Why is my unemployment payment history showing $0.00 "Forfeit" and "Waiting week" payments despite 4 effective days?

The waiting week is normal - its your first unpaid week when you start unemployment. But that forfeit week is bad news... it usually means they think you got overpaid and now your taking a penalty week where you dont get paid 😬

Hey I had the same issue last month! Used claimyr.com to get through to an agent. It costs $20 but totally worth it since they handle the whole calling and waiting process then connect you to a real person. Here's a video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Let me break this down for you because I went through the exact same thing: First, the waiting week is standard procedure - everyone has to do this when they first file. It's basically a week where you certify but don't get paid. The forfeit week is more complicated. This happens when: - They think you were overpaid at some point - You made a mistake in your certification - There's an issue with your claim they're investigating What you need to do: 1. Check your message inbox immediately 2. Look for any letters they mailed you 3. If you can't figure it out, you NEED to speak with an agent I personally used claimyr.com to get through - saved me hours of calling. Otherwise you might be trying for days to reach someone. Don't wait on this because it could affect future payments too. The system is super frustrating but you gotta stay on top of it! 🙏

whose bright idea was it to make this system so confusing smh 🤦‍♂️

make sure u save any proof of income/work history just in case they try to say u were overpaid. learned that one the hard way 😩

waiting week is normal but that forfeit week means ur gonna have to do some explaining to them. good luck getting through on the phone tho its impossible these days

I'm dealing with something similar right now! Just got a forfeit week last week and I'm still trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did you ever find any documentation in your online account under "Determinations" or "Correspondence"? Sometimes they hide the explanation there instead of sending it to your inbox. Also check if you accidentally reported income wrong during certification - even small mistakes can trigger this. Hope you get it sorted out soon! 🤞

Oh man, I feel for you! I went through the exact same thing a few months back and it was so stressful. The "forfeit" week basically means they're withholding a week's payment - could be because of an overpayment issue, reporting error, or they're investigating something on your claim. First thing - definitely check your correspondence/messages section in your online account AND any physical mail they sent. Sometimes the explanation gets buried in there. If you can't find anything, you really need to talk to someone at DOL to get clarity on what triggered it. I know calling is a nightmare but honestly it's the only way to get real answers. Some people here mentioned claimyr.com - I haven't used it myself but might be worth considering if you're having trouble getting through. Just don't let this sit because it could affect future payments too. Keep all your documentation handy when you do call - pay stubs, work search logs, anything that shows you've been following the rules. Good luck! 🙏

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago and it was incredibly stressful! The "forfeit" week is definitely concerning - it usually means they've determined there was some kind of issue with your claim or certification that week. In my case, it turned out I had accidentally double-reported some part-time work income from a previous week, which triggered an overpayment flag. The system automatically withheld a week's payment to "recover" what they thought I owed. Here's what I'd recommend doing ASAP: 1. Check your online account under "Determinations" - sometimes there's a notice explaining the forfeit 2. Look through ALL your mail, including junk mail - they sometimes send explanations via regular mail 3. Review your recent certifications carefully to see if you might have made any reporting errors If you can't find any explanation, you absolutely need to speak with someone at DOL. I know the phone lines are brutal, but it's really the only way to get this resolved. Don't wait too long because these issues can snowball and affect future payments. Stay strong - most of these issues are fixable once you get to talk to the right person! 💪

Had this exact same thing happen to me back in September! The forfeit week drove me crazy until I figured out what caused it. In my case, I had reported working 3 days during certification but then later realized I had mixed up which week those work days actually fell in. The system flagged it as inconsistent reporting and hit me with a forfeit week. Here's what worked for me: 1. Go to your online account and click on "View and Maintain Account Information" 2. Look under "Monetary and Issue Summary" - sometimes there's a code that explains the forfeit 3. Cross-reference your work calendar with what you reported during certification to spot any discrepancies The waiting week is totally normal - that's just your unpaid first week that everyone goes through. But definitely get to the bottom of that forfeit ASAP because if there's actually an overpayment issue, they might start taking money from future weeks too. I ended up having to call (took me literally 47 tries over 3 days 😤) and the agent was able to see exactly what triggered it and helped me file an appeal. Got it resolved in about 2 weeks. Don't panic - these things usually have simple explanations once you dig into the details!

I'm going through something very similar right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add that when you do check your "Determinations" section online, also look for any "Notice of Determination" documents - sometimes they upload PDFs there that explain exactly why the forfeit happened. Also, if you end up calling DOL, write down the agent's name and reference number from your call. I learned this the hard way when I had to call back multiple times and different agents were giving me different information. Having that reference number helps them pull up your case notes faster. One more tip - if you suspect it's related to work reporting errors, gather all your pay stubs and work schedules before you call. They might ask you to verify dates and amounts on the spot, and having everything organized will save you time. The whole system is definitely frustrating but reading everyone's success stories here gives me hope that these issues can be resolved. Good luck to everyone dealing with this! 💪

