How to check unemployment overpayment balance - NYS Department of Labor account confusion
I got hit with an overpayment notice from NYS Department of Labor about 6 months ago for $2,800 and I've been making payments but honestly I have no clue how much I still owe. I've been logging into my.ny.gov but I can't figure out where to see my current balance. The overpayment section just shows the original amount and some payment history but no running total of what's left. Am I missing something obvious here? This is driving me crazy because I want to know if I can pay it off completely soon.
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Natasha Volkova
You need to look under the 'Overpayment' tab in your unemployment account dashboard. There should be a section that shows 'Current Balance Due' which will have your remaining amount after all payments. If you're not seeing that, try clearing your browser cache and logging back in. Sometimes the my.ny.gov system doesn't display the updated balance right away after payments.
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CosmicCommander
•I see the overpayment tab but it's just showing payment dates and amounts. No current balance anywhere that I can find. Maybe my account is glitched?
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Javier Torres
same thing happened to me last year, the online system is terrible for tracking overpayment balances. i had to call and wait on hold for like 2 hours just to get someone to tell me what i still owed
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Emma Davis
•Actually there's a much easier way to reach NYS Department of Labor agents now. I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that gets you through to someone without waiting on hold forever. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it last month to check my overpayment status and got connected in like 10 minutes instead of hours.
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Javier Torres
•interesting, might have to try that. the regular phone system is absolutely useless
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Malik Johnson
The NYS Department of Labor overpayment tracking is honestly a mess. I've been dealing with this for over a year and the only reliable way I've found is to keep your own spreadsheet. Every time you make a payment, subtract it from your original balance. The online system updates are inconsistent at best.
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CosmicCommander
•That's actually not a bad idea. I should have been doing that from the beginning. Do you know if there's interest or penalties that get added if you don't pay fast enough?
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Malik Johnson
•Yes, they can add interest if you don't make payments or set up a payment plan. That's another reason the online balance display is useless - it doesn't always show accrued interest clearly.
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Isabella Ferreira
Wait I'm confused about overpayments in general. How do you even get one? I thought if NYS Department of Labor approved your claim then you're good to go?
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Natasha Volkova
•Overpayments can happen for several reasons - if you didn't report work income correctly, if there was an error in your benefit calculation, or if NYS Department of Labor later determines you weren't eligible for certain weeks. They can discover these issues months or even years later during audits.
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Ravi Sharma
UGH this is exactly why I hate dealing with NYS Department of Labor! They make it impossible to get basic information about YOUR OWN MONEY. The fact that you can't easily see your overpayment balance online in 2025 is absolutely ridiculous.
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Henrietta Beasley
I had the same frustrating experience with NYS Department of Labor's overpayment system! What finally worked for me was calling their overpayment unit directly at (518) 457-2635 - it's a separate number from the regular unemployment line so the wait times are usually shorter. When you call, have your SSN and the overpayment notice handy. They can tell you your exact balance including any interest that may have accrued. I also recommend asking them to send you a payment statement by mail so you have it in writing. The online system is honestly broken for tracking these balances.
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Alejandro Castro
•Thank you so much for that direct number! I've been struggling with this for months and had no idea there was a separate overpayment unit. I'm definitely going to try calling (518) 457-2635 tomorrow. Getting a written statement is a great idea too - at least then I'll have some documentation of what I actually owe instead of guessing based on the terrible online system.
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