vague about when I'll actually see the money. Does anyone know how long it typically takes for back pay to hit your account after verbal approval? Should I expect it with my next regular payment or will it come separately? Getting a bit anxious since it's a significant amount (about $4,800) and I've got bills piling up.
22 comments
Join the conversation
Zainab Ismail
Congrats on getting approved! Back pay typically takes 2-3 business days to arrive if you have direct deposit set up. If you're using the debit card option, it might take 3-5 business days. The funds usually come as a separate payment from your regular weekly benefits. You can check your payment history on your NY.gov account under the 'Payment History' tab - it should show as 'pending' before it hits your account.
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•Thank you! That's really helpful. I do have direct deposit set up so hopefully I'll see it by Friday. I'll keep checking the payment history tab. Do they usually notify you by email when it's processed or should I just keep refreshing the page?
0 coins
Connor O'Neill
mine came the next DAY back in january so youll probably get it FAST!!! dont worry
0 coins
QuantumQuester
In my experience it totally depends on when in the week they processed it. I got approved on a Monday and saw the money Wednesday. My cousin got approved on a Thursday and didn't see the money until the following Tuesday. Something about their payment processing schedule.
0 coins
Yara Nassar
•This is exactly right. NY unemployment processes payments in batches. If you miss the cutoff time for the current batch, you'll be pushed to the next one. That's why the timing can vary so much from person to person.
0 coins
Keisha Williams
What if it doesn't come??? I've been waiting for back pay for THREE MONTHS now and every time I call they tell me something different!!! One rep says it's approved, next one says there's a hold, then another one says they see nothing in the system!!! The whole system is BROKEN and designed to make us give up!!
0 coins
Zainab Ismail
•That's really frustrating. Sounds like you need to speak with a tier 2 specialist who can actually see your full claim history. Regular reps often have limited access. Have you tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com)? I was in a similar situation and used their service to get through to an actual claims specialist instead of the frontline reps. They have a demonstration video at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE showing how it works. It got me connected within about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through.
0 coins
Paolo Ricci
I went thru this in Feb 2025. The timing really depends on 1) what day they processed your back pay and 2) whether there are any pending issues with your claim. For me, I was told on Tuesday that my back pay was approved, and I saw the money in my account on Thursday morning. They didn't send any notification - it just appeared. One thing to be aware of - sometimes they split larger back pay amounts into multiple payments over a few days. So you might see partial amounts come in rather than the full $4,800 at once.
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•That's good to know about the split payments! I'll keep an eye out. I was approved on Tuesday too, so hopefully I'll see something tomorrow. Do you remember if the payment showed up on your account online before it hit your bank account?
0 coins
Amina Toure
had the same thing happened. I was approved for like $6200 in back pay after 5 months of fighting with DOL. took 4 business days to hit my account. they also sent me a letter in the mail confirming it like a week later lol. the gov moves slow for everything except taking taxes
0 coins
Yara Nassar
Keep in mind that your back pay might be subject to additional withholding if it pushes you into a higher tax bracket for that payment period. I got $3,750 in back pay last month, but they withheld about 12% instead of the 10% I selected for my regular payments. The payment history page should show you the gross amount, tax withholding, and net payment so you can verify everything is correct.
0 coins
Connor O'Neill
•wait they can do that??? i thought it was always the % you picked when you first filed!
0 coins
Paolo Ricci
I just wanted to add that if it's been more than 5 business days since your approval, you should definitely call them back. Sometimes there's a secondary review that happens with large back pay amounts, especially anything over $4,000. They don't always tell you about this extra step.
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•It's only been 1 day so far but I'll definitely call if I don't see anything by Monday. Just wish they were more transparent about the whole process instead of leaving us in the dark.
0 coins
Connor O'Neill
my friend is stil waiting for backpay from december its may now lol good luck with nysdol theyre the worst
0 coins
Amina Toure
One thing I wish someone told me - take screenshots of your payment history page before and after you receive the back pay. I had an issue where they said they paid me but I never got it, and I had no proof of what my account showed previously. Document everything when dealing with unemployment!
0 coins
Zainab Ismail
•This is excellent advice. Always document everything when dealing with government agencies. Screenshots with timestamps can save you a lot of headaches if there's ever a dispute about what was paid or when.
0 coins
QuantumQuester
My back pay story: approved on Thursday, money appeared Tuesday morning. Was told 2-3 days but took 3 business days (5 calendar days). No notification, just showed up in my account. I have KeyBank direct deposit though, don't know if that matters.
0 coins
Oliver Zimmermann
So I had a semi-similar situation happen to me last month but my back pay was for missed days not whole weeks. I was owed for 3 partial weeks that I had documentation for but never got to certify. I got paid within 48 hours but then they somehow overpaid me by adding an extra week I never claimed. Now I'm dealing with that whole mess. Make sure you keep track of exactly what weeks they approved you for so you don't end up with an overpayment notice later!
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•Oh no, that sounds like a nightmare! The rep did go through each week with me on the phone and I wrote everything down, so hopefully there won't be any mistakes. How are you resolving the overpayment issue?
0 coins
Zainab Ismail
Final update from what I've gathered from several cases: Direct deposit back pay timing seems to be: - Best case: Next business day - Average case: 2-3 business days - Worst case (without issues): 5 business days If it goes beyond that, there's likely another issue that needs resolving. Hope this helps you and others wondering about the timeline!
0 coins
Miguel Silva
•Thank you for summarizing! This makes me feel better about the timeline. I'll update this thread once I receive mine so others can use this as a reference point too.
0 coins