How long does it take to get my unemployment money from NYS Department of Labor?
I submitted my initial unemployment claim online through my.ny.gov about 10 days ago and I'm still waiting to see any money in my account. My claim status just says 'pending' and I haven't received any correspondence about what's happening. I lost my job as a restaurant manager three weeks ago due to downsizing and I really need to know when I can expect my first payment. I've been doing my weekly claims like I'm supposed to but nothing is showing up. Is this normal? How long should I expect to wait before I actually see unemployment money in my bank account?
9 comments
Join the conversation
Sean Kelly
The typical timeline for first unemployment payments from NYS Department of Labor is usually 2-3 weeks after filing your initial claim, but it can take longer if there are any issues that need adjudication. Since you filed 10 days ago, you're still within the normal processing window. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for the first payment - this is crucial. Check your my.ny.gov account regularly for any messages or requests for additional information.
0 coins
StellarSurfer
•Thanks for the info! I haven't seen any messages requesting more information. Should I be worried that it's taking this long?
0 coins
Zara Malik
mine took almost 4 weeks to get the first payment but then it was backdated to when i first filed so i got a bigger chunk all at once. just keep doing those weekly claims no matter what
0 coins
Luca Greco
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was really helpful when I needed to verify why my payments were delayed - turned out there was a simple verification issue I didn't know about.
0 coins
StellarSurfer
•How much did that cost? I'm already tight on money waiting for these payments.
0 coins
Luca Greco
•It was worth it for me to get answers quickly instead of waiting weeks wondering what was wrong. The peace of mind was valuable when I was stressed about bills.
0 coins
Nia Thompson
UGH the NYS Department of Labor system is SO SLOW! I waited 6 weeks for my first payment last year and they acted like that was totally normal. Meanwhile bills don't wait for their broken system to work properly!
0 coins
Mateo Rodriguez
Wait, do you get paid for the week you file or the week before? I'm confused about the timing and I don't want to mess something up that delays my money even more.
0 coins
Sean Kelly
•You get paid for the week you're claiming, not the current week. So when you file your weekly claim on Sunday, you're claiming benefits for the previous week (Sunday through Saturday). The payment timing depends on when your claim gets processed.
0 coins