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just apply man, dont overthink it. worst case they say no but at least youll know. the requirements arent that hard if you worked a real job for several months
Good luck with your application! The restaurant industry layoffs are tough but unemployment benefits should help bridge the gap while you find something new. Make sure to certify for your weekly benefits every week once you're approved - missing a week can cause payment delays.
The whole system is a joke honestly. They talk about low unemployment like it's great news but then make it impossible to get help when you actually need it. Been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and getting nowhere.
I think unemployment is around 4% statewide but honestly who knows with all the different ways they count it. The important thing is you qualify if you lost your job through no fault of your own.
Had this exact issue last year and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify the tax situation. Ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually reach a real person who explained the whole tax withholding process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Wish I had known about the tax implications before I started collecting benefits.
Pro tip: if you're filing taxes yourself, make sure you're using the correct amount from Box 1 of your 1099-G, not Box 2. Box 1 is the total unemployment compensation paid, Box 2 is federal income tax withheld (which will be zero if you didn't elect withholding). Also double-check that the 1099-G includes all your benefit weeks - sometimes there are processing delays that can affect the reported amounts.
Carmen Ortiz
just filed last week and mine went through pretty quick, maybe depends on your employer? idk about unemployment rates but my friend in rochester said his took forever
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Aisha Rahman
To directly answer your question - according to recent NYS Department of Labor data, some Adirondack and Southern Tier counties typically show higher unemployment rates, often in the 6-8% range compared to 3-4% in metro areas. But for your claim processing, focus on making sure you're filing your weekly claims on time and have all your employment documentation ready in case they request it during adjudication.
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Andre Rousseau
•This is really helpful context, thank you. I'm in the Southern Tier so that explains some of what I'm seeing locally.
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