Just went through this myself. You also need to post the unemployment insurance notice in your workplace where employees can see it. NYS Department of Labor provides the poster when you register. Don't forget about workers comp insurance too - that's separate but also required for most businesses.

ugh the government just wants to squeeze every penny out of small businesses... my cousin's friend said you can just pay people as contractors and avoid all this mess

Just went through this last year - the registration process with NYS Department of Labor was actually pretty straightforward once I got all my paperwork together. Make sure you have your federal EIN ready and know your NAICS code for your industry classification.

One thing to keep in mind is that New York has some specific thresholds for when you need to register. Generally, you need to register for unemployment insurance once you pay wages of $300 or more in any calendar quarter, or if you have one or more employees for some portion of a day in each of 20 different weeks (doesn't have to be consecutive). The rates for new employers are typically around 4.1% for most industries, but like others mentioned, this can change based on your claims experience after a few years.

One thing to remember is that your unemployment insurance rate will change over time based on your experience rating. If you have a lot of former employees filing claims, your rate goes up. If you have few claims, it goes down. So there's an incentive to be careful about hiring and to document any performance issues properly in case you need to contest a claim later.

As someone who just went through setting up unemployment insurance for my small business, I'd recommend calling NYS Department of Labor directly to confirm your industry classification - that affects your initial rate. Also make sure you understand the difference between independent contractors and employees because misclassifying workers can lead to big penalties. The quarterly reporting deadlines are strict so set up reminders. One more tip: even if you only have one employee now, start keeping detailed personnel files from day one including job descriptions, performance reviews, and any disciplinary actions. You'll thank yourself later if you ever need to contest a claim.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My unemployment payment was supposed to deposit Wednesday but it's now Friday evening and my account is still empty. I certified my weekly claim on Sunday like always and everything shows as "processed" on the my.ny.gov portal, but my bank says they haven't received anything. This is my first time experiencing such a long delay - usually if there's any delay it's just a day or so. It's really stressful because I have rent and utilities due early next week. From reading all these comments it seems like a lot of people are having the same problem this week. Has anyone tried contacting their bank to see if there are any pending transfers that might be held up on their end? I'm wondering if this could be a banking system issue rather than just NYS Department of Labor.

I'm experiencing the exact same delay! My payment usually deposits on Wednesday but it's now Friday night and still nothing. What's really concerning is that my payment history shows "released" on Tuesday but my bank confirms they haven't received anything. I've been on unemployment for 8 months and this is by far the longest delay I've experienced. I tried calling NYS Department of Labor multiple times today but can't get through - just busy signals and disconnected calls. Based on everyone's comments here, it definitely seems like there's a system-wide processing issue affecting a lot of us this week. I'm going to try the my.ny.gov message center approach since several people mentioned having better luck with that. This kind of uncertainty is really stressful when you're depending on these payments for basic living expenses. Hoping we all see our money early next week!

Also check if your employer has FMLA obligations - if they have 50+ employees and you've worked there a year, they might have been required to offer you unpaid leave or schedule accommodations for family caregiving. If they violated FMLA by not even considering accommodations, that strengthens your unemployment case even more. Document that they didn't offer any alternatives before you quit!

This is such a tough situation but you're not alone! I went through something similar caring for my mom. NY does recognize "compelling family circumstances" as good cause for quitting. Key things that helped my case: 1) I documented every attempt to get reasonable accommodations from my employer 2) Got a letter from my mom's doctor explaining her care needs and my role as primary caregiver 3) Showed the substantial change in my work schedule made it impossible to provide necessary care. The initial claim was denied but I appealed with all my documentation and won. Don't give up if they deny you at first - the appeals process is where having solid documentation really pays off. Wishing you the best! 💙