Will my NY unemployment payment be delayed because I certified right before a holiday?
Just wondering if anyone knows how the payment schedule works around holidays. I certified for my unemployment benefits yesterday (Saturday), but today is a federal holiday. Normally I get my money deposited by Monday, but I'm worried the holiday might push everything back. Does anyone know if I'll still get my payment on Monday or will it be delayed until Tuesday or even Wednesday? I'm trying to plan my bill payments and really need to know when to expect the money to hit my account.
45 comments


Sarah Ali
It'll probably be delayed unfortunately. Holidays always mess up the deposit schedule. When I certified before Memorial Day, my payment didnt show up until Wednesday. Just a heads up so ur not counting on it for Monday.
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Megan D'Acosta
•Dang, I was afraid of that. I really needed it by Monday. Thanks for the info.
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Ryan Vasquez
•Same thing happened to me last year. The whole system is so unpredictable sometimes 🤦♀️
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Avery Saint
•Its actually pretty predictable - fed holidays ALWAYS delay everything by at least 1 day. Banks dont process on holidays.
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Taylor Chen
After spending weeks trying to reach someone at ny unemployment about delayed payments, I finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got a callback with an actual human agent on the phone! Talking to a real person got my payments flowing again. They stayed on hold for me and it was the best money I've spent to finally get my benefits paid quickly. Here's a video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Keith Davidson
•This sounds super fishy. Has anyone else actually used this before?
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Taylor Chen
•Not fishy at all! I was desperate after calling for 3 weeks straight. They just connect you with a real agent instead of you waiting on hold for hours. Saved my sanity.
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Ezra Bates
•I just checked out that site. So they basically just wait on hold for you? That's actually pretty genius considering how impossible it is to get thru the phone lines
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Ana Erdoğan
•wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS? I've been trying to reach someone for like a month about my missing payments
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Taylor Chen
•It worked for me! They call and wait on hold, then when an agent picks up, they call your phone and connect you. No more endless hold music 🙌
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Sophia Carson
In my experience with ny unemployment, if you certified on Saturday before a holiday Sunday, your payment will probably hit Tuesday. The system processes claims on Sunday night/Monday morning, but since Monday is a bank holiday, the actual deposit won't process until the next business day. That's been my pattern anyway.
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Elijah Knight
The DOL website actually has a payment schedule somewhere that explains all this. I think there's a chart that shows when payments go out based on certification and holidays. Has anyone seen this? I can't find the link now.
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Brooklyn Foley
•https://dol.ny.gov/unemployment/get-your-benefits-payment-information I think its this? They dont really explain holiday delays specifically tho
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Elijah Knight
•Thats it! Yeah ur right, they dont really explain the holiday thing clearly. Typical government communication lol
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Jay Lincoln
LPT: Always keep a small emergency fund for exactly this reason. Unemployment payments are notoriously unpredictable, especially around holidays. I made this mistake last Thanksgiving and ended up having to borrow money from my mom 😭
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Megan D'Acosta
•I wish I could but I've been on unemployment for 3 months now and my savings are pretty much gone. This economy is brutal.
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Jessica Suarez
•just keep an emergency" fund is such privileged advice lol. Like yeah we all wish we could but when rent takes 70% of yourincome...
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Jay Lincoln
•Sorry, wasn't trying to sound preachy. I've been there too. Just sharing what I learned the hard way.
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Marcus Williams
I've been on UI benefits in New York for almost 9 months now (ugh), and here's what I've learned about the payment schedule: • Regular certifications (non-holiday): If you certify Sunday, you typically get paid Tuesday or Wednesday • Holiday situations: Add at least one business day to whatever the normal timeline would be • Bank matters: Some banks (like Chase and Capital One) sometimes release the funds a day early • Direct deposit vs debit card: Direct deposit is generally faster • System outages: These randomly happen and can delay everything by 1-3 days The most reliable way to track your payment is through your payment history on the website, but even that sometimes updates late. If you're having ongoing payment issues or need immediate help, I highly recommend using claimyr.com to get through to an agent. It costs a bit but honestly saved me thousands in delayed benefits. Hope this helps!
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Megan D'Acosta
•This is super helpful, thank you! I have Chase so maybe there's hope it'll come through earlier.
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Lily Young
•9 months on UI? Have you hit your benefit year end yet? Make sure you reapply when you do!
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Marcus Williams
•Not yet! I think I have about 8 more weeks before my benefit year ends. But yes, already dreading the reapplication process 😩
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Kennedy Morrison
I literally call this "The Holiday Delay Dance" 💃 Every time there's a holiday I just automatically add 2 days to whatever I'm expecting. The unemployment gods must be appeased with our suffering lmaooo
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Wesley Hallow
•The Holiday Delay Dance 🤣🤣🤣 perfect name for it!
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Justin Chang
This might not be what u want to hear but maybe call them tomorrow? I know its a nightmare getting through but sometimes they can push payments through faster if u explain ur situation.
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Megan D'Acosta
•Every time I try calling I just get an automated message saying high call volume and it hangs up on me. So frustrating!
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Grace Thomas
•Try claimyr.com - they get you past the busy signals. Worked for me when I was in the same situation last month.
