NY unemployment tax refund delayed - anyone actually received payment after getting the letter?

got mine last week finally. took 4 months after the letter showed up. no warning or anything just appeared in my account

That gives me some hope at least. Did you have to call them or did it just randomly process?

The NY unemployment tax refund process is taking much longer than the 6-8 weeks they initially stated in those letters. From what I've seen, NYSDOL is processing these in batches based on complexity and filing date. A few things to check:\n\n1. Make sure your direct deposit info is still correct in your account\n2. Check if you have any outstanding issues that might hold up the refund\n3. Verify your tax filing status matches what NYSDOL has on record\n\nIf it's been over 3 months, it's definitely worth calling to check on the status. Unfortunately, the waiting times are ridiculous right now.

Thanks for the detailed info. My direct deposit info is definitely correct, and I don't think I have any outstanding issues, but who knows. The problem is I've tried calling at least 10 times in the past two weeks and can't get through to anyone. Just endless hold music until I eventually have to hang up.

I've been waiting for FIVE months and nothing!!!! Got the letter in January saying I'd get $876 back but my account still says \

There isn't a hard deadline for them to process these refunds, but legally they do have to pay them. The department is severely backlogged with all the tax adjustment cases from last year. Five months is definitely on the longer end, though. You might want to try contacting your state representative's office if you can't get through to NYSDOL directly - they often have dedicated contacts who can look into these issues.

Thank you!! I never thought about contacting my state rep. I'll try that tomorrow!

same boat here. got the letter in February saying i qualified for the refund but nothing yet. starting to think these letters were sent out by mistake lol

After struggling with this same issue last month, I finally got through to a live agent using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that gets you past the hold times - they have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE\n\nWhen I finally spoke with someone, they told me my refund was delayed because of a flag on my account that wouldn't have resolved without intervention. Once I got through to them, they fixed it on the spot and my refund arrived about 10 days later. Sometimes you just need to speak with an actual human to get these things moving.

does this actually work? never heard of it before

Yes, it worked for me. I was skeptical too but after trying to call for weeks I was desperate. They basically call and wait on hold for you, then call you when they get a human. Saved me hours of frustration.

Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out. At this point I just need to talk to someone who can actually look at my account and tell me what's going on.

THEY'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!! The state is holding onto our money as long as possible because they're broke. I've been waiting 7 MONTHS since my letter, and when I finally got through to an agent last week they had NO RECORD of my letter or refund being owed!!! Had to send them the ACTUAL LETTER THEY SENT ME as proof. This is complete incompetence or straight up fraud. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. They said now it'll be ANOTHER 4-6 weeks. I'll believe it when I see it!!

omg that's insane! i'm gonna take pictures of my letter right now just in case

GOOD IDEA. Take pictures AND make a photocopy if you can. They tried telling me my letter might have been a 'system error' until I emailed them the proof. THEN suddenly they found my record!

My brother waited almost 6 months and then randomly got his refund direct deposited last week. I think they're just really behind but eventually process them. My sister-in-law is still waiting tho.

Based on what I'm seeing in this thread and others, it seems the processing times are all over the place. Some key patterns I've noticed:\n\n1. Refunds for people with straightforward tax situations are processing faster\n2. If you had multiple employers or received benefits across different quarters, it takes longer\n3. If you had any amended tax returns or corrections, expect significant delays\n4. Direct deposit is faster than paper checks (which can add 2-3 weeks)\n\nThe department is legally required to pay these refunds, but they're clearly overwhelmed. If you're approaching the 4-month mark, I'd definitely recommend trying to speak with an agent directly about your specific case.

This is super helpful context, thank you! I did have two different employers last year plus a period of partial benefits, so maybe that's why mine is taking longer. I'm going to try to get through to an agent this week.

My cousin works for the state (not unemployment but another dept) and she said they're having major computer system issues this year that's causing all kinds of problems with payments. Not just tax refunds but regular benefits too.

OF COURSE they are! They spend MILLIONS on these systems and they NEVER WORK RIGHT. Yet somehow it's always OUR problem when we don't get paid on time. I bet if we owed THEM money they'd have no problem making their computers work!!

Yeah true lol they never have system issues when it's time to collect money from us

Thanks everyone for your responses! I tried the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above and actually managed to speak with an agent today. Turns out there was a small discrepancy between my reported wages and what my employer reported (literally a $12 difference) that was causing my refund to be held up in manual review. The agent was able to override it and said my payment should process within 7-10 business days. I'll update here when/if I actually receive it!

That's great! Glad you got through to someone who could help. It's amazing how often these small technical issues are the problem, and they'll never get resolved without speaking to an actual person.

Exactly! And the crazy thing is it would have just sat there indefinitely if I hadn't been able to talk to someone. The agent even admitted that these manual reviews can take 6+ months if you don't call to follow up. System is completely broken.

Please let us know if you actually get paid! I'm going to try contacting my state rep tomorrow, but might try that service too if that doesn't work.

just checked my account and noticed mine actually came thru as

Oh that's a great tip! I'll keep an eye out for different terminology.

I had a similar issue last year with my regular unemployment benefits. Never saw the money until I contacted my state assembly person's office. They have people who deal with NYSDOL issues all day long and can often get things unstuck pretty quickly. Might be worth a try if calling doesn't work out.

UPDATE: My refund just hit my account this morning! Exactly 8 business days after I spoke with the agent. The description says

That's awesome!!! I have an appointment to talk to someone at my state rep's office tomorrow. Hoping they can help me too!

Good luck! Hope you get yours resolved soon too!

CONGRATS! At least SOMEONE is getting paid! Still waiting on mine... called again yesterday and now they're telling me it could be ANOTHER 30 days. This is complete BS!!!