How long for first NY unemployment payment after certifying for 2 weeks?
I finally got approved for NY unemployment and have been certifying for the past two weeks (submitted on time both Sundays). My account status shows 'processed' but I haven't received any money in my bank account yet. I chose direct deposit during application. Is this normal? How long does it typically take to receive the first payment? I'm getting a bit anxious since my bills are piling up and I really need this money soon.
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Olivia Garcia
The first payment typically takes 3-4 business days after your initial certification, but ONLY after the DOL has fully processed your claim. So the real question is: did you get a monetary determination letter yet? If you just got approved recently, there might still be a waiting week before payments begin.
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Liam Brown
•Yes, I did get the monetary determination letter about 10 days ago. It showed my weekly benefit amount and everything. So I've already waited the waiting week? I thought the certifications I did were for actual payment weeks.
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Noah Lee
it took me almost 3 weeks to get my first payment after i started certifying!! system is SO SLOW in 2025, dont worry yet
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Liam Brown
•3 weeks?! That's way longer than I was expecting. Did you have to do anything special to make the payments start?
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Noah Lee
•nope just kept certifying every week. they backpaid everything eventually but it was super stressful waiting!!!!
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Ava Hernandez
There's a common misunderstanding about the waiting week. The first week you're eligible is a waiting week (no payment), then you certify for the following weeks and get paid for those. So if you've certified for two weeks after your waiting week, you should expect payment for both. Some things to check: 1. Verify your direct deposit info is correct in your account 2. Make sure there are no pending issues on your claim 3. Check if your payment status says "pending" or "processed" If it says processed but you haven't received payment within 5 business days, there might be an issue with your bank information or an unresolved eligibility question.
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Liam Brown
•Thank you for explaining! I double-checked my direct deposit info and it's correct. The status says "processed" for both weeks. Is there any way to see if there are pending issues? I don't see anything obvious in my account that indicates a problem.
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Ava Hernandez
•You should see any pending issues in your account dashboard under "Claim Status" or when you log in through your NY.gov ID. If nothing shows up there, it might be worth calling to check if there's an invisible hold. Unfortunately, getting through to an agent can be extremely difficult.
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Isabella Martin
Are you sure you entered the correct bank info? I accidentally transposed 2 numbers in my account # and my payment got returned. Took an extra week to sort out. Just something to double check!
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Liam Brown
•That's a good point - I just triple checked my banking info and it's definitely correct. The last 4 digits match my actual account.
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Elijah Jackson
im in the EXACT same boat right now!!! certified for 2 weeks, status is 'processed' but NO MONEY yet!! this is making me panic because rent is due next week and i have like $27 in my account 😠please update if yours comes through!!
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Sophia Miller
•I've been through this before. What's happening is that your first payment goes through extra verification. It's annoying but actually pretty normal for it to take 7-10 business days for the very first payment, then after that they come within 2-3 days of certifying. The system is built to be slow at first as a fraud prevention measure (at least that's what a rep told me).
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Mason Davis
When I had this issue in January, I was going CRAZY trying to call the regular unemployment number. Busy signals for days! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Turns out I had an identity verification flag that wasn't showing up in my online account. The agent removed it on the spot and my payment hit my account the next day. Sometimes you need to actually speak to someone to get these things fixed.
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Liam Brown
•Thank you for suggesting this. I've been trying to call for the past few days with no luck. I'll check out that service if my payment doesn't arrive by the end of this week.
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Isabella Martin
•Yep I've used that before too when I had an issue with my claim. Way better than spending all day redialing!
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Elijah Jackson
does anyone know if they process payments on weekends???
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Olivia Garcia
•They don't process payments on weekends or holidays. Only business days. And even then, once they process it, your bank might hold it for 1-2 days depending on their policies.
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Liam Brown
UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that my payment finally came through this morning! It took exactly 8 business days from my first certification. Both weeks were deposited together. Thanks for all the help and reassurance!
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Elijah Jackson
•thats such a relief to hear!! hopefully mine comes through soon too. did you ever find out why it took so long??
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Liam Brown
•No explanation really - I think it's just their standard timeline for first payments. The good news is that both payments came together, and they included the full amount I was expecting!
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Olivia Garcia
For anyone else reading this thread in the future: The typical timeline for NY unemployment in 2025 is: 1. Claim approval/monetary determination: 2-3 weeks after application 2. First week = waiting week (no payment) 3. First actual payment: 7-10 business days after certifying 4. Subsequent payments: 2-3 business days after weekly certification They've improved the system somewhat, but that first payment still takes longer than they advertise.
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