How long does it take to get your waiting week for unemployment benefits processed by NYS Department of Labor?
I filed my initial claim about 2 weeks ago and have been doing my weekly certifications. My claim shows approved but I still haven't received any payment for my waiting week. The NYS Department of Labor website says it can take time but doesn't give specifics. Is the waiting week payment supposed to come automatically after a certain period or do I need to do something? I'm getting anxious because I really need that money for rent.
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Finley Garrett
The waiting week payment usually comes after you've been approved for benefits and completed your first payable week. For me it took about 3-4 weeks total from when I first filed. Make sure you keep certifying every week even if you haven't gotten paid yet.
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Cass Green
•Thanks! So I should just keep doing my weekly claims and it will eventually show up? I was worried I missed a step somewhere.
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Madison Tipne
The waiting week is automatically paid once NYS Department of Labor processes your first regular weekly benefit. You don't need to do anything special - just continue filing your weekly claims on schedule. If your claim status shows approved, you're on the right track. The delay is normal due to their processing times.
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Holly Lascelles
•This is so confusing! I thought the waiting week meant you just don't get paid for the first week period. Are you saying we DO get paid for it eventually??
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Madison Tipne
•Yes, in New York you do get paid for the waiting week eventually. It's not like some other states where you lose that week entirely. NYS Department of Labor holds it until you qualify for regular benefits.
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Malia Ponder
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my waiting week payment timing. If you need to actually talk to someone about your specific case, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you get through to the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals.
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Kyle Wallace
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you a lot? I've been trying to call for weeks about my own issues.
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Malia Ponder
•It was worth it for me since I couldn't get through any other way. They focus on the value of actually reaching someone rather than wasting time on hold.
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Ryder Ross
Same boat here - filed 3 weeks ago and still waiting for that first week payment. The whole system is SO SLOW it's ridiculous. How are people supposed to pay bills when everything takes forever???
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Gianni Serpent
just keep filing weekly dont worry about it too much, mine came after like a month or something
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