Where can I cash my NYS Department of Labor unemployment check in NYC?
Got my first unemployment check yesterday but my bank account is closed and I need to cash it somewhere. It's from NYS Department of Labor and says 'unemployment insurance benefit' on it. Does anyone know what places will cash these? I tried the corner store but they said no. Really need the money for rent this week.
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Christian Bierman
Most major banks like Chase, Bank of America, or Wells Fargo will cash government checks for a fee even if you don't have an account with them. Usually around $8-15. Walmart also cashes unemployment checks for about $4 if it's under $1000. Just bring ID and the check has to be made out to you obviously.
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Thanks! There's a Walmart near me, $4 is way better than $25. Do they need anything else besides ID?
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Emma Olsen
honestly just open a basic checking account somewhere, most banks waive fees if you have direct deposit set up and then you can switch your NYS Department of Labor payments to direct deposit which is so much faster
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Emma Wilson
Most check cashing places will take unemployment checks from NYS Department of Labor. Try Check Into Cash or ACE Cash Express - they usually charge around 2-3% fee but they'll cash it. Also try bigger banks even if you don't have an account there, sometimes they'll cash government checks for a fee.
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Javier Torres
•Thanks! There's an ACE down the street from me, I'll try there first.
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QuantumLeap
walmart will cash it too if you have ID, they charge like $4 for checks under $1000. way cheaper than most check cashing places
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Malik Johnson
•This is good advice. Walmart MoneyCenter is usually the cheapest option for cashing unemployment checks. Just make sure you bring valid photo ID and the fees are much lower than standalone check cashing stores.
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Isabella Santos
Why don't you just open a new bank account? Most banks will let you open one with just your unemployment check as the first deposit. Then you won't have to pay fees every time.
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Javier Torres
•My credit is messed up from when I lost my job, most banks won't let me open an account right now. Need to get some money coming in first.
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Emma Wilson
•Try a credit union instead of a regular bank. They're usually more flexible about opening accounts even with credit issues. Plus they often have lower fees.
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Lucas Lindsey
You should definitely switch to direct deposit through your my.ny.gov account. It's much safer than carrying around paper checks and you get the money 1-2 days faster. To set it up, log into your NYS Department of Labor account, go to payment method, and enter your bank routing and account numbers. The change takes effect for your next weekly claim payment.
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Makayla Shoemaker
•I would but I'm between banks right now after my old one closed my account for overdraft fees. Trying to get that sorted out first.
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Sophie Duck
•Check out credit unions in your area, they usually have lower fees and are more willing to work with people who've had banking issues before
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Ravi Sharma
BTW if you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor about getting direct deposit set up instead of checks, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call and getting busy signals.
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Freya Larsen
•How much does that cost though? I'm already broke waiting for my unemployment to come through.
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Ravi Sharma
•It's worth checking out their site for pricing info. For me it was worth it just to avoid the frustration of calling NYS Department of Labor over and over. Got my direct deposit sorted out in one call.
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Austin Leonard
Wait are you still getting paper checks?? I thought NYS Department of Labor switched everyone to direct deposit or the debit card thing. Maybe call them to see what's up with your payment method?
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Christian Bierman
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone about payment issues, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself when I needed to update my payment info.
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Emma Olsen
•Never heard of that but honestly anything that helps you actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor sounds worth trying
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Omar Hassan
been there! grocery stores with customer service desks usually cash government checks too. try shoprite or stop&shop
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Anita George
grocery stores like stop and shop or key food usually cash checks too, might be cheaper than banks but you gotta buy something usually
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Alice Pierce
Try TD Bank or Capital One if you have one nearby - they usually cash government checks for around $5-8 even without an account. Also some pharmacies like CVS or Duane Reade have check cashing services at their customer service counters. Just make sure to bring valid photo ID and be prepared for the fee. Good luck getting your rent sorted!
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