How long does it take to get unemployment back pay from NYS Department of Labor?
My unemployment claim was finally approved after being stuck in adjudication for almost 6 weeks. NYS Department of Labor said I'm eligible for back pay going back to when I first filed, but it's been 2 weeks since approval and I still haven't received any of the retroactive payments. My weekly claims show as paid but only the current week actually hit my account. Anyone know how long it typically takes for back pay to come through? I'm really behind on rent and bills at this point.
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Ella Cofer
Back pay usually processes within 2-3 business days after your claim is approved, but it can take up to 7-10 business days during busy periods. Since you mentioned it's been 2 weeks, there might be an issue with your payment method or banking information. Check your my.ny.gov account to see if all your direct deposit details are correct.
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Taylor To
•Thanks! I double checked and my banking info looks right. Should I be worried something else is wrong?
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Kevin Bell
I had the exact same thing happen to me last month. My claim got approved but the back pay took forever. Turns out there was some kind of flag on my account that was holding up the payments even though my weekly claims showed as processed.
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Taylor To
•How did you find out about the flag? Did you have to call them?
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Kevin Bell
•Yeah I tried calling for weeks but could never get through. Finally used this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent was able to see the hold on my account and release my back pay within 24 hours.
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Savannah Glover
If your weekly claims are showing as paid but you're not receiving the money, there's definitely a payment processing issue. This is separate from adjudication problems - your claim is approved but something is blocking the actual fund transfer. You need to speak with someone at NYS Department of Labor to identify what's causing the delay.
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Felix Grigori
•This is so frustrating! Why can't they just tell us what the problem is instead of making us guess??
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Felicity Bud
mine took 3 weeks to get back pay but that was during peak season last year, yours should be faster
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Max Reyes
The NYS Department of Labor system is such a mess. I've been waiting 4 months for my back pay and every time I call they give me a different excuse. First it was adjudication, then it was a system update, now they're saying there's some kind of verification issue. Meanwhile I'm about to lose my apartment because I can't pay rent!
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Mikayla Davison
•That's terrible! Have you tried reaching out to your local assembly member's office? Sometimes they can help cut through the red tape.
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Diego Vargas
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my claim was approved 10 days ago and I can see all my weekly certifications marked as "paid" in the system, but only received payment for one week. It's really concerning when you're counting on that back pay to catch up on essential expenses. From what I've read in other forums, sometimes there can be automated holds placed on accounts for various reasons even after approval. Have you tried logging into your NY.gov account to see if there are any pending issues or notifications that might explain the delay?
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QuantumQuest
•I checked my NY.gov account and don't see any pending issues or notifications - everything looks normal there. It's really frustrating because like you said, we're both counting on that back pay for essential expenses. Did you find anything in your account that might explain the delay? I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and try that Claimyr service Kevin mentioned to get through to someone who can actually see what's going on with my payments.
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