NYS Department of Labor only paid me for one week - why did I only get paid for one week of unemployment?
I've been filing my weekly claims for the past month and everything seemed fine, but when I checked my account today I only got paid for one week out of the four I've been claiming. The other three weeks just show as 'released' but no payment amount. I made sure to certify every Sunday and answer all the questions correctly about my job search activities. Has anyone else had this happen with NYS Department of Labor? I really need to figure out what's going on because I'm behind on rent.
11 comments
Join the conversation
Sophia Gabriel
This usually happens when there's an issue with your weekly certification that triggers a review. Check your online account for any notices or messages from NYS Department of Labor. Sometimes they'll hold payments if there's a discrepancy in your work search log or if you reported earnings that need verification. Did you report any part-time work or earnings during those weeks?
0 coins
Vince Eh
•I did report some freelance work for about $150 two weeks ago. Could that be why they're holding everything up? I thought as long as I reported it correctly it would be fine.
0 coins
Tobias Lancaster
Yeah, reporting earnings can definitely trigger a review process. NYS Department of Labor has to verify the income you reported, especially for freelance or 1099 work. They might be waiting for documentation or doing their own verification. Check if there are any pending issues in your online account under the 'Inbox' or 'Correspondence' section.
0 coins
Vince Eh
•I just checked and there's a message saying 'earnings verification in progress' that I somehow missed before. Do you know how long this usually takes?
0 coins
Tobias Lancaster
•It can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on how busy they are. The frustrating part is you can't really speed it up by calling because they have to go through their process.
0 coins
Ezra Beard
I had the exact same thing happen to me last year! They held my payments for almost a month because I reported some odd jobs. What really helped was using Claimyr to actually get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor. I couldn't get anyone on the phone for weeks, but Claimyr got me connected to an agent who explained exactly what documentation they needed. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
0 coins
Vince Eh
•That's interesting, I've never heard of that service before. How much does it cost to use?
0 coins
Ezra Beard
•It's really affordable and way less stressful than trying to call NYS Department of Labor yourself. The agent I spoke with was able to look up my specific case and tell me exactly what was holding up my payments.
0 coins
Statiia Aarssizan
UGH this is so typical of NYS Department of Labor!! They make you jump through all these hoops just to get your own money. I bet they're hoping you'll just give up and stop claiming. The system is designed to frustrate people into quitting.
0 coins
Reginald Blackwell
•I mean, they do have to verify earnings to prevent fraud, but yeah the communication could be way better.
0 coins
Aria Khan
definitely check for any messages in your account like others said. also make sure you have all your documentation ready - pay stubs, 1099s, anything that shows the freelance income you reported. they might ask for it
0 coins