NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim showing pending $0 - what does this mean?
I've been checking my unemployment account on my.ny.gov and for the past week it just shows 'pending $0' under my payment history. I filed my weekly claim on Sunday like always and usually get paid by Wednesday. My claim status still shows active but I'm not seeing any payment amount. Is this normal or did something go wrong with my claim? I'm getting really worried because I need this money for rent.
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Vanessa Figueroa
This happened to me too! Usually means there's some kind of hold on your account. Did you get any notices from NYS Department of Labor recently? Sometimes they need to verify something before releasing payments.
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Diez Ellis
•No notices that I can see. Should I be looking somewhere specific in my account for messages?
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Abby Marshall
Check your correspondence inbox on the my.ny.gov portal first. If there's nothing there, the pending $0 status could mean several things: 1) Your weekly claim is under review for some reason, 2) There's an issue with your job search contacts, or 3) Your claim went into adjudication. Log into your account and look for any 'pending issues' section.
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Diez Ellis
•Found the pending issues section - it says 'able and available verification required' but I don't know what that means or how to fix it.
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Abby Marshall
•That's pretty common. You'll need to provide documentation that you're actively looking for work and available to accept employment. Usually involves uploading your job search log and maybe answering some questions about your availability.
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Sadie Benitez
OH MY GOD this is happening to me too!! I'm freaking out because I already spent money thinking my payment was coming. How long does this verification thing take??? I can't afford to wait weeks without money
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Vanessa Figueroa
•Try to stay calm. When this happened to me it took about 5-7 business days once I submitted everything they needed. Just make sure you respond quickly to whatever they're asking for.
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Drew Hathaway
I had the exact same issue last month and calling NYS Department of Labor was impossible - kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. A friend told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to agents. I was skeptical but tried it and got connected within 20 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. The agent was able to explain exactly what was holding up my claim and helped me submit the right documents.
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Diez Ellis
•Is this legit? I've never heard of using a third party service to call NYS Department of Labor. How much does it cost?
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Drew Hathaway
•Yeah it's real. They don't mention the cost upfront but honestly it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of wasting days trying to get through on my own. My payments started again within a week after talking to the agent.
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Laila Prince
The whole system is messed up. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and they ALWAYS have some new reason to hold up payments. First it was job search verification, then they wanted proof of my last employer, now they're questioning my availability again. It's like they don't want to pay anyone!
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Isabel Vega
•I feel you but complaining doesn't help solve the problem. The system has rules and if you follow them correctly you usually get paid.
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Dominique Adams
same here, been pending for 3 days now
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Grace Thomas
I work as a benefits counselor and see this "pending $0" issue frequently. The "able and available verification" that you found means NYS DOL needs proof you're actively seeking work and available to accept employment. You'll need to upload your job search log (showing at least 3 job contacts per week) and possibly complete a questionnaire about your availability. Don't wait - the sooner you submit the required documentation, the faster your payments will resume. You can usually find the upload portal in the "Required Actions" or "Correspondence" section of your account.
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Oliver Becker
•This is really helpful, thank you! @Grace Thomas Just to clarify - when you say 3 "job contacts per week does" that mean 3 different employers or can it include things like updating my resume on job sites? I want to make sure I m'documenting everything correctly so I don t'run into this issue again.
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