Just a heads up - if you received a large amount in unemployment benefits and didn't have taxes withheld, you might want to consider making estimated tax payments for 2025 if you're still receiving benefits. The IRS can charge penalties if you owe too much at filing time.

I'm in a similar situation and just wanted to share what I learned from my tax preparer. If you didn't have taxes withheld, you'll likely need to pay quarterly estimated taxes going forward to avoid underpayment penalties. The safe harbor rule is to pay at least 90% of this year's tax liability or 100% of last year's (110% if your AGI was over $150K). Also, don't forget that unemployment benefits might push you into a higher tax bracket, so the effective rate could be more than the 22% someone mentioned earlier. I ended up owing about $2,400 on $10,000 in benefits between federal and NY state taxes.

If you're having trouble getting through to the NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about job market conditions or your claim status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helped when I couldn't get through the regular phone lines to discuss my job search requirements.

Economics is weird but basically full employment is when everyone who wants a job can find one relatively quickly. The actual percentage changes over time but it's usually considered somewhere between 4-5%. During the 2008 recession unemployment hit like 10% which was way above full employment.

Welcome to the unemployment club! I've been dealing with NYS DOL for about 3 months now. Yes, you file weekly and get paid weekly (after the waiting week), but here's what nobody tells you upfront - set up direct deposit ASAP through your online account. Paper checks can take forever and sometimes get lost in the mail. Also, keep detailed records of every weekly certification you submit because if there are any issues, you'll need to reference dates and what you reported. The system can be glitchy so screenshot your confirmations. Good luck!

Just wanted to add my experience - I'm about 8 weeks into unemployment and the weekly schedule works pretty well once you get into the routine. I file my weekly certification every Sunday night (the system opens at midnight Sunday) and my direct deposit usually hits my bank account by Tuesday or Wednesday. One tip: if you ever miss your weekly certification deadline, you can still file it late but it might delay your payment by a few days. Also, make sure your bank account info is correct in your profile - I had a typo in my routing number initially and it caused a 2-week delay while they sorted it out. The direct deposit setup is instant once you save it in your account, so definitely do that right away!

This ID.me verification nightmare is exactly why I switched to documenting everything when dealing with NY unemployment. I keep screenshots of every step, save all confirmation emails, and even record the date/time I completed each process. When this happened to me in December, having that documentation made all the difference. The agent was able to use my timestamps to locate my verification in their system. Pro tip: if you haven't already, log back into your ID.me account and take screenshots of your completed verification status page - sometimes the agents can use that info to manually locate your record in their database. It's crazy that we have to do their job for them, but at least it gets results faster than waiting for their systems to sync properly.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and it's driving me crazy! Completed my ID.me verification 8 days ago, have the confirmation email, but when I finally got through to DOL yesterday they said there's no record of it. The agent even suggested I might have done it wrong, which was so frustrating because I literally have proof that it was completed successfully. Reading through all these comments is both helpful and infuriating - helpful because now I know what to ask for (Tier 2 specialist and the identity verification queue check), but infuriating because this is clearly a widespread system problem that DOL should have fixed by now. It's 2025 and their systems can't properly communicate with a third-party verification service? @Giovanni, congratulations on getting yours resolved! Can you share exactly what you said when you asked for the Tier 2 specialist? I want to make sure I use the right terminology when I call back tomorrow. This whole process shouldn't require us to become experts in their internal procedures just to get our own benefits released. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not going crazy and this really is a system-wide issue!

Just went through this process myself earlier this year! A few additional tips that helped me: 1) Take screenshots of everything when you file - the website can be glitchy and you want proof of what you submitted 2) Create a dedicated email folder for all NYS Department of Labor correspondence so nothing gets lost 3) If you're laid off, ask your employer for a letter stating the reason for separation - this can help avoid adjudication delays 4) Don't panic if your first payment takes 2-3 weeks, that's normal processing time. The whole experience is stressful but thousands of people go through it successfully every week. You've got this!

I went through this exact situation last year and understand how overwhelming it feels! One thing that really helped me was creating a simple calendar system to track everything - I marked my weekly claim filing days (I always did mine on Sundays), job search deadlines, and any important dates from NYS Department of Labor correspondence. Also, start gathering your employment documents now while you still have access to everything - pay stubs from the last 18 months, your W2s, and any employment contracts. The worst part is the waiting and uncertainty, but once you get into the routine of weekly claims and job searching, it becomes much more manageable. And remember, unemployment benefits are something you've earned through your previous work contributions - don't feel guilty about using a system you've paid into!