UGH the NYS Department of Labor system is so unreliable!! I've had payments just randomly delayed for no reason multiple times. Sometimes it's their system glitching, sometimes it's banks being slow. It's SO frustrating when you're counting on that money and it just doesn't show up. I hope yours comes through soon!

I had this exact same issue two weeks ago! My payment showed as "issued" on the NYS Department of Labor site but didn't hit my account for 3 days. It turned out my bank (Chase) was having some technical issues with processing government payments. I'd recommend checking with your bank first to see if there are any delays on their end before going through the hassle of calling NYS Department of Labor. Also, sometimes payments get delayed if there was a federal holiday recently that affected processing schedules. Fingers crossed it shows up tomorrow!

Just to confirm what others said - no Social Security tax on UI benefits. But definitely consider withholding because unemployment income can push you into a higher bracket when combined with your regular job income from earlier in the year.

I went through this same situation last year when I was laid off from my retail job. Emma and Isabella are absolutely right - no FICA taxes on unemployment benefits, but they're fully taxable as regular income. I'd strongly recommend having the 10% federal withholding taken out when you certify each week. Even though it reduces your weekly payment, it saves you from a big tax bill later. You can change your withholding election anytime through the NY DOL website or by calling them. Trust me, it's worth the smaller weekly payments to avoid scrambling for tax money in April.

I went through the same situation a few months ago when I started my new job. NYS DOL didn't contact my employer at all - they rely on their quarterly wage reporting system to verify employment. As long as you're honest about your work hours and earnings on your weekly certifications, you shouldn't have any issues. The key is just being accurate and timely with your reporting. Your new employer won't even know you were on unemployment unless you tell them.

I had a similar worry when I got my new job last year. NYS DOL never contacted my employer directly - they have automated systems that cross-reference your reported wages with employer quarterly reports, so they don't need to make phone calls unless there's a red flag. Just keep filing your weekly certifications accurately until your benefits end, and you should be all set. Your employer likely won't even know you were collecting unemployment benefits unless you mention it yourself.

Great advice from everyone here! I just wanted to add that when you file your new claim, you might also want to consider the timing strategically. Since you're doing Uber Eats part-time, try to plan your delivery schedule around your weekly certification days if possible. For example, if you certify on Sundays, you could potentially do most of your Uber work on Friday-Sunday and then focus on job searching Monday-Thursday. This way you're maximizing your unemployment benefits while still earning some income. Also, don't forget that you're still required to do job search activities even while working part-time gig work. Keep track of your applications and interviews because they may ask for that information during certification too. Good luck with your claim! The fact that you're asking these questions upfront shows you're being responsible about following the rules correctly.

Just want to echo what everyone's saying about being completely honest with your reporting! I did DoorDash while on unemployment for about 6 months last year and it worked out fine as long as I was accurate with everything. One thing I learned the hard way - when you're doing deliveries, NY considers you "self-employed" for that work, so make sure you answer the self-employment question correctly during weekly certification. They ask if you worked for yourself or did any freelance/contract work, and Uber Eats definitely counts. Also, save all your weekly earnings statements from Uber because if they ever audit your claim (which they do randomly), you'll need to provide documentation. The Uber app lets you download these pretty easily. The combination of partial unemployment + gig work really helped me stay afloat while job hunting. Just be patient with the system and keep detailed records of everything!

Good luck with your hearing! I had one last year for a different reason and the judge was actually pretty fair. Just stick to the facts and don't get emotional even if your employer says things that upset you. The burden is on you to prove good cause for quitting, so focus on presenting your evidence clearly.

I went through something similar about 6 months ago when I quit due to discrimination issues at my job. One thing that really helped me was organizing everything chronologically - I made a timeline with dates, what happened each time, and any evidence I had for each incident. The judge appreciated having it laid out clearly. Also, if you have any documentation showing you tried to follow company policy for reporting these issues (like employee handbook procedures), bring that too. It shows you were trying to work within the system before quitting. Don't forget to bring proof of your job search efforts since quitting - it shows you're actively trying to get back to work. The whole process was nerve-wracking but the judge really did seem to want to get to the truth of what happened.