File immediately! Even if there's going to be an investigation, you want to get your claim date established. I waited too long when I got fired and lost out on like $800 because the benefits don't backdate to before you actually file.

Don't let the "performance issues" label scare you away from filing. I work in HR and see this all the time - employers often use vague terms like that to avoid unemployment liability, but it rarely holds up with the Department of Labor unless there's documented willful misconduct. The fact that you were caring for a sick child and had no prior written warnings actually works in your favor. NY has strong protections for family care situations. File your claim today and be honest about everything - both the performance issues they cited AND the family care absences. The DOL investigators are pretty good at seeing through employer BS when there's no real documentation of misconduct.

omg yes get that fixed!! I worked somewhere that did this by accident for like 6 months before anyone noticed

Definitely sounds like a payroll error! As others mentioned, FUTA is entirely the employer's responsibility - you should never see it deducted from your paycheck. In New York, employees don't pay into unemployment insurance at all, unlike some other states. I'd recommend bringing your pay stub to HR right away and asking them to explain the deduction. They'll likely need to correct it and reimburse you for any amounts already taken. Also keep documentation of this in case you need to reference it later when dealing with NYS Department of Labor for any unemployment benefits.

I feel your pain on this ID.me verification nightmare! I went through the exact same thing - multiple failed attempts, endless waiting rooms, technical glitches. After reading through all these responses, it's clear the system is fundamentally broken and we all need workarounds. Here's what I learned from my own experience and what others have shared: 1) Contact your state senator/assembly member FIRST - this seems to have the highest success rate and they deal with these issues constantly, 2) If you need to speed things up, try the Claimyr service that multiple people vouched for to actually get through to a human at unemployment, 3) Keep a paper trail of everything and continue certifying weekly no matter what, 4) If all else fails, visit a DOL career center in person with physical documents. The most important thing is DON'T GIVE UP - your backpay will come through once this gets sorted. The system is designed to be frustrating but there are ways around it. Stay strong and keep fighting for what you're entitled to!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! ID.me has been a complete disaster for me too - tried 4 times and each attempt has some new problem. First time the camera wouldn't work, second time it said my documents were "unclear" even though they're perfectly fine, third time I got disconnected during the video call, and fourth time I'm still sitting in a queue that says "estimated wait time 2+ hours" from yesterday. This is so stressful when you're already struggling financially and just need your benefits to pay basic bills. Reading all these responses is actually really helpful though - I had no idea there were alternatives to ID.me! I'm definitely going to try contacting my state representative first since multiple people said that worked fast. Also going to look into that Claimyr service if the rep route doesn't pan out quickly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - it's good to know we're not alone in this mess and that there are actually ways to get around their broken verification system!

I had a similar issue where my NYS Department of Labor benefits suddenly dropped by about $70. It turned out they had automatically enrolled me in federal tax withholding even though I had originally opted out. Check your payment details on my.ny.gov - look for a line item showing "Federal Tax" or "State Tax" being deducted. If that's what happened, you can change your tax withholding preferences by logging into your account and updating your payment options. The $74 difference between your old and new payment amount is roughly what you'd expect from 20% tax withholding. Also check your inbox on the unemployment portal for any notices about tax election changes - sometimes they send notifications there instead of mailing them.

I work for an unemployment advocacy group and see this issue frequently with NYS Department of Labor claims. The sudden $74 reduction strongly suggests automatic tax withholding enrollment. New York has been automatically enrolling claimants in federal tax withholding (usually 10-20%) if they detect certain triggers in your claim or if there are federal tax compliance requirements. Log into my.ny.gov and look under "Payment Method" or "Tax Information" - you should see if federal taxes are now being withheld. You can usually change this back if you prefer to handle taxes yourself at year-end. If it's not tax withholding, the other common cause is a wage recalculation where they discovered additional or corrected wage information that changed your weekly benefit rate calculation.

I went through this same confusion when I first started collecting benefits! The documentation requirements can be really overwhelming at first. One tip I learned the hard way - make sure you're keeping track of the specific METHOD you used for each job search activity (like "applied through company website" vs "submitted resume via Indeed" vs "attended job fair"). If you do get audited, they want those details. Also, networking events and job fairs definitely count as qualifying activities, so don't overlook those opportunities. I keep a simple notebook where I jot down everything right after I do it - that way I don't forget the details later.

I completely understand the confusion - I went through the exact same thing when I first started my claim! The good news is that everyone here is giving you accurate information. You absolutely do NOT need to submit your work search log unless NYS DOL specifically asks for it during an audit or review. I've been collecting benefits for about 4 months now and have never been asked to submit anything. Just keep doing what you're doing - maintain detailed records of your 3+ weekly job search activities with dates, company names, positions, and how you applied. I use a simple Excel spreadsheet and update it right after each activity so I don't forget details. The key is being able to prove you're genuinely looking for work if they ever ask. Don't stress about finding a submission portal because there isn't one for regular weekly reporting!