How long for NY unemployment letter to arrive after talking to a specialist?
Just filed a claim with ny unemployment over the phone yesterday and it was surprisingly smooth. Got connected to a specialist right away who helped me set up everything. She mentioned I needed an ID.me account (already had one from before so that part was easy). The specialist told me I'll get something in the mail about my benefits and explained which days I need to certify each week. Does anyone know approximately how long these letters take to arrive? And after I start certifying weekly, will the payments be processed quickly like they used to be or is there some long wait time now? Been hearing mixed things from friends about delays.
36 comments


Mei-Ling Chen
For me the letter came about 10 days after I filed. The first payment took longer (about 3 weeks) but after that it was pretty quick - I'd certify on Monday and have the money by Wednesday or Thursday most weeks. Just make sure you certify exactly on your assigned day!
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DeShawn Washington
â˘Thanks for sharing your timeline! That actually helps a lot. Did you have to do anything else after getting the letter, or just start certifying?
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Mei-Ling Chen
â˘Nope just started certifying on my assigned day. The letter will tell you your weekly benefit amount and when to certify. One thing tho - dont mess up your certification answers or youll be waiting foreverrr
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SofĂa RodrĂguez
â˘10 days?? lucky you! mine took 3 weeks to arrive and I was freaking out the whole time thinking something went wrong đ¤Śââď¸
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Aiden O'Connor
After trying to call for weeks with no success, I finally used claimyr.com and got through to someone who helped me sort everything out. Talking to an actual agent got my benefits started within days - best decision I made after wasting so much time on hold! They connected me directly with a specialist. Check out their process here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Zoe Papadopoulos
â˘Is this actually worth trying? I've been calling for 3 weeks straight with no luck getting through.
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Aiden O'Connor
â˘100% worth it. I was skeptical at first but I was desperate after trying to get through for almost a month. Ended up getting my issues resolved in one phone call. The money I spent on the service was nothing compared to the benefits I was able to access.
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Jamal Brown
â˘sounds like an ad or something... does this actually work or just another scam trying to profit off desperate people? đ¤
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Aiden O'Connor
â˘Not a scam at all. It's just a service that calls and waits on hold for you, then calls your phone when they get a real person. Saved me hours of frustration and my claim got processed. After 5 weeks of trying on my own, I got everything sorted in one call.
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SofĂa RodrĂguez
â˘I just checked out their website. gonna try it tomorrow cuz ive wasted like 20 hours on hold already this month đŤ
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Fatima Al-Rashid
Expect to wait 7-14 business days for the letter. The system is a complete mess right now. I certified on time every week but still had to wait almost a month before seeing any money. Make sure you keep screenshots of everything and document all your calls.
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Giovanni Rossi
Letters typically arrive within 2 weeks. But honestly the whole process is super random these days. Some people get paid right away, others wait months for no reason. The unemployment system is broken af. Just certify on time and pray lol
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Aaliyah Jackson
â˘^^^^ THIS! I did everything right and STILL had to wait 6 weeks with zero explanation. Then suddenly money appeared in my account. Zero rhyme or reason to how they operate đ
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DeShawn Washington
â˘That's exactly what I'm worried about... I really can't afford to wait months with no income.
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KylieRose
My letter took about 8 business days. But here's what they dont tell you - the payment release can get delayed if they flag your account for additional verification. Happened to me and I had to wait 5 extra weeks until I could finally get someone on the phone who fixed it in literally 2 minutes. The system is ridiculous.
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Miguel HernĂĄndez
â˘how did you actually get someone on the phone??? been trying for WEEKS
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KylieRose
â˘Used claimyr.com after wasting days trying to call myself. They got me through to a rep who fixed everything in minutes. Talking to a real human changed everything.
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Sasha Ivanov
Just a heads up - there have been tons of delays with USPS lately, so your letter might take longer than usual to arrive. If it's been more than 3 weeks, call them to check if there's an issue. Also make sure you certify every single week even if you haven't received the letter yet or havent been paid.
