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.

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.

Also FYI there's no state tax withholding option in NY since unemployment benefits aren't subject to state income tax here. Only federal taxes apply to UI benefits.

Thanks everyone for the helpful info! I just checked my payment history and can confirm they are taking out exactly 10% each week like Liam mentioned. I was panicking for nothing - looks like I did set up the federal withholding correctly when I first applied. It's good to know that NY doesn't tax unemployment benefits at the state level either. That 1099-G reminder is really helpful too since I've never received unemployment before and wouldn't have known to look for that form.

Glad you got it sorted out! That's such a relief when you're waiting on money for bills. The 'routine review' thing seems to happen randomly - I had the same issue a few months back and they never really explained what triggers it. Good to know Claimyr actually works, I've been hesitant to try third-party services but might be worth it to avoid the phone hell. Hope your payment comes through today as promised!

Thanks for the update Anna! Really glad you got through and figured out what was causing the delay. These 'routine reviews' seem to happen more often than they should - it's frustrating that they don't give us any heads up when they put a hold on payments. Definitely keeping Claimyr in my back pocket for when I inevitably need to reach someone at NYS DOL. Hope everyone else dealing with similar delays sees this thread - seems like the key is just being persistent about getting through to an actual person who can check what's really going on with your account.

protip: the ID.me help chat is actually way more helpful than calling. go to help.id.me and start a chat session. wait time is usually shorter than phone and they can reset your verification on the spot

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Been stuck on the ID.me verification for almost a week. Reading through all these responses is actually really helpful - sounds like this is a super common issue that NY unemployment and ID.me just refuse to fix properly. I'm definitely going to try some of the technical suggestions first (clearing cache, different browser, etc.) but honestly after seeing so many people say that talking to an actual human agent fixed it immediately, I think I might just skip the troubleshooting and go straight to trying to get through on the phone. The fact that agents can see you're verified when the website shows errors is mind-blowing - what a broken system! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, at least I know I'm not alone in this mess.