NY unemployment back pay not appearing after approved partial claim - what should I do?

Hey there - been through this exact mess back in February. Back pay claims are processed separately from your regular weekly benefits, and they're notoriously slow right now because of their new system implementation. When my back pay was approved, it took almost 5 weeks to actually show up in my account. The thing that finally worked for me was specifically requesting to speak with the Back Payments Unit when I called. Don't just accept being transferred to a general claims specialist. Make sure you mention you've already received an official determination letter approving the back pay but haven't received payment. The regular reps often can't see the status of backdated payments in their system.

same thing happened to me!! been waiting on my back pay for 6 WEEKS now even tho they already sent me the approval letter. this system is such garbage. i ended up having to borrow money from my parents to make rent because NYSDOL cant get their act together

The back payment queue is currently experiencing significant delays due to their system transition. I work in financial assistance and have several clients dealing with this exact issue. Here's what you need to know: 1. Back pay claims are processed by a separate department than regular weekly certifications 2. The current wait time is 4-7 weeks after approval letter (as of April 2025) 3. Your payment history won't show pending back payments - they'll only appear once processed 4. Calling the main number likely won't help as most agents don't have visibility into the back payment queue Your best course of action is to request a callback specifically from the Back Payments Review Team. You'll need to reference your determination letter date and claim ID number when making this request. Also, document everything - when you called, who you spoke with, message numbers, etc. This will be important if you need to escalate further.

THEY ARE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!!!! I had the EXACT same issue in January and I'm STILL fighting with them!!!! First they claim they approved it, then they make you wait 2 months, then they'll probably tell you there was a "system error" and you need to resubmit everything. It's all a game to deny us our LEGAL benefits we're entitled to. I've been documenting EVERYTHING for my lawyer. They keep changing their story every time I call. One rep says it's "in processing" another says "no record of approval" and another says "it's been sent to a special review team" - WHICH IS IT???? They're hoping people just give up!!!!

I had this exact problem last month, and I know how frustrating it is to keep hitting walls when you're trying to reach someone. After two weeks of failed attempts calling the regular number, I finally got through to a representative using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that basically waits on hold for you and calls when they get an agent on the line. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Once I actually got to speak with someone, they were able to see that my back pay was stuck in a processing queue and needed manual approval. The agent escalated it to their team lead, and I received my payments about 10 days later. I'd definitely recommend trying to get through to an actual person rather than relying on the message system.

not sure if this helps but my cousin had similar issue. they said sometimes the back pay comes as a separate payment 6-8 weeks later even if u were approved. something about how their system processes backdated claims vs regular ones. did u check if your payment method is still correct in the system? my cousin's got messed up during the system update

Hey everyone just want to chime in - just delt with this for my partner who had trouble with 2025 back pay and it was a big mess. What everyone is saying about the separate department is true. What worked was we kept calling the 1-888 numbr everyday at 8AM sharp and asking specifically for a tier 2 specialist who can handle back payments. Took 6 days of calling but finally got someone who fixed it that day!!!! Dont bother with the message system completly useless. Hope this helps somebody!!

Update to my earlier comment - I forgot to mention that there's a specific form you might need to fill out for expediting back payments. It's called the Request for Back Payment Processing (Form BP-2025). It's not on their main website - you need to navigate to the "Forms and Publications" section, then "Specialized Claim Forms" and it should be there. This form goes directly to the Back Payment team and bypasses some of the regular processing queues. Include a copy of your determination letter when you submit it.