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Liam Murphy
The whole NY unemployment system is a freaking joke. I've been waiting 3 months for backpay that I'm owed and can't get a straight answer from anyone. Good luck getting your $$$ in any reasonable timeframe đ¤Ą
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Amara Okafor
â˘same boat... it's criminal how they treat people who are already struggling. the system is DESIGNED to be confusing and difficult.
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CaptainAwesome
â˘have u tried contacting your state rep? thats what finally worked for me after months of nothing
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Liam Murphy
â˘No but thats a good idea! do u just call their office or is there a specific person to talk to?
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CaptainAwesome
â˘just call main office number and explain ur situation. they have ppl who specialize in helping constituents with govt agencies. took about 2 weeks after they got involved but finally got my $$$
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Yuki Tanaka
I went through this recently. Here's what you need to know about NY unemployment right now: ⢠The initial letter with your monetary determination usually arrives in 7-14 days ⢠You should start certifying on your assigned day even if you haven't received the letter yet (Sunday-Friday depending on last name) ⢠First payment typically takes 2-3 weeks to process if there are no issues with your claim ⢠If they need additional info or verification, expect delays of 4-8 weeks ⢠After the initial payment, funds usually appear 2-3 business days after certification ⢠Set up direct deposit as soon as possible through your online account - paper checks take much longer ⢠Document everything and keep checking your online account for messages or action items If you run into any issues or your payments are delayed, don't waste days trying to call. I finally used claimyr.com after spending weeks trying to get through. They connected me with an agent who resolved my issue in minutes. Completely worth it to get my benefits flowing.
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DeShawn Washington
â˘Thank you so much for this detailed breakdown! This is exactly what I needed to know. Just created account on the website too so I can track everything.
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Yuki Tanaka
â˘No problem! One more tip - take screenshots of your certifications each week. The system sometimes glitches and having proof of your submissions can save you a ton of headaches later.
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Esmeralda GĂłmez
u might not even get a letter lol. I never did. had to call 50+ times before getting through. once they fixed whatever the issue was, money started coming in regulary. the initial process is a nightmare but once ur in the system it runs smooth
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Klaus Schmidt
CHECK UR SPAM FOLDER!!! My unemployment letters went there for some reason and I was freaking out for weeks thinking they never sent anything. Also the online message center sometimes has copies of the letters they mail you.
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Aisha Patel
â˘OMG THIS!!! Same thing happened to me. I was waiting for a physical letter for ages but they'd actually emailed it to me and it went to spam đ¤Śââď¸
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LilMama23
Pro tip: after you get approved, always certify first thing on your assigned day. If you wait until later in the week the payment might get delayed. Also keep checking your payment history in your online account - sometimes they don't tell you if there's an issue but you can see it there.
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Dmitri Volkov
Does anyone know if they're still doing that additional verification thing where they make you upload a ton of documents? My brother had to do that and it delayed his payments by like 2 months.
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Gabrielle Dubois
â˘yep still happening randomly. happened to my roommate last month but not to me even tho we both applied around same time. total crapshoot
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Tyrone Johnson
â˘They seem to be targeting specific industries or claim types for extra verification. If you worked in retail or restaurants you're less likely to get flagged than if you were self-employed or had multiple employers.
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Ingrid Larsson
The backlog is insane right now. My letter took 3 weeks to arrive, but my neighbor got hers in 5 days. It's totally random. Just keep checking your online account daily and make sure you certify every week no matter what. Sometimes the payments start showing up even before you get any official letters.
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Carlos Mendoza
i heard they're super backed up because of all the fraud cases lately. my cousin works for NY unemployment (not in claims processing tho) and says they're reviewing everything manually which is why there are so many delays. just be patient and make sure all your info is 100% accurate or you'll get flagged for review.
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DeShawn Washington
â˘That's really good to know. I'll double check all my info to make sure everything matches perfectly. Last thing I need is to get stuck in some review queue.
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