How long for NY unemployment to process payment? Been waiting over a week!

It usually takes 2-3 weeks for your first payment to process after your claim is approved. The system is super backed up in 2025 because of all the tech updates they're doing. As long as your status says 'approved' you should be okay - just keep doing your weekly certifications!

i got my first payment in 10 days but my cousin waited like a month. depends on how complicated ur work history is i think

NYSDOL is TERRIBLE with processing times!! I had to wait 4 weeks for my first payment even though everything was approved right away. They claim it's 2-3 weeks but that's LIES. The system is broken and nobody answers the phones!!!

Wait are you talking about the first payment after approval or the very first payment after applying? Because those are different things. If your claim was JUST approved, the first payment usually comes 1-2 weeks after that. But from initial application to first payment can be 4-6 weeks total depending on verification needs.

I had the same problem last month and couldn't get through on the phones for DAYS. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in like 30 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. The agent told me my payment was delayed because I answered one of the certification questions wrong. They fixed it right on the call and I got paid 2 days later. Check out their demo video if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Make sure you're checking your email AND the Message Center in your NY.gov account! Sometimes they need additional documents but don't call you - they just send a message through the system. I missed one of those messages and it delayed my payments by 3 weeks.

Here's the official timeline for NY unemployment in 2025: 1. Application submission 2. 1-2 weeks for initial review and employer verification 3. Claim approval/denial 4. First payment 3-7 business days AFTER approval 5. Subsequent payments within 2-3 days of weekly certification If your claim shows 'approved' and it's been more than 7 business days since approval, you should definitely call. The $1,020 waiting week was eliminated in 2023, so your first payment should include all eligible weeks.

Update: I checked the Message Center like someone suggested and found a request for additional employment verification that was sent 4 days ago! No email notification or anything. Uploaded the documents they needed right away. Hopefully this speeds things up! Thank you all for the help!

My sister waited 2 weeks after approval for her first payment, but that was because her last employer contested her claim. Once that was resolved the money came within 2 days. Did you leave your last job voluntarily? That can cause delays too.