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ugh dealing with NYS Department of Labor phone lines is such a nightmare when you need to ask about tax stuff. I spent hours trying to get through about my 1099-G last year. If you need to actually talk to someone about your tax withholdings, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents faster. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration trying to reach someone.
unemployment and social security are COMPLETELY different!! your employer pays unemployment insurance taxes to the state, not you. social security comes from federal taxes that you and your employer both pay. totally separate systems, totally separate money.
I was confused about this too when I first started getting unemployment. The NYS Department of Labor website actually has a section explaining how the system is funded if you want to read more about it. But yeah, it's all employer taxes going into a state trust fund.
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my claim status. Spent hours calling and either got busy signals or got disconnected after waiting forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to a real person at NYS Department of Labor. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they even have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made my life so much easier when I needed to verify some information about my weekly claims.
File as soon as possible! There's a waiting week before benefits start, and the sooner you apply the sooner your claim gets processed. With your work history at the retail job, you should definitely qualify. Just make sure you keep track of your job search activities since NYS Department of Labor requires you to actively look for work.
Just make sure you keep detailed records of EVERYTHING if you do apply. NYS Department of Labor will ask for proof of your work search efforts, documentation of your reduced hours, and records of all income including freelance payments. I learned this the hard way when they requested an audit of my claim six months later.
Camila Castillo
I'm dealing with something similar - got let go two weeks ago and I've been calling NYS Department of Labor every day trying to get through to someone to ask about my specific situation. The phone system is absolutely terrible, I've been hung up on probably 15 times. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a human there? I have so many questions about the job search requirements and whether my termination reason will disqualify me.
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Brianna Muhammad
•I had the same problem with reaching them until someone here recommended using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that calls NYS Department of Labor for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. I was skeptical at first but it actually worked - got through to someone within a few hours instead of days of trying myself. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you're stuck.
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JaylinCharles
The whole system is designed to discourage people from filing honestly. They make it confusing on purpose so fewer people claim benefits. I got fired for 'attendance issues' which was complete BS - I had documented medical reasons for my absences but they didn't care. Still got approved after a long adjudication process but the stress of not knowing for 6 weeks was awful.
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Debra Bai
•How long did your adjudication take? I'm worried about how I'll pay rent if this drags on for months.
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JaylinCharles
•Mine was about 6 weeks but I've heard of people waiting 8-10 weeks. The key is to respond to any requests for information immediately and keep filing your weekly claims even while it's pending.
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