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Hunter Brighton
am i the only one who thinks its INSANE that the unemployment system shuts down for holidays when people are literally depending on it to eat and pay rent? like the computer systems couldn't just... keep running automatically? 🤡
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Dylan Baskin
•THIS! It's 2023, why are government systems still operating like it's 1985? 💯
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Lauren Wood
•It's not the computer systems, it's the banks that don't process ACH transfers on federal holidays
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Hunter Brighton
•then they should process the payments a day EARLY before holidays, not late! problem solved!
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Ellie Lopez
OK so my roommate works for a bank and she said that ACH transfers (which is how UI payments go through) don't process on federal holidays at all. So even if NYSDOL sends the payment, it sits in a queue at the bank until the next business day. Nothing anyone can do about it unfortunately.
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Chad Winthrope
What bank do you use? Some banks hold the funds longer than others. I switched from Wells Fargo to a local credit union and now get my payments a day faster every week.
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Megan D'Acosta
•I'm with Bank of America. Maybe I should look into switching if this keeps happening.
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Paige Cantoni
I certified last Sunday before a holiday Monday and my payment actually hit my account on Wednesday around 2am. So i think you'll probably see yours Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
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Oliver Brown
I've been dealing with this exact situation for months now. The pattern I've noticed is that if you certify on Saturday before a holiday Monday, your payment will typically hit Wednesday morning instead of the usual Tuesday. The system processes everything Sunday night, but since Monday is a federal holiday, banks don't process ACH transfers until Tuesday, which means you see the money Wednesday. It's super frustrating when you're counting on that money for bills! I've started planning around this by always assuming holiday delays will happen. Hope this helps you plan better for next time!
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Mikayla Davison
•This is really helpful, thank you! I'm new to all this and didn't realize the holiday delays were so predictable. Definitely going to start planning around this pattern going forward. It's such a relief to know I'm not the only one dealing with this timing issue!
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TommyKapitz
I've been on NY unemployment for about 6 months now and can confirm that holiday weekends always mess up the payment schedule. Based on my experience, since you certified Saturday before a federal holiday Monday, you're probably looking at Wednesday for your deposit. The whole system basically shifts everything one business day later when there's a federal holiday. I learned this the hard way when I was counting on my payment for rent last Memorial Day and it didn't come until Wednesday. Now I always check the federal holiday calendar when I'm planning my budget. Hang in there - the money will come, just a day or two later than usual!
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Luca Marino
•Thanks for sharing your experience! It's so frustrating that they don't make this clearer on their website. I'm definitely going to start checking the federal holiday calendar too - that's such a smart tip. Did you ever find a way to get notifications or updates about when your payments actually process, or do you just have to keep checking your account?
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Ravi Patel
I've been through this same situation multiple times and it's always stressful! From my experience with NY unemployment, when you certify on Saturday before a federal holiday Monday, your payment typically gets delayed until Wednesday. The DOL processes claims Sunday night/Monday morning, but since banks don't handle ACH transfers on federal holidays, everything gets pushed back one business day. I always budget expecting a 1-2 day delay around any federal holiday now. It's annoying that they don't clearly communicate this timeline on their website, but at least the pattern is pretty consistent once you know what to expect. Your payment should definitely come through by Wednesday morning at the latest!
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Isabella Santos
•This is exactly what I needed to hear! I was getting so anxious about whether something went wrong with my certification, but knowing that Wednesday is the realistic timeline helps me plan my bills accordingly. It's crazy how much stress these delays cause when you're already dealing with unemployment. Really appreciate you taking the time to explain the whole process - makes me feel way less alone in this situation!
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Giovanni Martello
I went through the exact same thing last month! Certified on Saturday before MLK Day and my payment didn't hit until Wednesday morning around 3am. The holiday basically pushes everything back by one business day - it's super annoying but pretty consistent. I've learned to just automatically expect the delay anytime there's a federal holiday and plan my bills around it. Your money should definitely be there by Wednesday, try not to stress too much about it! The system is just slow around holidays but the payments always come through eventually.
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Aisha Khan
•Ugh this is so relatable! I'm dealing with the same exact situation right now and was panicking that something went wrong with my certification. It's such a relief to hear from people who've been through this before and know the pattern. I really wish NYSDOL would just put a clear warning on their site about holiday delays - would save so much anxiety for people who are already stressed about money. Thanks for sharing your experience, definitely helps me feel less alone in this mess!
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Aisha Mohammed
I'm going through this exact situation right now too! Just certified yesterday and today being a federal holiday has me worried about when my payment will actually come through. Reading everyone's experiences here is really helpful - sounds like Wednesday is the most realistic expectation. It's so stressful when you're already dealing with unemployment and then have to worry about payment delays on top of everything else. I really wish the NY DOL website was clearer about how holidays affect the payment schedule. At least now I know to always factor in extra time around federal holidays. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it makes me feel less anxious knowing this is a common issue and the payments do eventually come through!
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Ravi Sharma
•I'm in the exact same boat! Just found this thread after spending the morning worrying about my payment. It's my first time dealing with a holiday delay and I was starting to panic that I did something wrong with my certification. Reading all these experiences is such a huge relief - knowing that Wednesday is pretty much the standard for this situation helps me breathe easier. It's wild how much stress these delays add when you're already juggling so much. Really grateful for communities like this where people actually share real experiences instead of just the vague official info!
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