How long does it take to get unemployment check after claiming weeks - NYS Department of Labor timing?
I've been filing my weekly claims for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor for the past 3 weeks but still haven't received any payments. My claim was approved about a month ago and shows no issues on my account. I've been doing my job searches and everything seems fine on my end. Is this normal timing or should I be worried? How long does it usually take to actually get the money after you submit your weekly claims?
16 comments


Freya Collins
For NYS Department of Labor, once your claim is approved and you're filing weekly claims without issues, payments typically process within 2-3 business days after you submit each weekly claim. Since you're at 3 weeks with no payments, there might be an underlying issue that's not showing up on your account dashboard. Check if your direct deposit information is correct and make sure you're certifying that you're able and available for work each week.
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Lucas Schmidt
•I double checked my direct deposit info and it looks right. I've been answering yes to able and available every week. Should I try calling them?
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LongPeri
omg same thing happened to me last year!! took like 5 weeks before i got anything even tho my claim was approved. turned out there was some verification thing they needed but never told me about it
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Lucas Schmidt
•Did you ever find out what verification they needed? I'm getting really stressed about this.
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LongPeri
•it was something about my last employer not responding to their request for info. i only found out when i finally got through on the phone
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Oscar O'Neil
Three weeks with no payment after approval is definitely not normal timing for NYS Department of Labor. You should have received your first payment within a week of your first successful weekly claim. There's likely a pending adjudication issue or employer response delay that's holding up your payments. You can try calling the claims center, but honestly the wait times are brutal. I had success using a service called Claimyr that gets you through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent - check out their demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and their site claimyr.com. It's way better than sitting on hold for hours.
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Sara Hellquiem
•Never heard of that service before but anything is better than trying to call directly. The NYS Department of Labor phone system is impossible.
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Lucas Schmidt
•Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check that out if I can't figure this out soon.
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Charlee Coleman
The NYS Department of Labor system is so broken it's not even funny. They approve your claim then make you wait weeks for money while you're struggling to pay bills. I swear they do this on purpose to discourage people from claiming.
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Liv Park
•I feel you on this. The whole system seems designed to make you give up before you get what you're entitled to.
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Leeann Blackstein
Check your payment history section - sometimes payments show as issued but there's a bank issue or something. Also make sure you didn't accidentally miss answering one of the weekly questions correctly.
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Adrian Connor
I had a similar issue last year where my payments were delayed for over a month even though everything looked fine on my account. It turned out my former employer hadn't responded to NYS Department of Labor's request for wage verification within their deadline. The frustrating part is that this kind of hold doesn't always show up clearly in your online account. I'd recommend checking your correspondence inbox on the NYS Department of Labor website - sometimes there are notices buried in there that don't trigger alerts. If you can't find anything, definitely try calling or using one of those callback services people mentioned. The sooner you get to the bottom of it, the better, because they should backdate your payments once the issue is resolved.
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Natalie Adams
•This is really helpful, thank you! I just checked my correspondence inbox and there actually was a notice from two weeks ago that I somehow missed - something about needing additional wage information from my employer. No wonder my payments have been held up. At least now I know what's going on and that I should get backpay once it's resolved. Really appreciate you mentioning to check there!
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Isabella Santos
I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! Filed my claim 4 weeks ago, got approved, been doing weekly certifications religiously, but zero payments. Like others mentioned, I found a notice buried in my correspondence inbox that I completely missed - apparently they needed additional documentation from me that I never saw because it didn't trigger any obvious alerts. It's so frustrating that these critical notices can just sit there while you're wondering why your money isn't coming. Definitely check every section of your account thoroughly, not just the main dashboard. The NYS Department of Labor system really needs better notification alerts for this stuff.
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Noland Curtis
•@Isabella Santos I m'so glad I m'not the only one dealing with this! It s'honestly ridiculous that they bury these important notices where you can barely find them. I just went through every section of my account after reading these comments and found a notice I completely missed too. The system definitely needs better alerts - like how hard would it be to send an email or text when there s'something that important? At least now I know to check that correspondence section regularly instead of just looking at the main page. Hope you get your documentation sorted out soon!
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QuantumQuest
This thread has been so helpful! I'm a new member dealing with a similar situation - my unemployment claim was approved 3 weeks ago and I've been filing weekly but no payments yet. After reading all these comments, I immediately went and checked my correspondence inbox (which I honestly had no idea existed) and sure enough, there was a notice from last week asking for additional identity verification documents. The notice was just sitting there with no email alert or anything on the main dashboard. It's crazy how they hide these critical notices! Now I at least know why my payments are delayed and what I need to do. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is a lifesaver when the NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing to navigate.
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