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.

Just keep doing what you're doing with the log. The system is set up so they can audit randomly but most people never get asked for their records. Make sure you're actually doing legitimate job search activities though - they can tell if you're just making stuff up.

This is really helpful information! I've been stressing about this for weeks thinking I was missing some important submission deadline. So just to confirm - I keep my detailed records of job applications, interviews, networking events, etc., but I only need to provide them to NYS DOL if they specifically request them during an audit or claim review? And the requirement is still 3 qualifying work search activities per week, correct? I want to make sure I'm doing everything right to avoid any issues with my benefits.

ugh the whole system is so confusing for small businesses. why can't they just make it simple instead of all these different thresholds and quarterly deadlines

One thing to keep in mind is that the 4.1% rate Arnav mentioned applies to the unemployment insurance tax, but there's also a separate reemployment services fund tax that's usually around 0.075%. Small additional cost but worth budgeting for. Also, if you have any employees who work part-time or seasonal, make sure you understand how their hours count toward the 20-week threshold - it can be tricky to calculate correctly.

check your monetary benefit determination letter. It should tell you exactly how many weeks you're eligible for. Most people get 26 weeks but some get less depending on your work history. might be worth double checking if you actually have the full 26.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! I was in a similar situation last year and it's absolutely nerve-wracking when benefits are about to end. From what I learned, the 13-week PEUC extension did end in September 2021 along with all the other pandemic programs. NY is back to the standard 26 weeks only. However, don't give up hope completely! A few things to check: 1. If you worked ANY part-time job during your benefit year (even just a few weeks), you might qualify for a new claim if you earned enough. The threshold is usually 10x your weekly benefit amount across multiple weeks. 2. Look into the 599 training program that someone mentioned above - if you can get approved for certain training/education programs, you might be able to extend benefits while in school. 3. Even though there are no unemployment extensions, definitely apply for SNAP (food stamps) and other assistance programs ASAP. Don't wait until you're completely broke. The phone system is absolutely terrible, but if you're really desperate to talk to someone, several people here have had success with that claimyr service. I was skeptical too but when you're facing benefits ending, sometimes you need to try everything. Hang in there - you're not alone in this struggle! 💙

just wanted to say thanks for asking this question, I was wondering the same thing but felt dumb for not knowing where to look!

I actually found a workaround for this! If you go to the "Payment History" section on my.ny.gov, it shows all your weekly payments. You can add those up and subtract from your total benefit amount in the monetary determination letter. I made a simple spreadsheet to track it since the state system doesn't do it for you. Also, your benefit year is usually 52 weeks from when you filed, and the maximum is typically 26 weeks of benefits (though this can vary). Hope this helps!