New York and ID.me – ID.me Help Center

The New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) works with ID.me to verify claimants requesting benefits and services online. This article explains how to verify your identity for the New York DOL.

If you’re verifying to update your NY.GOV account settings, go to Updating your NYSDOL account settings.

Before you verify

You’ll need specific information and documents to verify your identity when using Self-Service or in-person. We recommend gathering any necessary documents before you begin the verification process.

Self-Service is the most common verification method. You’ll be guided through the process using your smartphone or computer. To verify, you’ll need:

A mobile phone that has a camera or a computer with a webcam
Email address
Government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, passport card, or state ID)
Social Security number

With in-person verification, you will book an appointment or walk-in online, then verify at a retail location near you. To learn what you’ll need, visit Documents for in-person verification.

1. Begin verification

Verification begins with the NYS DOL. If you received notification from NYS DOL to verify your identity, visit the website referenced in the message, then select Verify with ID.me. You can use the Self-Service or in-person verification method to verify your identity.

2. Sign in to ID.me

If you have an ID.me account, sign in using your email address and password. To create a new ID.me account:

Enter your email address and password, then select Create account.
Confirm your email address. For more information, visit Confirming your email address.
Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to make your account even more secure.

Note: If you do not have a mobile device, select Backup Codes to generate 12 unique one-time-use codes.

3. Verify your identity

When you’re verifying your identity, you can choose self-service or go in person to select retail locations. Select a tab below for verification steps for each method:

To verify your identity using Self-Service:

Select Self-Service.
Follow the prompts to upload your US driver’s license or state photo ID, or select Change Document to upload a passport or passport card. Learn how to take photos of your documents.
Take and submit a video selfie.

Enter your Social Security number.
Review and confirm that all of your information is accurate, then select Yes. After ID.me verifies your identity you will receive a confirmation message as a way to protect you from fraud.
Select Allow to finish your identity verification process.

Note: If you aren't able to complete self-service verification, you will be prompted to verify with a Video Chat Agent. For steps to do this, visit Verifying your identity on a video call.

After you sign in to your ID.me account, book your appointment or walk-in online, then go in-person to verify your identity. For step-by-step instructions, visit Verifying your identity in-person.

4. Share your information

After you complete your verification, wait to receive an email from NYSDOL telling you what to do next. Please make sure to use the same email address that you used when you registered with NYSDOL. Please allow NYSDOL time to resolve any eligibility issues on your claim.

After you verify and submit your claim, no additional steps are required. If there are any eligibility issues, NYS DOL will contact you. For more information, contact NYS DOL.

If unsuccessful or if you verified in person, follow these steps:

Return to the NYS DOL site.
Log in to your NYS DOL account.
Return to the “File a New Claim” process.
Fill out the information requested.
Provide your ID.me credentials when prompted.
Follow the steps for NYS DOL, then select Allow so they can use your verified identity information.
Finalize and submit your new claim.

Troubleshooting

"Mismatched Information" error

The last step of ID.me’s verification is to grant permission to share your information with your state’s unemployment agency. When the information the unemployment agency has on file is different from the information you gave to ID.me, you may receive a “Mismatched Information” error.

The most common mismatch error is related to an email address. Make sure the primary email address on your ID.me account matches the email address on your unemployment account. If needed, you can update your ID.me email address.

If your email address matches at both sites, you may need to update your mailing address or phone number at the state unemployment site.

To update your email address in your NYS DOL account:

Visit New York’s Department of Labor page.
Log in to your account.
Select My Account Services to update your address, phone number and other information.
If necessary, sign into your ID.me account and allow consent for the changes.

If you have more questions, contact NYS DOL.