NYS Department of Labor claim showing 'hold' status - what does hold mean on unemployment?

A hold on your unemployment claim usually means NYS Department of Labor has flagged something that requires review before they can release your payment. Common reasons include job search verification, eligibility questions, or wage discrepancies. Check your online account for any requests for information or documents.

same thing happened to me last month!! mine was on hold for like 2 weeks before they released it. turned out they were just verifying my job search contacts

Holds can be frustrating but they're usually temporary. NYS Department of Labor puts holds on claims when they need to verify information before processing payment. This could be related to your work search requirements, employer protest, or random audit. The key is to keep filing your weekly claims even during the hold - you'll get back pay once it's resolved.

I had success using Claimyr to get through to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent when my claim was on hold. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to tell me exactly why my claim was on hold and what I needed to do to resolve it.

UGH the hold status is the WORST! They put my claim on hold last year for THREE WEEKS and never told me why. Just keep calling and filing your weeklies, that's all you can do with this broken system.

thanks for asking this question, i was wondering the same thing about my claim status!

I went through this exact situation a few months ago! The hold on my claim lasted about 2 weeks and it turned out they were doing a routine eligibility review. Even though there's nothing in your messages yet, I'd recommend calling the unemployment line early in the morning (like right when they open) to try to get through to someone who can tell you what's going on. In the meantime, definitely keep filing your weekly certifications - that's crucial for getting your back pay once the hold is lifted. The waiting is stressful but most holds do get resolved eventually.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - my claim has been on hold for about 5 days and it's so nerve-wracking not knowing what's happening! Reading through these comments is really helpful though. It sounds like holds are more common than I thought and usually get resolved within a few weeks. I'm definitely going to keep filing my weekly claims like everyone suggests and try calling early in the morning to see if I can get some answers. Has anyone had luck with the online chat feature or is calling really the only way to get through to someone?

I know exactly how stressful this is! I had a hold on my claim for about 12 days last fall and it turned out to be a random audit of my eligibility. The most important thing is to keep filing your weekly certifications even while on hold - you'll get backpay for all those weeks once it's resolved. I tried calling multiple times but finally got through by calling right at 8 AM on a Wednesday. The agent was able to see that it was just a routine review and assured me it would be lifted soon. In my case, they never sent any additional forms or requests - it just cleared automatically after they finished their review. Try not to panic (easier said than done, I know!) - most holds are administrative and get resolved within 2-3 weeks.

I'm going through this same situation right now and reading everyone's experiences here is really helping me stay calm! My claim has been on hold for 6 days and I was starting to panic. It sounds like the key things are: 1) keep filing weekly even during the hold, 2) try calling early morning (8 AM seems to be the magic time), and 3) be patient since most holds resolve in 2-3 weeks. I'm going to try calling tomorrow morning with my SSN and claim number ready like others suggested. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with these stressful holds!

I'm so glad I found this thread! My claim just went on hold yesterday and I was freaking out thinking something was seriously wrong. Reading everyone's experiences here is incredibly reassuring - it sounds like holds are way more common than I realized and most people do get them resolved within a few weeks. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about calling at 8 AM and keeping up with my weekly filings. It's such a relief to know that you still get backpay for the weeks you were on hold once it's cleared up. This community is amazing for sharing real experiences instead of just the confusing official information. Thank you all for helping ease my anxiety about this!

I just wanted to add my experience for anyone else dealing with this - I had a hold on my claim for about 18 days last summer and it was incredibly stressful. What I learned is that holds can happen for so many different reasons: job search verification, wage discrepancies, employer disputes, or even just random eligibility audits. The worst part is not knowing which one it is! I tried calling dozens of times before finally getting through to an agent who explained it was just a routine review of my work search activities. They never even asked me to submit additional documentation - it just cleared automatically once their review was complete. The agent told me that holds are actually much more common than people realize, especially during busy periods. My advice: call early (8 AM sharp), keep filing weekly no matter what, and try not to stress too much. Most holds do get resolved and you will get your backpay. This thread shows how many of us have been through this same scary experience!

I went through the exact same thing about 6 months ago and I totally understand the panic you're feeling! My claim was on hold for almost 3 weeks with no explanation in my messages either. It turned out to be a random audit of my job search activities - they never even contacted me about it, just reviewed my previous submissions and cleared it automatically. The most important thing I learned is to absolutely keep filing your weekly certifications even during the hold period. I almost stopped filing because I thought "what's the point if I'm on hold?" but thankfully I kept going because once it was resolved, I got backpay for every single week. Try calling right at 8 AM when they open - that's when I finally got through to someone who could actually see what was happening with my claim. The waiting is awful but hang in there, most holds really do get resolved within 2-4 weeks!