How to change direct deposit for unemployment benefits - NYS Department of Labor

You can update your direct deposit through your my.ny.gov account. Log in and go to the 'Payment Information' section under your unemployment services. You'll need your new bank's routing number and account number. The change usually takes effect within 1-2 payment cycles, so if you have a payment coming soon it might still go to the old account.

same thing happened to me when chase closed my account! took forever to get it sorted out

If you can't access the online system, you can call NYS Department of Labor directly. However, getting through can be really difficult with their high call volume. I had to try calling dozens of times over several days. When I couldn't get through the normal way, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual agent quickly. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows exactly how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful.

MAKE SURE you keep your old account open until you confirm the new one is working!! I closed mine too early and had to wait weeks for a paper check. NYS Department of Labor doesn't make it easy to fix these things once they mess up.

You might also need to update your address if you moved banks, just saying. The whole my.ny.gov system is pretty clunky but it should work eventually.

I went through this exact situation last month! If you can't get through the verification questions online, you can also try visiting a local Department of Labor office in person. I know it's not convenient, but sometimes they can help you reset your account access or update the banking info directly. You can find office locations on the DOL website. Also, call your new bank and let them know you're expecting unemployment deposits - sometimes they can help flag your account to watch for any returned payments from your old account.

Another option if you're having trouble with the online system - you can also try calling the unemployment customer service line early in the morning (like right when they open at 8am) or later in the afternoon. Those tend to be less busy times. When I had to update my info, I called at 7:59am and got through on the second try. Have your new bank routing and account numbers ready, plus your SSN and unemployment claim info. The rep was able to update everything over the phone and confirmed the change would take effect with my next payment. Good luck!

Just wanted to add my experience - I had the same issue when my credit union closed unexpectedly. Besides all the great advice here, make sure you also check if there are any pending payments that might still try to go to the old account. When I updated my direct deposit info, I had one payment that was already "in the system" that still went to the closed account and bounced back. NYS DOL had to reissue it as a debit card payment, which took an extra week. So definitely follow up to make sure your first payment after the change actually goes to the new account. You can usually see the payment status in your online account a day or two before the actual deposit date.

I went through this same headache a few months ago! One thing that really helped me was calling the NYS DOL technical support line specifically for website issues - it's different from the regular unemployment line and usually has shorter wait times. The number is on the my.ny.gov help page. They can sometimes reset your verification questions or walk you through alternative ways to access the payment section. Also, if you're really stuck and have a payment coming soon, you can request they put a temporary hold on direct deposit while you sort this out - better to get a paper check than have it bounce around between accounts. Just make sure to follow up because those holds don't automatically lift themselves.

I went through this exact same situation when my bank closed my account unexpectedly! Here's what worked for me: First, try calling the DOL customer service line right at 8:00 AM sharp - that's when your best chance is to get through. Have your Social Security number, claim number, and new bank routing/account numbers ready. If the online verification questions aren't working (happened to me too), the phone rep can bypass that and update your info directly. They'll give you a confirmation number - write it down because there's no email confirmation. The change typically takes 1-2 payment cycles to take effect, so if you have a payment due soon, ask them to put a temporary hold on direct deposit so you get a paper check instead of having it bounce back. Also, definitely call your new bank to let them know unemployment deposits are coming - they can watch for any returned payments from your old account. The whole process took about 20 minutes on the phone once I got through. Good luck!