NY unemployment back pay showing wrong amount - owed 19 weeks but account shows different balance

Almost the EXACT same thing happened to me in February. I was owed 14 weeks but when I finally got paid they only sent me about half of what I should have gotten. Turns out they had marked some of my weeks as "partial unemployment" even though i hadnt worked at all. Had to call them like 20 times to get it fixed.

I was in a similar situation last year and found a service that actually helped me get through to a real person at ny unemployment. I used claimyr.com and they called the unemployment office for me, stayed on hold, then connected me to an agent when one was available. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast, totally worth it. Here's a video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Check if they deducted taxes. If you selected to have taxes taken out, that's 10% right there. Also they might have applied an overpayment from a previous claim if you had one. The math still seems off tho

The NY unemployment system is GARBAGE. I had a similar issue where backpay was showing up wrong. Turns out they had flagged some weeks as ineligible for no reason. Something about "not certifying properly" even though I certified exactly the same way every week. You need to call them and have a real person look at your account.

This is happening to SO many people right now. The system is completely overwhelmed and they're making tons of errors with backpay calculations. Here's what you need to know: First, take screenshots of EVERYTHING. Document all the weeks you certified and when. Second, they might be holding some weeks for additional verification. This is happening a lot lately due to the massive fraud they've been dealing with. Third, you absolutely need to speak with a claims specialist, not just any customer service rep. Regular reps often can't see or fix backpay issues. Fourth, be prepared to send in additional proof of eligibility for those weeks. Finally, check if you've received any letters in the mail or messages in your online inbox. Sometimes they send notices about why certain weeks are being held. The fastest way to resolve this is to get someone on the phone. After weeks of failed attempts, I used claimyr.com which got me connected to an agent within hours instead of days/weeks of calling. The agent was able to release my missing backpay once I explained the situation. Don't give up! The money is still owed to you, but you need to be proactive about following up.

log into your payment history and check if all 19 weeks are actually showing as "paid". some might be in pending status or have a problem code next to them.

did u report any income during those weeks? even a tiny bit of income will reduce ur benefit amount. they use a formula to calculate how much to deduct.

Check if some of your weeks might be getting paid under a different program. When my regular UI ran out they moved me to some extension program and the payments showed differently in my account. Also theres usually a waiting week at the beginning where you dont get paid.

honestly ur lucky to get ANYTHING with how the ny unemployment system is working these days lol. But for real, sounds like they messed up ur claim. you need to talk to a specialist

Are you looking at the correct part of the account? There's a difference between your remaining balance (which is how much you have left on your claim going forward) vs your payment history (which shows what you've already been paid). Make sure you're in payment history to see the backpay.

Everyone in these comments telling you to call is right but LOL GOOD LUCK ACTUALLY GETTING THROUGH. I spent 3 weeks trying to call about my missing money. Finally gave up and used claimyr.com after someone here recommended it. Got a callback in 2 hours and got my issue fixed that day.

could be because of the $10,200 unemployment tax exemption if this is from 2020. they might have adjusted ur payments because of that new tax rule

The system is probably doing one of these things: 1. Taking out taxes if you elected that option 2. Deducting for reported work/income during those weeks 3. Applying an overpayment from the past 4. They determined some weeks weren't eligible 5. The waiting week at the beginning of your claim CHECK YOUR MESSAGES in the online portal. Sometimes they send notices about adjustments that you might have missed.

did you ever have two claims going at once? sometimes they combine them weird and the math looks off

I would bet money that if you call they'll tell you that some of your weeks were flagged for "additional review" which is code for "we're never gonna pay you unless you call and bug us about it" 🤣

Heads up - if you had ANY income from like door dash, uber, freelance work etc during those weeks, even if you reported it correctly, they might have calculated your benefit reduction wrong. This happened to me - I did some gig work and they somehow thought I earned WAY more than I did.

just call them. the website is trash and always shows wrong info. don't trust what you see online with NY unemployment 💯

CALL THEM NOW dont wait. I had a similar situation where they randomly decided I wasnt eligible for 12 weeks of backpay and by the time I noticed it was almost too late to appeal. These issues get harder to fix the longer you wait.