Bank holds on large ESD backpay deposits - any issues accessing your funds?

omg yes this happened to me last year! got $5,200 backpay and Chase only let me access $1500 right away. had to wait 5 business days for the rest. super annoying when ur counting on that $$$

Depends on your bank and your account history. If you've been with KeyBank a long time with good standing, they might not hold anything. But yes, most banks CAN put a hold on large deposits, especially if it's unusual for your account pattern. Usually a percentage is available immediately. I'd call KeyBank directly and ask about their policy on government direct deposits specifically.

Banks typically follow Regulation CC for funds availability, which governs how quickly they must make deposits available. Government checks (including direct deposits from ESD) are considered "low risk" and usually have faster availability than regular checks. However, banks can still place holds on unusually large deposits relative to your account history. For KeyBank specifically, their policy is that the first $225 of any deposit is available immediately, and government direct deposits are typically fully available on the business day of deposit. However, they reserve the right to place a hold on "large deposits" which can be defined differently based on your account history. I'd recommend: 1. Call KeyBank's customer service line and explain your situation 2. Ask specifically about their policy on government direct deposits over $5,000 3. Request an exception in advance if possible 4. If they do place a hold, ask if they can release a larger portion immediately due to your urgent bill situation

I had a similar situation back in December when ESD finally paid my backpay of $6,400 after fighting my claim for 2 months. Bank of America put a 7-DAY HOLD on most of it!! I was FURIOUS because I had rent due and was about to be evicted. They only let me access $1,000 immediately and the rest was on hold. No warning, nothing. Just a nasty surprise when I tried to pay bills. The bank manager told me they do this for "security reasons" but wouldn't budge even when I showed them it was from Washington State treasury. Complete BS if you ask me. These banks just want to hold our money as long as possible!!!

While you're waiting to get through to your bank, you might also want to call ESD directly to verify when exactly the payment will be processed on their end. Sometimes there can be delays between when they say it's coming and when it actually gets sent. If you're having trouble getting through to ESD on the phone, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. It was worth it to get a firm payment date directly from an agent so I could plan accordingly.

Same thing happened with my husband's backpay ($8,900) last month! We bank with BECU and they made $2,000 available immediately and the rest took 2 business days to clear. Not terrible but still annoying when you're counting on that money. One thing that helped us - we went into a physical branch and spoke with someone face to face. We explained it was unemployment backpay and they were able to release another $1,500 right away. Might be worth trying if you can visit a branch?

btw did they tell u when ur money is coming? my adjudication took 9 weeks to resolve and then the money showed up 3 days later

Just following up - did you contact KeyBank? What did they say about their hold policy? This information could be helpful for other claimants expecting large backpay amounts.