ESD approved appeal but payment shows $0 - anyone else seen 'PAID' status with zero amount?

I had something similar happen last year. This is likely what's called a 'zero-dollar payment' which can happen for a few reasons. The most common are either 1) there's another issue on the claim that needs to be resolved before money is released, 2) they're verifying his identity again, or 3) there's an overpayment from a previous claim that's offsetting the payment. Check his 'Notices' section in eServices - there should be something there explaining why it's showing zero. If not, you unfortunately really need to talk to an agent directly.

ugh the SAME EXACT THING happend to me!! took like 6 weeks to fix after my appeal was approved. the $0 means theres a hold on the payment for some stupid reason they dont tell u about. keep calling

Have you tried checking if there's a monetary hold or outstanding issues on the claim? Sometimes after an appeal they need to manually remove some kind of flag in the system. I went through something kinda similar but my issue was that I had reported wages during one of the weeks in question and that created a weird calculation problem.

I know how frustrating this is! When I had issues reaching ESD after dealing with a similar payment problem (different reason but same stress!), I finally tried using Claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get connected to an actual ESD agent without spending hours redialing. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. After two weeks of trying on my own, I got through to someone in about 25 minutes using their service. The agent was able to remove a payment block that was causing my $0 payments. Might be worth trying if you're desperate to get this resolved.

This is actually a common issue with post-appeal payments. When an appeal is approved, the system marks the weeks as 'PAID' but there's often an automatic hold placed on the actual funds release. This is a safeguard in their system to prevent erroneous payments after appeals. The most important thing to know is that this WILL get fixed, but only by having an agent manually release the hold. There's no way around needing to speak with someone at ESD. In addition to checking the Notices section as suggested, also look at the 'Decisions' section in eServices. Sometimes the hold reason is listed there instead. If you can't get through by phone, you can also try visiting a WorkSource office in person - they can sometimes help with these issues or at least get you to the right person.

THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!! they do this on purpose hoping people will just stop trying to get their money. i had THREE different 'paid' status weeks with $0 after my appeal and it took a STATE REPRESENTATIVE getting involved to fix it. call your local state rep's office and ask for help, thats what finally worked for me

I work with unemployment cases frequently, and this $0 payment issue with a 'PAID' status after an appeal is something I've seen quite a bit in 2025. What's happening is that when an appeal reverses a denial, the weeks get marked as eligible for payment (hence the 'PAID' status), but an automatic payment block is applied until a claims specialist reviews the case. This is actually a good sign because it means the system acknowledges he's owed the money. The quickest resolution would be speaking directly with a claims specialist who can release the payment. Be sure when you call to specifically mention you're calling about "payment blocks after an approved appeal" - this may help get you routed to the right department faster.

has he checked his bank account info in the system? my friend had a similar thing and it turned out his bank info was wrong so the money had nowhere to go! the payment status was stuck in limbo or somethin