NY unemployment ID.me email mismatch - will this cause issues?
Got laid off from my retail job at the end of September and filed for unemployment benefits in early October. I created an account on the New York unemployment website using my personal gmail but when I got to the ID.me verification part, I accidentally used my old work email that I won't have access to soon. Now I'm stuck because I realized I messed up after submitting everything. Will this cause problems with my claim? Should I start over with a new application using the correct email or can I fix this somehow? Already waiting 3 weeks for any kind of update and getting really anxious about the money situation.
31 comments


Adriana Cohn
Yeah, this can be a problem. The emails should match for ID.me verification. I'd recommend calling the unemployment office to explain the situation ASAP. They can update your info in their system before it causes issues with your payments.
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Jace Caspullo
After weeks of trying to call ny unemployment with no luck, I finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to a real agent! Just went to claimyr.com and they handled the calling/waiting part, then connected me when they got someone on the line. Talking to an agent got my benefits flowing again in like 2 days after being stuck for almost a month. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Melody Miles
•wait how does that even work? sounds sketchy ngl
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Jace Caspullo
•It's actually pretty simple - they just do the calling and waiting on hold part for you (which was taking me HOURS). When they get through to an actual person, your phone rings and you're connected. Saved me so much time and frustration!
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol... but did this actually work? I've been trying to get through for weeks 😩
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Jace Caspullo
•I was super skeptical too but yeah it worked for me! Got through to someone who fixed my claim issue in one call after I'd been trying for almost 3 weeks straight.
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Eva St. Cyr
•just checked out their site. seems like they just automate the calling process? might actually try this cuz im DONE with these hold times 🤡
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Kristian Bishop
I had this exact problem back in August! The emails dont have to match exactly but it can cause confusion. What worked for me was logging back into id.me separately (not through the unemployment portal) and updating my email there. Then I contacted unemployment through their message system and explained the situation. Fixed within like 10 days.
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Brandon Parker
•Thanks for this! Did you have to create a new ID.me account or were you able to just update the existing one?
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Kristian Bishop
•I updated the existing one. Just go directly to ID.me website and login with whatever email you used (the work one), then change your contact email in settings.
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Kaitlyn Otto
DO NOT START OVER WITH A NEW APPLICATION! This will flag your account for fraud and make everything 10x worse. Trust me, I learned this the hard way back in July. you need to call them and explain the situation.
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Brandon Parker
•Oh wow thanks for the warning! I was literally about to do that this morning 😬
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Kaitlyn Otto
•np! yeah the system is designed to catch duplicate claims and it automatically flags them. Then you end up in verification hell for months.
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Axel Far
When I first applied for ny unemployment in february I had a similar issue with the email mismatch. The biggest problem is that youll stop getting important notifications about your claim. heres what you should do: 1. Try to keep access to that work email as long as possible 2. Call the unemployment office asap (I know its nearly impossible) 3. In the meantime, go to the id.me website directly and update your email 4. Document everything - take screenshots of all attempts to fix this 5. Use the secure message system on the unemployment portal to explain your situation 6. If you cant get through by phone, try reaching out on Twitter - sometimes they respond faster there The good news is that this shouldnt affect your eligibility, just the communication. The truly fastest way I've found to reach an agent is using claimyr.com - they call and wait on hold, then connect you with an agent. Saved me hours of frustration and got my issue resolved in one call.
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Brandon Parker
•Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I've been trying to call for days with no luck. Might check out that claimyr service.
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Jasmine Hernandez
•THIS!!! The Twitter thing actually works surprisingly well. I tweeted at them after 3 weeks of no response and got a DM within 2 hours.
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Luis Johnson
The whole system is designed to be confusing and make people give up on their benefits smh 🤬
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Ellie Kim
•FACTS. I swear they make it complicated on purpose. My cousin works for the state (not unemployment) and even he says the systems are intentionally outdated.
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Fiona Sand
•yet they always find time to send those "we overpaid you" letters REAL quick 🙄
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Mohammad Khaled
•This is why I ended up using claimyr.com to reach someone. The system is literally designed to make you give up.
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Alina Rosenthal
ive had this happen to me during my claim. its not a huge deal BUT you need to fix it asap. call the unemployment office early in the morning like right when they open. don't start a new application whatever you do!!!!!
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Finnegan Gunn
Anyone know if theres a way to speak to an actual human at ny unemployment without spending 6 hours on hold? this is getting ridiculous...
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Miguel Harvey
•I've heard some ppl have luck calling right at 8:00am when they open. Others say try 7:55am and get in the queue early.
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Jace Caspullo
•I used claimyr.com after trying for weeks to get through. They call and wait on hold for you, then connect you when they reach a person. Worth it for me after wasting so much time.
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Ashley Simian
•Try calling from a different phone number than the one on your account. Worked for me for some reason 🤷♀️
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Oliver Cheng
I work in IT and deal with ID.me integration issues. The email mismatch CAN cause problems but usually doesn't as long as your SSN and other identity verification info matches up. The main issue will be communication - you might miss important updates. Call them to update your email on file.
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Brandon Parker
•That's reassuring, thanks! My SSN and everything else should match up perfectly.
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Carmen Lopez
I went through this exact same situation last month! The email mismatch definitely caused some delays in my case - I missed a few important notifications about my claim status. Here's what I did that worked: 1. I kept checking my unemployment portal daily since I wasn't getting email updates 2. Used the secure messaging system to explain the email issue to them 3. Updated my email directly on ID.me's website (not through the unemployment portal) 4. After about 2 weeks of back and forth messages, they finally updated my contact info The whole process took about 3 weeks to fully resolve, but my benefits weren't affected - just the communication. Don't panic, but definitely get it fixed soon so you don't miss any important deadlines or requests for additional info. The secure messaging system in your unemployment account is honestly more reliable than trying to call anyway.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is super helpful, thank you! I've been panicking thinking my whole claim was ruined. Did you have to provide any additional documentation when you messaged them about the email issue, or just explain what happened? Also really good point about checking the portal daily - I hadn't thought about missing notifications.
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JacksonHarris
•I just explained what happened - that I accidentally used my work email for ID.me verification but my unemployment account used my personal email. I included both email addresses in the message so they could see the mismatch. They didn't ask for any extra documentation, just had me confirm some basic info like my SSN and case number. The key is being really clear about which email you want them to use going forward. And yeah, definitely check that portal religiously - I almost missed a request for wage verification because of the email issue!
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Jayden Reed
I had this exact same issue when I applied back in August! The email mismatch definitely creates problems because you won't get important notifications about your claim status, deadlines, or requests for additional documentation. Here's what worked for me: 1. Log into ID.me directly (not through the unemployment portal) and update your email address to match your unemployment account 2. Send a secure message through your unemployment portal explaining the situation - be specific about which emails you used where 3. Keep checking your unemployment portal daily since you might miss email notifications 4. Whatever you do, DON'T create a new application - that will flag your account for potential fraud I know calling is nearly impossible, but if you can get through to someone it will speed up the process. The whole thing took me about 2-3 weeks to fully resolve through messaging, but my payments weren't delayed once I got it sorted out. The most important thing is to act quickly before you miss any important communications about your claim!
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