Waiting 5+ weeks on NY unemployment claim with no payment - filed late September 2025

That 'being looked over for entitlement' status typically means they're verifying your work history and wages to determine if you qualify and for how much. It's unfortunately taking longer than usual lately - I've been helping several people who waited 4-6 weeks. Don't give up! A few things you can try:\n\n1. Request a callback through your online account (go to Messages, then Secure Message, select Subject: Payment Question)\n2. Email the regional DOL office for your county\n3. Try calling at exactly 8:00am when they open - slightly better odds\n\nYour back payments will come all at once when approved. Hang in there!

Thanks for explaining what that means - the rep wasn't clear at all. I'll try the secure message route today. Do you know if there's any way to check what stage of review I'm in? The online account just shows 'pending' with no details.

same thing happened to me, it took like 7 weeks to get my first payment back in august. the system is totally broken

7 weeks?!! OMG that's insane. I'm only on week 3 of waiting and already panicking. Did they at least backpay you for all those weeks? I'm literally watching my savings disappear day by day...

ya they did backpay everything but it was super stressful waiting cuz my landlord was getting mad

The NYSDOL system is DELIBERATELY making this difficult! They're hoping people give up so they don't have to pay. I had to wait 8 weeks last year and when I finally got through, they claimed they \

While I understand your frustration, I don't think it's deliberate. The system is just overwhelmed and outdated. According to the most recent data, NYSDOL is processing about 15,000 new claims per week with reduced staff. Make sure you've uploaded all documentation they might need (W-2s, paystubs, etc.) even if not explicitly asked for yet. This can prevent delays when they review your case.

After trying for weeks to reach someone at unemployment, I finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of trying to call hundreds of times myself. The agent was able to tell me exactly why my claim was delayed (missing employer verification) and helped push it through. Saved me weeks of waiting. If you're desperate to talk to someone, check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE or their site claimyr.com - totally worth it for me!

I've never heard of this service before. Did they actually help resolve your issue or just connect you to an agent? I'm getting pretty desperate here.

They just connect you to an agent, but that's the hardest part! Once I actually talked to someone, they saw that my employer hadn't responded to their verification request (which nobody had bothered to tell me). The agent sent a follow-up request while I was on the phone and told me exactly what was happening. Got paid about a week later.

dont call the governors office again lol thats not how ur supposed to do it. ur just making it take longer by not following the right steps

I called the regular unemployment number over 50 times and couldn't get through - what exactly was I supposed to do? Sit and wait forever with no money coming in?

u gotta call right when they open at 8am or right before lunch or right before they close. calling the governors office probly put u on some kind of list lol

I'm in the same exact situation!!! Filed on October 5th and still nothing but

It's normal to feel stressed, but many delays are just due to the verification process. They typically don't deny claims without contacting you first. Login to your account and check the \

What most people don't realize is that there are three potential verification delays happening right now:\n\n1. Identity verification (ID.me is just step one, there's a secondary DOL verification)\n2. Wage verification (they must confirm with all employers from your base period)\n3. Separation reason verification (they contact your most recent employer to verify why you're no longer employed)\n\nWhat's happening in September-October 2025 specifically is a system update that's causing additional delays with the wage verification process. If you've had multiple employers in the past 18 months, that typically causes longer review times.\n\nTo potentially speed things up, call 888-209-8124 exactly at 7:59am and keep your call duration under 10 minutes when you get through. Ask specifically which of the three verification processes is pending for your claim.

Thank you - this is really helpful information! I did have two different employers in the past year, so maybe that's slowing things down. I'll try calling at 7:59 tomorrow morning.

whatever u do dont stop certifying every week!! even if your not getting paid u need to keep doing it or youll lose those weeks when u finally get approved

Thanks for the reminder. I have been certifying each week, even though it feels pointless right now since nothing is happening.

Just checking in - any updates on your situation? Were you able to make contact with anyone through the secure message system?

Yes! I finally got through using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. Turns out there was a discrepancy between what I reported as my last day of work and what my employer reported. The agent was able to fix it right on the call. She said I should see payments within 3-5 business days including all back weeks. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

That's excellent news! Glad you got it resolved. It's almost always some small technical issue that's causing the delay. Make sure to certify this coming week too so there's no interruption once the payments start flowing.