NY unemployment ID.me verification rejected my PO Box - what proof of address works?
I've been trying to verify my identity through ID.me for my unemployment claim since February 2022, but keep getting rejected because I only have a PO Box. I don't have any utility bills or mail with my physical address on it. I live in a rural area and have used this PO Box for over 7 years. My drivers license has my physical address but apparently thats not enough proof for ID.me. Called unemployment like 15 times but never got through to anyone who could help. Has anyone dealt with this? What documents did you use that actually worked?
27 comments
JacksonHarris
Same problem here! I use a PO Box because my mail gets stolen at my apartment. I ended up using my car insurance statement that had my physical address. Do you have any insurance docs, medical bills, or even a cell phone bill with your address? Those worked for me after like 6 tries with other stuff.
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Ella Thompson
I have car insurance but they only send electronic statements. I'll check if I can print one out with my address on it. Thanks for the tip!
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Jeremiah Brown
Cell phone bills worked for me too. Also if you have a bank account, most banks will let you change your address online and then print a statement right away.
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Ella Thompson
Good idea about the bank statement! I'll try that tomorrow. My bank has a branch nearby so maybe they can help me print something official.
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Royal_GM_Mark
I was stuck in this exact situation for weeks. Eventually found a service called claimyr.com that got me on the phone with an actual human at unemployment who manually verified me. It was the best money I've ever spent to finally get my benefits paid out. They basically call for you and when they reach someone, they connect the call to your phone. I had tried calling for months with no luck before that. Here's a video that explains it: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Amelia Cartwright
This sounds like an ad. Does this actually work or is it another scam? The ny unemployment system is already a nightmare without adding more services.
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Royal_GM_Mark
Not an ad lol, just someone who was desperate after 3 months of no benefits. It connected me to a rep in about 4 hours. Before that I was calling 20+ times a day for weeks and couldn't get through.
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Chris King
wait hold up - does this actually work? I've been trying to get through for like a month straight 😩
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Royal_GM_Mark
Yeah it worked for me. I was skeptical too but I was at my wits end. The agent I talked to was able to push through my ID verification right on the call.
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Rachel Clark
another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol
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Zachary Hughes
I actually used this last month after reading about it here. Got through in like 3 hours when I had been trying for weeks. The agent fixed my issue right away. claimyr.com saved me from being evicted tbh
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Mia Alvarez
Try going to your town clerk or tax office and asking for a statement that shows your property info. I did this and ID.me accepted it. Its a bit of a hassle but worth it to get ur benefits flowing again.
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Carter Holmes
The ID.me verification is a complete joke. What worked for me was getting a notarized statement from my landlord confirming my physical address, along with a copy of the lease. ID.me finally accepted that with my drivers license. If you own your place maybe get something notarized stating where you live?
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Ella Thompson
I might have to try this. I rent from a family member so they could definitely give me something notarized. Where did you get it notarized?
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Carter Holmes
UPS store did it for me. Cost like $10 but worth it to finally get my benefits.
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Sophia Long
I work for the post office and this happens ALL THE TIME. We actually have a form called PS Form 1093 that confirms your physical address linked to your PO Box. Go to your local post office and ask for this form - sometimes ID.me will accept it! Good luck!
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Ella Thompson
OMG thank you!! I had no idea this existed. Will head to the post office tomorrow morning.
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Angelica Smith
This right here 👆 That form saved me too. The post office workers know all about this issue with ID.me
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Logan Greenburg
This is why I HATE the NY unemployment system. They make it so hard for rural residents who dont have regular mail delivery. Have you tried taking a picture of your ID along with a handwritten sign with your name, date and address? Sounds crazy but it worked for my cousin.
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Charlotte Jones
Here's what worked for me with ID.me for NY unemployment when I had the PO Box issue: - I printed out my voter registration info that had my physical address - Got a statement from my bank (had to specifically request one with my physical address) - Used my car registration which thankfully had my street address - For the video call verification option, I showed them my physical address on my driver's license The system is broken and discriminates against rural people and those without stable housing. If nothing else works, try claimyr.com to get through to a live agent who can override the system. After 6 weeks of struggling, that's what finally worked for me and I got all my backpay the next day. Don't give up - this is your money and you deserve access to your benefits!
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Ella Thompson
Thank you for the detailed response! I'm going to try the voter registration and car registration route first. I didn't even think about my voter registration having my address.
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Lucas Bey
This is super helpful, thanks for sharing. The system really is designed to make people give up 😡
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Harper Thompson
lmaooo the ID.me thing is a mess!! took me SEVEN attempts to get verified. i only got through when i did the video call option and showed them every piece of mail i had. keep trying different things, eventually they'll accept something!
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Caleb Stark
Went thru this in march. if u have a drivers license with your physical address try doing the video call verification option with id.me instead of just uploading documents. the video agents can sometimes be more understanding & push it thru for u.
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Ella Thompson
I didn't know there was a video option! Is that on the same page where you upload documents or somewhere else?
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Caleb Stark
It should show up as an option after you fail the document verification like 2-3 times. At least thats how it worked for me. The wait times for video can be long tho, like 3-4 hours sometimes.
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Jade O'Malley
Tax documents worked for me - like my W2 or state tax return that had my physical address. If you filed taxes with your actual address that might work. I also heard you can ask your bank to print a statement with your phys address even if all your mail goes to PO Box.
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