Just wanted to chime in as someone who dealt with this exact situation about 8 months ago! The combination of a waiting week AND a forfeit week is definitely stressful - I totally get that sinking feeling when you see those $0 payments. From my experience, the forfeit week usually happens when there's a discrepancy in your work/income reporting during certification. Sometimes it's as simple as reporting the wrong dates or accidentally entering income for the wrong week. The system is super sensitive to these kinds of errors. Here's what saved me a ton of time: before calling DOL, I printed out ALL my pay stubs and made a timeline of exactly when I worked and how much I earned for each week in question. When I finally got through to an agent, having that documentation ready made the call go so much smoother. Also, don't be afraid to ask the agent to explain the specific reason code for your forfeit - they have access to detailed notes that can tell you exactly what triggered it. In my case, it was a simple date mix-up that we were able to correct with an appeal. The waiting is the worst part but hang in there - most of these issues have straightforward solutions once you get the right person on the phone! 🙏

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! Just got hit with a forfeit week last week and I've been panicking about it ever since. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the most common cause is some kind of work reporting error during certification. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to me too - I had a weird pay schedule that month and I think I might have reported my earnings for the wrong week. Has anyone here successfully gotten their forfeit week reversed after proving it was just a reporting mistake? I found the determination notice in my online account like some of you suggested, but it's pretty vague about the specific issue. Definitely going to follow the advice about organizing all my pay stubs before I call. The stress of potentially losing future payments is keeping me up at night! But seeing how many people have gotten this resolved gives me hope. Thanks to everyone sharing their stories - it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with this confusing system! 🤞

Going through this thread has been so reassuring - I'm currently dealing with a forfeit week myself and was starting to panic! Based on everyone's advice, I've already checked my Determinations section and found a vague notice about "income reporting discrepancy" but no specific details. I'm definitely going to follow the game plan everyone's outlined here: gather all my pay stubs, create a timeline of work dates vs what I reported, and then bite the bullet on calling DOL (or maybe try that claimyr service people mentioned). One question for those who've been through this - how long did it typically take to get the issue resolved once you actually spoke with an agent? I'm worried about my upcoming certifications being affected while this gets sorted out. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - it's made this whole situation feel way less scary! 🙏

Ugh, I'm literally going through the EXACT same thing right now! Just saw a forfeit week pop up on my payment history yesterday and I've been freaking out about it. Reading through everyone's experiences here is giving me so much relief - sounds like it's usually just a reporting error that can be fixed. I'm pretty sure I messed up my work reporting too. Had some weird part-time shifts that spanned across certification periods and I think I got confused about which week to report them under. The determination notice I found online is super vague though - just says "benefit payment issue" with no real details. Planning to spend tomorrow morning getting all my pay stubs organized and creating that timeline like everyone suggested before I attempt to call. Has anyone tried calling first thing in the morning? Wondering if that increases chances of getting through faster. Thanks to everyone sharing their stories - this thread is honestly saving my sanity right now! The thought of losing future payments was keeping me up all night but now I feel like there's actually hope this can get resolved 🙏

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who went through this exact nightmare about 4 months ago! Seeing that forfeit week show up is absolutely terrifying - I totally get that panic feeling when you're depending on those payments. In my case, the forfeit was caused by a simple mistake where I reported some freelance income on the wrong certification week. The determination notice was super vague (just like everyone else is describing) but when I finally got through to an agent, they could see exactly what happened and walked me through filing an appeal. Here's my biggest piece of advice: when you call, ask them to read you the specific "reason code" for the forfeit - don't just accept a generic explanation. In my case, the code was something like "IR-205" which meant income reporting discrepancy, and that helped me understand exactly what documentation I needed to provide. Also, while you're dealing with this, make sure you keep certifying for your current weeks! The forfeit week is separate and won't prevent you from getting future payments as long as you're reporting everything correctly going forward. I ended up getting my forfeit week reversed and received the back payment about 3 weeks later. Hang in there - this is way more common than you'd think and definitely fixable! 🤞

I'm so glad I found this thread! Just went through the exact same thing last month - had a forfeit week show up out of nowhere and I was completely panicking about it. Turns out it was because I accidentally reported some overtime pay for the wrong week during certification. The key things that helped me get it resolved: 1. Found the determination notice buried in my online account under "Correspondence" 2. Organized all my pay stubs and work schedules by date before calling 3. When I finally got through to an agent, I asked for the specific reason code (mine was "IR-301" for income reporting error) 4. Filed an appeal with the agent's help right on the call The whole process took about 2.5 weeks total and I got my back payment deposited automatically. The waiting week is totally normal - everyone gets that unpaid first week when starting a claim. Don't panic about future payments either! As long as you keep certifying correctly while the appeal is processing, your other weeks won't be affected. The agent told me forfeit weeks are super common and usually just reporting mistakes that get fixed pretty quickly. One tip - I called right at 8am on a Tuesday and got through on my 3rd try. Seems like Tuesday/Wednesday mornings might be less busy than Mondays. You've got this! 💪

I'm dealing with this same exact situation right now and this thread has been such a lifesaver! Just had a forfeit week show up yesterday and I was completely spiraling about it until I found all these helpful responses. Based on everyone's advice, I've already gone through my online account and found a determination notice that mentions "income verification issue" but doesn't give specifics. I'm pretty sure I know what happened though - I had some irregular shifts at my part-time job and I think I reported the hours for the wrong certification week. Going to spend today organizing all my pay stubs and creating that timeline everyone mentioned before attempting to call tomorrow. The tip about asking for the specific reason code seems crucial - definitely writing that down as my first question. It's so reassuring to see how many people got their forfeit weeks reversed! I was terrified this would mess up all my future payments but reading that you can keep certifying normally while the appeal processes gives me so much relief. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - knowing this is fixable and relatively common makes this whole situation way less scary! 🙏