NY unemployment website won't accept my mother's maiden name no matter what I try

This happened to me too! The system had my mother's middle name stored as her maiden name for some reason. Try every name you can think of - your grandmother's name, your mom's middle name, or even your own middle name. The NY unemployment system is notorious for having data entry errors.

After dealing with the same issue for days, I finally got through to a real person using claimyr.com and got a callback with a live agent to my phone. They fixed my account in minutes - turns out the system had completely wrong info on file. Talking to an agent got my account unlocked so fast it was worth it. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Try logging in with a different browser! The unemployment site is super glitchy with Chrome. I switched to Firefox and suddenly everything worked. Worth a shot.

This is a huge problem. I suspect they might have some security questions mixed up. When they asked me for my mother's maiden name, they actually wanted my FIRST PET'S name. And when they asked for my first street, they actually wanted the CITY I was born in. No joke, their database is completely messed up. You need to talk to a human ASAP.

have u tried contacting ur state representative? thats what worked for me after 2 months of trying. they have special contacts at ny unemployment who can actually fix stuf. google ur district rep and send them an email explaining the situation

The mothrs maiden name question is literally the WORST security question ever. Half the time people spell it different ways (hyphenated? spaces? capitalized?) and the other half the system stores it wrong. I wonder if the system automatically converted something to uppercase or lowercase? Try ALL CAPS maybe?

Let me share what I've learned after two years navigating ny unemployment system issues (unfortunately became an expert lol). The security questions are notoriously problematic - but there are several approaches that might help: 1. Try entering your mother's maiden name with NO SPACES even if it has two parts 2. Check if you might have used a nickname when initially setting up the account 3. The system sometimes truncates longer names - try just the first 6-8 letters 4. Try calling early morning (7:30am) as that's when wait times are shortest 5. If all else fails, use claimyr.com - it's the one service that actually works to get an agent on the phone The security questions were set up when you first created your account, and sometimes they get corrupted during system updates. An agent can reset this for you in minutes, but getting through to one is obviously the hardest part. When I had this exact issue, I spent 3 weeks trying before using Claimyr to get through. The agent confirmed there was an error in their system where my mother's maiden name had an extra character added somehow. The permanent fix requires speaking with a Tier 2 agent, so make sure to ask for that when you do connect. Best of luck - let us know what works!

Have u tried using the phone automated system instead of the website? Sometimes the phone system will let you update info when the site is being dumb. Call and pretend you forgot your pin, then it might give you the option to update personal info.

The only thing that worked for me was honestly going to the actual office in person. I know it's a pain but they fixed my security questions right there. The one in Brooklyn wasn't too crowded when I went at 9am.

Did you move from another state? The system sometimes keeps the security answers from your previous state's account. I moved from NJ and they somehow merged my accounts but kept old security answers. Complete mess.

whatever u do DONT create a new account trying to fix this!!!! they will flag u for fraud and freeze everything. happened to my cousin and took 4 months to sort out

are you by any chance adopted? this might sound weird but my friend had this EXACT same problem and it turned out the system had his birth mother's maiden name, not his adoptive mother who raised him. just throwing that out there in case it helps

Have you checked to see if it mite be your GRANDMOTHERS maiden name? The system sometimes has the questions mixed up. so the prompt says mother but actually wants grandmother. Try both maternal and paternal just in case.

Omg this is why I can't stand NY unemployment!!!!! 🤬 I've had nothing but problems ever since I filed. And when you finally get someone on the phone half the time they can't even help anyway. The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

Check if caps lock is on when typing. no joke, my account was case sensitive but the error message never said that. i typed my mothers name all lowercase and it kept rejecting until i used proper caps.

Rita, I feel your pain! I went through the exact same nightmare for almost 3 weeks. The security questions on the NY unemployment site are absolutely broken. What finally worked for me was discovering that when I originally set up my account years ago, I had accidentally entered my mother's maiden name with a typo - but the system never flagged it as wrong back then. Try thinking back to when you first created your account - were you rushed? On mobile? Sometimes we make little mistakes without realizing it. Also, if you have any old emails from when you first signed up, check if there are any confirmation details that might give you a clue. The system is definitely glitchy but unfortunately it's storing whatever you originally entered, even if it was wrong. Don't give up - you WILL get through this! 💪

I had this EXACT same issue last month! Turns out the system had stored my mother's maiden name with an extra space at the end somehow. What finally worked was going into developer tools in my browser (F12) and looking at the actual form field to see if there were any hidden characters. You could also try copy/pasting your mother's maiden name from a text document instead of typing it directly - sometimes that clears up formatting issues. Also, if you originally created your account on mobile, the autocorrect might have "fixed" your typing in a way you didn't notice. I know it sounds crazy but the NY unemployment system has the weirdest bugs. Hope this helps and you get it sorted out soon! 🤞

Rita, I went through this exact same frustration two months ago! After trying everything you mentioned, I discovered something that might help - check if you originally set up your account using your phone's autofill or password manager. Sometimes these tools automatically capitalize the first letter of each word, so "rodriguez" might have been stored as "Rodriguez" or even "RODRIGUEZ". Also, try logging out completely, clearing your browser cache, and then logging back in with a fresh session. The NY unemployment system has serious issues with session data getting corrupted. I know it's maddening but you're definitely not alone in this - their security question system is notorious for these problems. Hang in there, you'll get through this! 💪

OMG Rita, I literally just went through this EXACT same nightmare last week! 😤 What ended up working for me was realizing that I had originally entered my mother's maiden name with a hyphen because she had a hyphenated last name, but I forgot about the hyphen when trying to log back in. Also try entering it exactly how it appears on official documents - sometimes the system is looking for the "legal" version vs. what you normally call it. Like if her maiden name was "Smith-Jones" but you always just said "Smith," the system might be expecting the full hyphenated version. Another thing - if you moved states before, check if you might have used a different variation when you lived elsewhere. I know this is so frustrating especially when your benefits are running low, but don't give up! You've got this! 💪

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this Rita! I just went through something similar last month and it was absolutely maddening. One thing that worked for me was trying to remember the exact device and browser I used when I first created my account back in 2020. I realized I had set it up on my old laptop using Safari, and somehow when I switched to using Chrome on my new computer, certain characters weren't displaying the same way. Also, if you originally created your account during the early pandemic chaos, you might have been using a different keyboard or even borrowed someone else's computer - I actually had to recreate the exact conditions of how I first entered the info. It sounds crazy but the NY system is just that broken. The other thing that helped was writing down every single variation I tried so I wouldn't repeat them. Don't give up - you're so close to figuring this out! 🤞