NY.gov ID 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

NY.gov ID is New York State's single sign-in for state agencies' online services. A personal NY.gov ID covers unemployment benefits from the Department of Labor (DOL) and MyDMV, and there are business and government (state and local employee) IDs too (NYS ITS).

The State calls two-factor authentication multi-factor authentication (MFA), and you don't switch it on yourself: a service that requires it makes you enroll. DOL's Unemployment Services portal has required MFA since September 21, 2022 (NYS DOL), and the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) requires it for OnBoard and eCase (NYS WCB). The methods are Okta Verify (push prompts), Google Authenticator (app codes), SMS Authentication and Voice Call Authentication. The State only names Google Authenticator, but that option uses standard time-based codes, so this guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone instead. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the NY.gov ID steps come from New York State's own pages, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. NY.gov ID's general help doesn't cover MFA, so the steps come from two agencies that use it, DOL and WCB. DOL's step-by-step guides date from August 2022. We haven't tested the steps on a NY.gov ID account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Why there's no switch in your account

DOL's self-service guide says the link for managing MFA shows up in your NY.gov ID account only after MFA is set up (NYS DOL). So the first setup starts inside a service, such as the Unemployment Services button in Labor Online Services. In 2022, DOL said JobZone and the Work Search Record weren't affected (NYS DOL).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

DOL's Google Authenticator guide describes these steps on a computer, and WCB's page matches them (NYS DOL, NYS WCB):

1. Sign in with your NY.gov ID and open the service that requires MFA.
2. On Set up multifactor authentication, select Setup under Google Authenticator. The screen may say "Your company requires multifactor authentication" even on a personal account, as DOL's screenshots show.
3. Choose iPhone as the device type and select Next. You can skip its suggestion to download Google Authenticator.
4. A QR code appears. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. On the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone. Then select Next.
5. If you can't scan, select Can't scan? to see a Secret Key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually: NY.gov ID as the Service, your NY.gov username as the Account, as DOL suggests, and the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key? DOL and WCB say the codes have six digits and change every 30 seconds, which is what Novaz uses for a typed key.
6. Type the six-digit code from Novaz into Enter Code and select Verify.
7. Back on the list, Google Authenticator now sits under Enrolled factors. Set up a second method (see below), then select Finish.

DOL's flyer adds that after Finish you may be asked for a secondary email, a forgotten-password question and a security image, and then to select Create My Account (NYS DOL).

Add a second method

The State's pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. Instead, DOL and WCB urge more than one method, and WCB suggests all four, with SMS and voice calls on different numbers (NYS WCB). Unless you back up Novaz with iCloud backup or a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so add SMS Authentication or Voice Call Authentication on a number you'll keep.

When you'll be asked for a code

• Unemployment Services: each time you open it, and separately in every browser on every device you use (NYS DOL).
• WCB OnBoard and eCase: once every seven days (NYS WCB).

At the prompt, open the drop-down arrow next to the method icon, pick Google Authenticator, type the code from Novaz and select Verify (NYS WCB).

If NY.gov ID rejects your code

DOL's guide covers two errors: if the token doesn't match, check the digits and retry; if the session has expired, sign in again (NYS DOL). If fresh codes still fail, check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

You can swap the authenticator yourself as long as you can still pass one MFA check (NYS DOL). DOL's self-service guide shows the route (NYS DOL):

1. Sign in at my.ny.gov and select Update My Account.
2. Select here in the line about managing OKTA MFA.
3. Select Edit Profile, enter your password, select Verify, and confirm with one of your methods.
4. Under Extra Verification, select Remove next to Google Authenticator, then Set up to add it again on the new iPhone.

If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead. Otherwise, do this before you wipe the old phone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Pick another enrolled method at the prompt, then replace Google Authenticator as above. If you've lost every method, WCB says the account holder must call the NYS ITS Help Desk at 844-891-1786 and ask for an MFA reset on the NY.gov account (NYS WCB). For unemployment, DOL sends MFA problems to its Contact Center at 800-833-3000 (NYS DOL), and you can still certify for weekly benefits by phone at 888-581-5812 while you're locked out (NYS DOL). The pages don't say what proof is needed or how long a reset takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning it off

You can remove single methods under Extra Verification, but the State's pages don't describe turning MFA off, and Unemployment Services requires it (NYS DOL).

Official New York State help

• Multi-Factor Authentication (DOL)
• User Guide - Enrolling in Google Authenticator (DOL)
• User Guide - Self-Service OKTA Management (DOL)
• Multi-Factor Authentication (P920) (DOL)
• Help logging into your Labor Online Services Account (DOL)
• Multifactor Authentication Instructions (WCB)
• NY.gov ID: New York State and Local Government Employees Frequently Asked Questions (ITS)