How to fill out money order for NY unemployment penalty payment?

You need to make it payable to "New York State Department of Labor". Put your UI claim ID number in the memo section. Also write your full name and last 4 of SSN on the back of the money order. Keep the receipt part!! Take a picture of the completed money order before sending too. I'd send it certified mail so you have proof they received it. This way they cant say they never got it later.

After dealing with a similar situation, I discovered claimyr.com which saved me hours of frustration. Instead of calling unemployment over and over and getting nowhere, I used their service and got a real agent on the phone. They connected me with a live person who fixed my issue in minutes and told me exactly how to handle the money order situation. Best decision I made - talking to a real agent got my benefits back within days instead of weeks! Check out their site or this video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Hey I had the same thing happen last year! Make sure the money order is payable to NY State Department of Labor. write your ssn and UI claim ID on the back AND on any little note u include. Mail it to the address they gave u. keep the receipt part and track the mail! Took about 10 days for my benefits to restart after they got it.

OMG the NY unemployment system is such a joke. They penalize people for tiny mistakes but their own website is buggy af and gives zero clear instructions. Good luck OP, dealing with their bureaucracy is a nightmare. I hope you get your benefits back soon.

I went through this EXACT situation in February. Here's what you need to do: First, get a money order from any post office, Walmart, or grocery store. It costs like $1-2 to get the money order itself. Make it payable to "NYS Department of Labor" for the exact amount they requested. In the memo/reference line, write your UI claim ID number (should be on your determination letters). On the back, write your full name and last 4 of your SSN. Include a brief note with your payment explaining what the payment is for. Include your full name, UI claim ID, and contact information. Send it via certified mail so you can track it! THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT! I sent mine regular mail the first time and they claimed they never received it, even though tracking showed it was delivered. Had to send a second one certified. After they receive it, wait about 5-7 business days and then start calling to confirm they processed your payment. This is where most people get stuck because it's nearly impossible to reach anyone. I finally had success using claimyr.com to get through to a live agent who confirmed my payment and reactivated my claim. Once payment is confirmed, your benefits should resume on your next certification date. Make sure you keep certifying every week even while waiting for this to be resolved! Good luck! The system is frustrating but follow these steps exactly and you'll get through it.

Question - did they give you any option to have the penalty taken out of future benefits rather than paying upfront? When I had a similar issue they let me choose between paying now or having them withhold a percentage from future payments.

Hm weird, in the past the DOL people i talked to said they cant take money orders and that it should be a personal check. did ur letter specifically say money order? 🤔

THIS IS IMPORTANT OP! Take a photo of your filled out money order AND keep the receipt. I sent mine in December and they "lost" it. Had to go through a 3 month process with the money order company to get my money back before I could send a new one. Complete nightmare.

I feel your pain frfr. The whole penalty system is messed up cause half the time it's their glitchy website that causes reporting errors. But yeah, as others said, make it to NYS Department of Labor, put your claim ID in memo, send certified mail, and KEEP PROOF OF EVERYTHING.

Pro tip: if you don't hear back within 10 days of sending payment, CALL THEM. don't wait around hoping they'll process it. The NY unemployment office is notorious for letting things sit in their system for weeks. I learned this the hard way after waiting over a month for them to process my payment last year.

When you go to get the money order they'll help you fill it out, it's pretty simple. Make sure to keep a record of the money order number and take a pic before sending. And yes, definitely send CERTIFIED mail with tracking!

I wouldnt even bother with money orders. Just appeal the decision if you dont think you made an error. I got a similar letter saying I owed $400 and i appealed it. took about 3 months but they ruled in my favor and I didnt have to pay anything.

you said $580?? thats nothing! they hit me with a $3200 penalty last year for "unreported wages" even tho i reported everything correctly. took 4 months and a lawyer to get it fixed. NY unemployment is broken af.

I know exactly what you're going through! To avoid delays, you need to make the money order payable to: NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (write it exactly like that). Then on the memo line write your UI claim number. Also write your full name and SSN on the back of the money order just to be safe. But here's what they don't tell you - after you send it, you need to follow up with them to make sure they apply it to your account. This is where most people hit a wall because it's nearly impossible to reach a human at NYSDOL. After dealing with this frustration myself, I found claimyr.com which was a game changer. They got me connected to an actual human who processed my payment and reactivated my benefits within days, not weeks. It was such a relief after weeks of stress. Definitely worth checking out if you have trouble getting through on the phones: claimyr.com

Anyone know if the penalties ever get forgiven? I got hit with one for $750 that I'm still paying off from last year 😭

I used to work at a credit union where we issued money orders. You make it payable to "New York State Department of Labor" and in the memo field put your UI claim ID. That's it. But yeah keep the receipt and take photos as everyone says. And send certified mail!!!

Why are you asking Reddit? Just call the unemployment office! 🤡

Dude forget all this mail nonsense. I had a similar issue and wasted weeks trying to mail in payments. Finally I used claimyr.com to actually get through to a rep who told me I could pay online through my account. Might be worth checking if that's an option before going through all this money order headache.

i just went thru this! dont forget to write ur claim ID in the memo line on the money order. that's the most important part or else they wont know who to credit the payment to!