UI benefit funds zero after verification issue - NY unemployment nightmare

This happened to me in February. The system is completely overwhelmed right now and there's a processing delay between ID verification and payment resumption. For me it took exactly 15 days after ID.me verification for my payments to start showing up again. You should see a lump sum payment for all the weeks they owe you. Make sure you keep certifying every week even while this is happening.

theyr ALWAYS doing this!! i got verified TWO MONTHS ago and still showing zeros. the lady on the phone said something about a "secondary review" whatever that means. the whole system is rigged to make u give up on ur money!!

Have you checked your message inbox on the NY unemployment website? Sometimes they send requests for additional information there but don't email you about it. I had zeros showing up because they needed additional employment verification documents and I didn't realize it for weeks because I never checked the inbox.

This is unfortunately a common issue we're seeing in 2025 with the new verification system. The $0 payment issue after ID.me verification typically happens for one of three reasons: 1. System synchronization delay (usually 10-21 business days) 2. Your case was flagged for manual review after verification 3. There's a discrepancy between your ID.me information and your original claim information The best approach is to speak with a claims specialist directly. Have your NY.gov ID, the last 4 of your SSN, and your ID.me confirmation email ready when you call. They can see exactly what's happening on the backend.

I was stuck in this exact situation last month and wasted 2 weeks trying to call. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE Turns out I had a "pending verification review" status that wasn't visible on my account but was blocking my payments. The agent cleared it while I was on the phone and my backpay showed up 3 days later. Sometimes you just need to talk to an actual human to fix these system issues.

Hey there, just wanted to say I'm in the same boat right now. Verified through ID.me 12 days ago and nothing but zeros. It's super stressful. Let me know if you get yours fixed and how you did it. I'll do the same!

One more thing you should try is requesting a callback through the NYSDOL website instead of repeatedly calling. Go to your dashboard and look for the "Request Callback" option. I missed it the first few times but it's there. They got back to me within 48 hours when I used that option.

have u checked your tax withholding settings? my cousin had this happen and it was because her withholding setting got changed to 100% somehow. might not be your issue but worth checking

Just to give you a bit more insight: The verification backlog is especially bad this quarter because of the system update they rolled out in March 2025. There's a technical issue where some verified accounts are getting stuck in a "verified but pending release" status. The good news is that once an agent manually reviews your case, they can usually fix it immediately and release all your backpay at once.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone! I used that Claimyr service that was suggested here and got connected to a claims specialist in about 25 minutes. Turns out my account was stuck in something called "post-verification review status" which doesn't show up anywhere on the customer-facing side of the system. The agent cleared it while I was on the phone and said my backpay for all 4 weeks should arrive within 3-5 business days. She also noted my account so this shouldn't happen again. Such a relief! Will update when the money actually hits my account.