NY unemployment back pay delay after ID.me verification - holds lifted but no money

Congrats on getting the holds lifted!! That's the hardest part tbh. For me it took about 3 business days after the holds were gone for the money to hit my account. I didn't have to do anything special for the back pay - it all came at once (which was NICE lol). But I didn't have that weird certification error you're describing.

You definitely need to call them about that certification error. The system should NOT be saying you haven't certified since February when you've been doing it regularly. That's what's holding up your back pay. When the system doesn't recognize your certifications, it won't release payments even if the holds are removed. And make sure when you call to specifically mention that you need to speak with someone about "retroactive certification issues" - that's the department that can fix it.

same thng happened to me!!!!!! took FOREVER to get the id.me stuff done and then nothing happened. ended up waiting 2 weeks and still no $. the website is useless

yea finally got it. had to call like 50 times tho. system is broken

After your ID.me verification is accepted and holds are lifted, there are typically 2-3 processing steps before payment is released: 1. Identity verification hold removal (what you've completed) 2. Payment release authorization (1-2 business days) 3. Banking processing time (1-3 business days depending on your payment method) Regarding your certification issue - this is a known glitch in the 2025 system update. The system sometimes fails to record certifications properly when there's an active identity verification hold. You need to call and request what's called a "Certification Reconciliation" for the affected period. To do this: 1. Call the NYSDOL 2. Request to speak with a claims specialist about "certification reconciliation" 3. They'll need to manually verify your certification history 4. Once verified, they'll release all back payments at once Keep all documentation showing you attempted to certify each week (screenshots, confirmation emails, etc).

I had a similar issue back in January after doing ID.me. The holds were lifted but no money for 2 weeks! Turns out there was a second type of hold they didn't tell me about related to "certification verification" or something like that. Had to call and specifically ask about that second hold. So annoying!

Listen, I've been through this EXACT same situation last month. The ID.me verification finally worked but then there was this certification error. You NEED to talk to an actual person to fix it. Trying to call the regular unemployment number is basically impossible - I tried for 3 weeks and never got through. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. It's the ONLY way I finally got someone on the phone who could help fix my certification issues. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Once I actually talked to someone, they fixed my certification history in about 10 minutes, and all my back pay was in my account 2 days later. But you HAVE to talk to a real person to fix this particular issue.

They had notes about the ID.me verification being completed, but I still had to explain the certification issue from scratch. Have all your dates ready when you call - like when you first applied, when you completed ID.me, and which weeks you've been trying to certify for. That helps them locate everything in the system faster.

I went thru something similar but my issue was that my claim got backdated and I needed to certify for previous weeks. They had to reset something in my account to let me claim those earlier weeks. Not sure if that's your issue but thought I'd mention it.

wait do you have direct deposit or the debit card? cuz that makes a difference with timing. direct deposit is faster

Update after you get through to someone! I'm curious if this is the same certification glitch that was happening in January. The DOL supposedly fixed it in their system update last month but maybe not completely.

i think the whole system is messed up there fixing one thing and breaking 10 others lol

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone this morning! You were all right - I needed to speak with a specialist about the certification discrepancy. Apparently, the system had my certifications but they were in some kind of pending status because of the previous identity verification hold. The agent had to manually release each week's certification one by one. She said I should see all my back pay (about $2,870) within 2-3 business days. Fingers crossed! Thank you all for your help.

Great update! This is exactly what happens with the certification reconciliation process. The UI system puts certifications in a special queue when there's been an identity verification issue, and they need manual release by a specialist. The 2-3 business day timeframe is accurate in my experience. Glad you got it resolved!