Surprised how fast my ny unemployment claim was approved - when will I get first payment?
I submitted my unemployment claim last Tuesday after being let go from my restaurant job (they cut half the staff due to slow winter season). Was expecting the usual nightmare stories I've heard about delays, but when I logged in yesterday my claim status already shows approved! It says "Effective Days Remaining: 104" and that my weekly benefit is $421. This all happened way quicker than I thought it would. Anyone know when I can expect to see my first payment hit my account? Do I need to do anything else? I've already done the work search requirements for this week. Just surprised the process moved so fast.
34 comments
Brooklyn Foley
Congrats on the quick processing! You'll likely get your first payment next week after you certify for benefits. Make sure you certify on Sunday for the previous week. Don't forget you have a waiting week where you don't get paid for the first week of your claim, that's normal. Keep documenting your work search activities (3 per week) and you should be good to go. I got my first payment exactly 10 days after approval.
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Elijah Knight
Thanks for the info! Just to be clear - I certify this Sunday for last week right? And then payment comes 2-3 days after?
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Brooklyn Foley
Yep thats exactly right. You certify Sunday for last week and payment usually hits Tuesday or Wednesday depending on your bank. Some banks are faster than others.
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Jay Lincoln
Sometimes it can take longer tho... mine took 5 business days the first time but gets more consistent after that
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Jessica Suarez
Wow you got super lucky! I had to fight for 8 weeks to get anything processed. I was literally calling the unemployment office every day and couldn't get thru. Finally found this service called claimyr.com that got me a callback from an actual agent. Talking to an agent got my claim processed within a day and all my backpay came at once. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent. Check out this video if you need help too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Marcus Williams
yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄
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Jessica Suarez
No catch - it just connects you with an actual unemployment agent instead of waiting on hold forever. I was skeptical too but when you're desperate after 8 weeks of nothing, you'll try anything. They just automate the hold process. The agent fixed everything once I finally talked to them.
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Lily Young
wait does this actually work? I've been trying to reach someone for 3 weeks and I'm ready to lose my mind
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Jessica Suarez
It worked for me! The unemployment system is a nightmare to navigate alone. Check out claimyr.com - talking to a real person made all the difference.
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Kennedy Morrison
hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different?
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Jessica Suarez
The difference is they don't claim to fix your unemployment issues themselves - they just get you connected to an actual DOL agent who CAN fix it. They handle the hold time so you don't have to. My issue got resolved in one call once I actually spoke to someone.
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Wesley Hallow
Don't count ur chickens yet!! The system might show approved but there are still issues that can pop up. Make sure you certify EVERY week on sundays, no matter what! That's where a lot of ppl mess up. If u miss a week of certification they make u call in and its nightmare city tryna get thru to them.
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Justin Chang
Welcome to the waiting game 🤣 Each claim is different but generally they say 2-3 business days after you certify for benefits. I've been on ny unemployment twice and both times the money hit my account on Wednesday morning after certifying on Sunday. Direct deposit is way faster than the debit card option FYI.
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Elijah Knight
Thanks! I signed up for direct deposit when I filed so hopefully that speeds things up. Fingers crossed for Wednesday then! 🤞
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Grace Thomas
I get mine on Tuesdays with Bank of America just so u know it can vary
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Hunter Brighton
Here's what you need to know about NY unemployment benefits (from someone who's been through it twice): First, congrats on the quick approval - that's rare these days! The website has actually improved a lot since 2020. Next steps: - You MUST certify every week on Sunday (or later in the week, but don't delay) - First payment usually arrives 2-3 business days after your first certification - Remember the waiting week - you won't get paid for your first week - Keep detailed records of ALL work search activities (minimum 3 per week) - Set up email/text alerts so you don't miss important messages - If ANY issues come up, try calling early morning (7:30am) for shorter wait times - If you can't get through, claimyr.com is a service that will wait on hold and call you when they reach an agent The most common hiccup is identity verification - if they flag your account for ID verification, you'll need to upload documents through ID.me. Don't ignore any emails about this. Hope this helps! The system works well when there are no complications.
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Elijah Knight
This is super helpful, thank you! I set up the text alerts already. What counts as work search activities exactly? Just applying to jobs or does other stuff count too?
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Hunter Brighton
Great question! Work search activities include: - Job applications (online or in-person) - Attending job fairs or workshops - Creating profiles on job sites like Indeed/LinkedIn - Networking events - Following up on applications - Meeting with career counselors Make sure to document dates, company names, contact info, and type of work for each activity!
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Dylan Baskin
Damn wish I had this info when I started! I got audited on my work search and nearly lost benefits cuz I didn't keep good records 😬
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Lauren Wood
everyone's timeline is diff so don't get your hopes up. my account showed approved for like a month before i actually got money. the system is held together with duct tape and prayers lol
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Ellie Lopez
$421 a week?? dang what were you making at that restaurant job? i only get $235 and i was working full time ðŸ˜
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Elijah Knight
I was a server at a pretty busy place in Manhattan + shift manager on weekends. Tips were good but hours were crazy long. Not worth it looking back honestly.
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Ellie Lopez
oof manhattan service industry is brutal. hope you find something better soon!
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Chad Winthrope
NYC unemployment always higher than upstate... cost of living difference is real 🙄
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Paige Cantoni
Just wanna mention KEEP CERTIFYING each week even if you don't see payments yet. I didn't realize that was required and lost 3 weeks of payments. Had to appeal and it was a whole mess.
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Kylo Ren
Random tip: take screenshots of your work search activities AND your weekly certifications. The NY unemployment website sometimes glitches and "loses" records. Saved me big time when they did an audit.
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Nina Fitzgerald
THIS!!! 💯 I had to submit an appeal because the system didn't record 2 of my certifications even though I did them! No proof = no money.
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Jason Brewer
NEVER miss a certification sunday!!! set 37 alarms if u have to. the system is designed to make u fail
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Kiara Fisherman
From my experience, the first payment takes the longest. After that it's pretty consistent. Make sure ur bank info is correct in the system. Double check everything. And if u have ANY problems getting someone on the phone, I used claimyr.com when my account got randomly flagged for fraud (it wasn't). Saved me weeks of stress.
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Liam Cortez
hol up is that for real? does claimyr actually work? seems too good to be true
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Kiara Fisherman
Yeah it worked for me. I was desperate after calling for 2 weeks straight with no luck. They basically wait on hold for you then call when they get someone. Talking to an agent fixed my issue in 10 minutes after weeks of frustration.
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Savannah Vin
unpopular opinion - the NY unemployment system actually works pretty well compared to other states. my brother in Florida waited 4 MONTHS for his first payment and had to submit the same documents like 5 times!
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Mason Stone
facts. my cousin in texas is STILL fighting with their system after 6 months. NY has its issues but at least there's an actual process
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Makayla Shoemaker
yall clearly haven't dealt with ny unemployment during peak pandemic times... literal nightmare fuel
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