NY unemployment not paying for 3 weeks - can't certify anymore & need rent money

This same thing just happened to my cousin. The system locked him out of certifying but still showed him as eligible. Turns out there was some \

Thanks for the tip. Did they end up paying him the weeks he missed? I've been trying at 8am but no luck so far... I'll keep trying 😩

THEY DO THIS ON PURPOSE!!! They make it impossible to reach anyone so people just give up. I waited FIVE WEEKS last year for payment and nearly got evicted. The whole system is designed to frustrate people out of collecting what they're owed. It's criminal.

While frustrating, there are legitimate reasons claims get held up for review. The system flags certain things automatically, and with staffing shortages, review takes longer. Some flags include: earning over your partial benefit threshold, answering a certification question differently than usual, or a quarterly review of your case. Not malicious, just bureaucratic.

YEAH RIGHT! Keep defending them. I had PERFECT certifications and they still \

There are a few things that could be happening:\n\n1. Your benefit year might have ended, requiring a new application\n2. There could be an identity verification hold on your account\n3. A quarterly review might have triggered (these happen automatically)\n4. There might be a work search documentation review\n\nFor not being able to certify: check if you've reached your maximum benefit amount or maximum weeks. Look at your payment history and see if there's any message about \

Thank you for this detailed response! I checked my payment history and there's no specific message - it just shows

did u check ur email spamm folder? sometimes they send important notices there & if u dont respond they cut u off... happened to me n i almost lost my apartment cuz of it

Just checked my spam folder and there's nothing from NYSDOL there. I've been checking my regular inbox obsessively. The only email I got was the generic one saying I'm still eligible to certify - but then the system won't let me! It's so frustrating.

I was going crazy trying to get through last month - same situation, payments stopped suddenly. After 3 days of constant calling I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 25 minutes. It basically keeps dialing for you until it gets through. Saved my sanity! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I've never heard of this before. Did they actually resolve your payment issue when you got through? I'm desperate at this point so willing to try anything.

Yeah, they did! The agent said there was a quarterly review flag on my account that needed manual clearing. Once I got through, it took the rep about 10 minutes to fix everything. Got my backpay the following week.

Make sure you're not putting anything weird when certifying. I accidentally put that I was \

The system just says \

Based on your description, this sounds like an account review flag. When you see \

Thank you SO much for this detailed explanation! This makes sense - I think I'm due for my quarterly review since I started claiming in January 2025. I'll try the exact prompt sequence you suggested tomorrow right at 8am. Really appreciate knowing the back payments should come through once it's resolved - that's my biggest worry right now with rent coming due.

Have you checked if there's an ID verification request? My brother got locked out of certifying because he needed to upload his ID through ID.me but the notification got filtered to his junk mail. Worth checking your account for any

this happened 2 me 2!! id.me is so annoying cuz u gotta do video selfie thing & my internet kept cutting out!!

I just checked and don't see any ID verification requests. I actually completed the ID.me process back when I first applied in January. Thanks for the suggestion though!

FYI if you're desperate and can't get through, contact your state assembly person's office!!! I did this after not getting paid for 6 weeks and they had someone from NYSDOL call me within 48 hours. Seriously. Look up who represents your district and email their constituent services team.

This is excellent advice. Your state representatives have dedicated staff and special channels to help with unemployment issues. They can often get things resolved when normal channels fail. Be sure to include your full name, contact information, and NY.gov ID/claim number in your message to them.

I hadn't even thought of contacting my assembly person! That's a great backup plan if I can't get through this week. I'll look up my district rep right now so I have their info ready just in case. Thank you for this tip!

After I got the Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier, I got through to NYSDOL in about 30 minutes. The agent told me there's a huge backlog right now because they updated their fraud detection system in March 2025 and it's flagging way more accounts than they expected. Apparently tons of legitimate claims are getting caught in review. Once you get through to someone, they can usually fix it on the spot though.

This makes so much sense! I remember getting an email about system updates happening in March but didn't think anything of it. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow morning. At this point, I just need to talk to an actual human who can see what's going on with my account. Thanks for the insight about the new fraud detection system.

MY RENT IS LATE TOO because of this!!! The landlord is threatening eviction even tho I TOLD him unemployment is messed up. This whole system is broken. I'm literally selling furniture to buy food while waiting for them to fix this mess.

If you're facing eviction, contact your local housing authority immediately. New York has tenant protections that require proper notice periods. Additionally, call 211 to connect with emergency rent assistance programs. Many counties have hardship funds specifically for situations like this. Don't wait until the last minute to seek these resources.

Update on your situation: I just checked the NYSDOL website and they posted a notice yesterday that they're experiencing a technical issue affecting some claims filed between January-March 2025. They're working on a fix and claim it will be resolved by April 20th. If your claim falls in that period, this might be affecting you. Check their Twitter account (@NYSLabor) for the most current updates.

Thank you for checking this! I just looked at their Twitter and saw the notice. My claim was filed in January so that must be why I'm affected. Still going to try reaching them by phone since I can't wait until April 20th for rent, but at least now I know what's happening. Really appreciate you sharing this update.