NY unemployment ID.me verification keeps rejecting me - what am I doing wrong?

Thanks for the suggestion! Just checked and my license is valid till next year, so that's not it. My selfies are clear too - no glasses or anything blocking my face. Still getting rejected 😫

Sometimes the camera quality matters too. I had to use my bf's phone instead of mine cuz the resolution was better. Made a difference!

Yeah u might need to try a different camera. Also make sure your address on everything matches EXACTLY. Like if your license says "Street" but you type "St." - that can mess it up too.

sounds like one of those fake solutions that never actually work... did this actually help or are u just promoting something? 🤔

Nah, I get the skepticism for real. I was desperate after 3 weeks of trying everything else. It actually connected me to a real agent who manually verified my identity. Only reason I posted is cuz I know how frustrating this is.

wait so what exactly does this service do? how does it work? i've been stuck in verification hell for weeks

It basically calls unemployment for you, stays on hold (mine was like 3+ hours), then calls your phone when they get a real person. Then you just explain your problem to the agent. For me they were able to manually verify my account.

another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol... but honestly at this point I'm desperate enough to try anything 😩

I was exactly where you are! Totally get it. But this actually worked - the key was getting to talk to a real person who could override the system.

I've tried the video verification twice now. First time I waited 3 hours in queue and then got disconnected. Second time the agent said my documents looked fine but still couldn't verify me and told me to "try again later" 🤬

that suuucks. sounds like a deeper issue with your account then. might need to contact unemployment directly to have them reset something on their end.

THIS 100%. I've built identity verification systems professionally and ID.me is honestly embarassing. Bad UX, poor error handling, and the matching algorithms are WAY too strict.

This is the truth! My cousin works for the state (not unemployment but another agency) and she says they deliberately make it difficult so fewer people complete the process. Saves them $$$

Wait, mailing in documents actually worked?? Did you just send copies of your ID and SS card? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.

Yeah I sent notarized copies of my license, birth certificate, SS card, and a utility bill. Put my claim # on everything. Took like 3 weeks but they eventually processed it. Better than nothing I guess 🤷‍♂️

Good point! Just double-checked and my name is identical on both documents. I do have an apartment number though... maybe that's causing issues?

Definitely could be! Try submitting without the apartment number if possible or format it differently (Unit vs Apt). Their system is super picky about stuff like that.

Thank you for such a detailed response! I've tried most of these already but will definitely try clearing cache and cookies - didn't think of that. If that doesn't work I might try that claimyr service, getting desperate here.

I can vouch for this approach. The clearing cache thing fixed it for me - apparently ID.me stores some kind of cookie that can get corrupted.

I tried emailing them twice and got generic automated responses both times. Is there a direct phone number that actually works?

Yeah their email support is useless. Try 866-775-4363 and select the option for 'government services' not the general help. Worked better for me.

Ohhh that's interesting! I did freeze my credit last year after a data breach. I'll try lifting the freeze and see if that helps. Thanks for the tip!

This is exactly what happened to me! Lifted my Experian freeze and suddenly ID.me worked. So dumb that they don't tell you this is the problem.

Don't waste your time with this number. I tried it last week and was on hold for 2.5 hours only to be told they couldn't help with ID.me issues anymore. They changed their policy apparently.

I do have a passport! It's expired though, would that still work? And where in the process can I select passport instead of license? I don't recall seeing that option.

When you start the verification process, there should be a dropdown or option to select which primary ID you want to use. And yes, even an expired passport might work better than a license that's getting rejected. Worth a shot!

actually they won't accept an expired passport - has to be valid. tried that route myself :/

💯 THIS! My state senator's office got my issues fixed when nothing else worked. They have a dedicated liaison at unemployment.

Never would have thought of this. Actually a really good idea, thanks! I'll look up who my rep is.