NY unemployment hasn't processed my back pay after 6 weeks - agent said it's 'pending review'

The back pay review can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks right now. They're seriously backlogged in 2025 because of the new system implementation last December. I went through this in January and it took exactly 7 weeks before my back pay suddenly appeared in my account. One thing to check - make sure you certified correctly for those weeks. Go to your payment history and verify the status says 'pending review' and not 'missing certification' which is a different problem.

im in the same boat been waiting 2 months for back pay now!! so frustrating

Back pay issues require a special review because they're trying to prevent fraud. I used to work at NYSDOL (left in 2024), and these reviews typically take 6-10 weeks. If you need to expedite it due to financial hardship, you need to speak with a Tier 2 claims specialist who can flag your case. Regular agents don't have access to that system. To reach a Tier 2 specialist, you need to specifically mention 'hardship review for back pay' when you get through. However, getting through is the hard part - the phone system is overwhelmed and they prioritize new claims over existing ones.

I had the EXACT same issue in January!!! It said pending review for WEEKS and WEEKS and I couldn't get anyone on the phone!!!! It was a NIGHTMARE and I almost got evicted waiting for that money!!!!! The whole system is broken on purpose I swear!!!!

After struggling with the exact same back pay issue for weeks and getting nowhere with the regular phone line, I finally tried Claimyr.com to get through to an agent. Their service connected me to a NYSDOL rep in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days. The agent was able to escalate my back pay review, and I got the money 5 days later. Worth checking out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - it saved me from having to keep calling for weeks.

my neighbor had the same problem last month and she said you gotta email your local assembly person! they can contact unemployment directly with a special form and get things moving. sometimes they fix it in just a few days! worth a try maybe?

back pay is always slow. i think they hope people give up & forget about it lol. i got mine after about 2 months last year so hang in there

did anyone get a letter b4 they got their back pay? i got nothing in my messages about it just waiting

Update: I finally got through to unemployment today! I mentioned the hardship review for back pay like someone suggested here, and they transferred me to a specialist. The agent said my back pay was stuck in the system because my employer contested my initial weeks (even though they approved the later ones?). They're expediting the review now and said I should see the money within 5-7 business days. Fingers crossed!

Final update: The back pay finally hit my account this morning! All 3 weeks at once. Such a relief. For anyone else dealing with this - being persistent and specifically asking for a hardship review with a Tier 2 specialist seemed to make the difference. Thanks everyone for your help!