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Geoff Richards

Woke up to NY unemployment back pay finally deposited - timeline for those waiting!

Just woke up and checked my account - after MONTHS of waiting my back pay was finally deposited overnight!!! 😭😭😭💯💯💯 I literally screamed and woke up my roommate lol. Been waiting since January when I first filed my NY unemployment claim. Had that stupid "pending" status for weeks, then it changed to "held" with no explanation. Called like 500 times and never got through. For anyone else waiting, hang in there! The system does eventually work!

Simon White

That's awesome news! Same thing happened to me last month. I waited almost 12 weeks for my back pay and was starting to think I'd never see it. How much was your payout if you don't mind me asking? Mine was almost $9,400 for the weeks I was owed, and I almost had a heart attack when I saw my balance. Glad the system finally worked for you!

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Geoff Richards

Thanks!! Mine was around $7,800 which is literally life-changing right now. Did you ever actually talk to anyone before it showed up? I'm wondering if someone finally reviewed my claim or if it just went through automatically.

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Hugo Kass

congrats!! i'm on week 6 of waiting for mine... did u get any kind of notification before the deposit or did it just show up?

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Geoff Richards

It just showed up!! No email, no message in my account, nothing. I've literally been checking my bank account every morning at 6am for weeks lol.

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Nasira Ibanez

This is pretty common with NY unemployment back pay right now. Their system processes claims in batches, and back pay often processes separately from regular weekly benefits. The department is still dealing with a significant backlog from their system upgrade in December 2024. For anyone else waiting: if your claim shows as "valid" but payments are "pending" or "held," this usually means your claim has been approved but needs additional review before payment. Back pay typically arrives in a lump sum, often with no advance warning.

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Khalil Urso

Do you know if there's any way to find out WHERE in the backlog your claim is? I've been waiting 8 weeks with absolutely no updates and I'm going crazy with anxiety. My claim just says "held" and I've called at least 40 times and can never get through.

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Myles Regis

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now, and I'm about to lose my mind. Been waiting for back pay since February and it's now almost April. Called the NYSDOL over 200 times and can't get anyone on the phone. Every time I call it's either busy signals or it hangs up after the automated menu. Can I ask if you did anything specific that might have pushed your claim through? I'm desperate at this point.

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Geoff Richards

Honestly, I have no idea what finally made it go through. I sent a message through the online portal about 2 weeks ago basically begging for information, but never got a response. Maybe that triggered someone to look at my claim? Total guess though.

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Brian Downey

Yo im in the SAME boat, been waiting 7 weeks and i cant even get anyone to pick up!!! this is a BROKEN system. like how do they expect ppl to survive with no income for months?? im about ready to drive to albany and camp outside their office lol

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Jacinda Yu

I feel you! When I was waiting on my claim last year the anxiety was killing me. Having to check your account every day hoping for some change while bills pile up is the worst. Hang in there!

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Khalil Urso

After trying for weeks to reach someone at NYSDOL with no luck, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a rep in about 20 minutes. They explained that my back pay was held because of a discrepancy in my employment dates, and they fixed it on the spot. My back pay of $5,600 showed up three days later. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - seriously saved my sanity and probably weeks more of waiting.

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Myles Regis

Wait, what's Claimyr? Is it an official state service? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point, but I'm scared of scams.

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Simon White

@FrustratedClaimer It's a service that helps you get through to unemployment phone systems. It's not a scam - I used it back in January when my claim was stuck. Basically they use some kind of technology to wait on hold for you and then call you when they get a representative. Saved me days of redialing. It's not free but was worth every penny to get my issue fixed.

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Myles Regis

Thank you for explaining! I might give it a try. It can't be worse than what I'm doing now which is literally calling 30+ times a day and getting nowhere.

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Hugo Kass

any1 know if they do multiple deposits or all at once? i've been waiting for 14 weeks of backpay!!

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Nasira Ibanez

The NYSDOL typically processes back pay as one lump sum deposit, but in some cases where the claim spans different benefit years or had multiple issues, it can come in separate payments. 14 weeks is longer than average, but still within the range we're seeing for complex claims in 2025.

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Jacinda Yu

So happy for you! I remember checking my account obsessively when I was waiting for mine. It's like winning the lottery when it finally hits lol. Make sure you set aside some for taxes though - I got burned last year because I didn't realize they don't automatically withhold taxes on back pay!

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Geoff Richards

OMG thank you for the tax reminder!!! I didn't even think about that. Will definitely put some aside.

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Brian Downey

IM SCREAMING!!!! my backpay just hit too!!!! maybe they just did a big batch of them?!??! $8290 omgggg i cant believe it!!! dont give up hope ppl!!!

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Jacinda Yu

Congrats!! That's amazing timing! They must be clearing a backlog right now.

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