NY unemployment finally approved after 3 months but no KeyBank card - how to get my back pay?
After fighting with NY unemployment for 3 months, they FINALLY approved my claim yesterday! They said my benefits were ready to be paid out and they released all my back pay today. Problem is I don't have a KeyBank debit card and they didn't send me one. How am I supposed to access my money? Do I have to wait for them to mail me a card now? Anyone know how long that takes? I've been waiting for months and really need this money asap!!
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Mila Walker
Congrats on finally getting approved! You have two options: 1. Wait for the KeyBank card to arrive (usually takes 7-10 business days) 2. Set up direct deposit through your NY.gov account If you need the money quickly, I'd recommend setting up direct deposit right away. Log into your NY.gov account, go to your unemployment dashboard, select "Payment Methods" and enter your bank account info. Any pending payments will be redirected to your bank account within 2-3 business days. Future payments will go directly to your bank.
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Ethan Clark
•Thank you!!! I didn't realize I could do direct deposit after they already released the payment. I thought it was too late. I'm going to log in and set that up right now!
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Logan Scott
they mail those cards sooo slow i swear they do it on purpose. took almost 3 weeks for mine to come last year
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Ethan Clark
•3 WEEKS?! I can't wait that long! Bills are due next week :
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Chloe Green
If you already had a KeyBank card from a previous claim that was issued within the last 3 years, they won't send a new one - they'll use the same card. Did you have an unemployment claim before? If so, try to find your old card.
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Ethan Clark
•Nope, this is my first time on unemployment. Never had a card before.
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Lucas Adams
I was in the exact same situation in January. Called and called for DAYS trying to get help with my card, but could never get through to a real person. Finally I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which connected me to an actual NYSDOL agent in about 20 minutes. They expedited my KeyBank card and I had it 3 days later. So much better than waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Logan Scott
•does that thing actually work? seems kinda sketch tbh
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Lucas Adams
•It worked for me! I was skeptical too but I was desperate after trying to call for days. The agent I spoke to was really helpful and got everything sorted out quickly.
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Harper Hill
Be careful with direct deposit setup!! When I tried to change mine, the system glitched and my payment got stuck in pending for another 2 weeks!! Make ABSOLUTELY SURE you enter your routing and account numbers correctly. Triple check everything!!! If there's even one wrong digit, it can cause major delays.
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Ethan Clark
•Omg that's terrifying. I'll be super careful when entering my info. Thanks for the warning!
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Caden Nguyen
i think you can also call KeyBank directly to ask about expediting the card. i think their number is on the NYSDOL website somewhere. not sure if it helps but worth trying
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Mila Walker
•That's correct - KeyBank customer service can help with card status and sometimes expedite delivery. Their unemployment card services number is 1-866-295-2955.
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Avery Flores
Just a heads up that my brother had this same issue and when he finally got the KeyBank card, he couldn't activate it because they had his SSN wrong in the system. Took another month to fix. The NYSDOL system is so broken it's unbelievable. They make everything as difficult as possible.
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Ethan Clark
•That's awful! I really hope that doesn't happen to me. I've already dealt with so many problems with my claim.
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Mila Walker
Just checking in - were you able to set up direct deposit? If so, you should see the funds in your account within 2-3 business days. If you run into any issues, let us know!
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Ethan Clark
•Yes! I set up direct deposit yesterday and just checked my account - the money actually hit my bank account this morning! So relieved right now. Thanks everyone for your help!
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