How long is waiting week for unemployment in NY - when do payments actually start?

Thanks! So I still have to do the weekly certification even for the waiting week? That seems weird if I'm not getting paid for it.

I had the same issue trying to reach NYS Department of Labor by phone. If you need to talk to an agent, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.

10 days total doesn't sound too bad. I was worried it would be weeks before I saw anything.

That's way too long - something is definitely wrong with your claim. After approval, payments usually start within 1-2 weeks max. You need to call NYS Department of Labor ASAP or log into your online account to see if there are any issues holding up your payments. Sometimes there are additional verification steps or pending issues that aren't obvious. Don't wait any longer with bills coming due - be persistent about getting answers from them.

@Lucas Lindsey is absolutely right - that timeline is way off. I had a similar situation last year where my payments got stuck after approval. Turned out there was a pending "issue in" my account that I could only see when I logged into the NY.gov unemployment portal, not through the mobile app. Check your online account thoroughly for any alerts or pending verifications. If you can t'get through by phone, try calling first thing Monday morning around 8:05 AM - that s'when I had the best luck reaching an actual person. Don t'let this drag on any longer with bills due.

@Gilberto Cabrera That delay is definitely not normal - I agree with @Lucas Lindsey that you need to get on this right away. When you log into your NY.gov account, check if there are any pending issues "or if" they re requesting'additional documentation. Sometimes they need identity verification, wage verification, or other paperwork before releasing payments. Also check if your direct deposit info is set up correctly - I ve seen'people wait weeks only to find out their bank info was wrong. If you can t get'through by phone, try the live chat feature on the NYS Department of Labor website during off-peak hours early morning (works best for me . )

@Donna Cline is right about checking for pending issues - that s'usually the culprit when payments are delayed this long. @Gilberto Cabrera, another thing to check is whether you ve'been filing your weekly certifications consistently. Even if your claim is approved, you won t'get paid for any weeks you didn t'certify for. I had a friend who thought approval meant automatic payments and didn t'realize he still needed to file weekly - lost out on 3 weeks of benefits before figuring it out. The system should show you exactly which weeks are certified, pending, or paid when you log in.

@Donna Cline has great advice about checking for pending issues. I went through something similar where my payment was delayed because they needed me to verify my identity online. The process took about 3-4 business days once I submitted the required documents. Also, if you re'still having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone, try calling right when they open at 8 AM - that s'when I had the best luck reaching an actual person. Don t'give up, sometimes it takes multiple attempts but you ll'eventually get through to someone who can tell you exactly what s'holding up your claim.

@Donna Cline is spot on about checking for pending issues - that s'usually the culprit when payments are delayed this long. @Gilberto Cabrera I d also'suggest checking if you ve been'filing your weekly certifications during this whole time. Even though you re waiting'for your first payment, you still need to file every week or they ll stop'processing your claim entirely. If you missed any weeks, you might need to request backdating which could explain the delay. The early morning tip for live chat is gold - I usually try around 8 AM when they first open.

@Zara Khan This is super helpful, thanks for sharing your timeline! I m'still in my waiting week right now and the direct deposit tip is clutch - I was wondering whether to wait for the debit card or set that up. Quick question about the screenshot advice - do you know if there s'a way to download or print those records from the NY.gov portal? I want to keep good records but screenshots feel like they might not be official enough if I ever need to prove something to NYS Department of Labor later on. Also, when you say your waiting week included the Sunday before you filed, does that mean if someone files early in the week like (Monday/Tuesday their) waiting week is actually shorter in real time?

@Jake Sinclair Great question about the real-time waiting period! You re'right that filing early in the week can make it feel shorter. If you file on a Monday, your waiting week still runs Sunday-Saturday, so you re'only waiting about 6 days instead of a full week from your filing date. As for downloading records, you can actually print directly from the NY.gov portal - just use your browser s'print function and save as PDF. I do both screenshots AND PDF saves to be extra safe. The PDF versions look more official and have the NY.gov header, which is helpful if you need documentation later. Also wanted to add that direct deposit typically processes 1-2 business days faster than the debit card, and you don t'have to worry about the card getting lost in the mail happened (to my neighbor and caused a whole mess with getting a replacement .)