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The NYS Department of Labor system is so confusing with all these calculations! I still don't understand why my benefit amount was lower than I expected even though I made good money.
Don't get your hopes up about unemployment being easy money. The system is designed to make it as difficult as possible. You'll spend half your time dealing with their broken website and the other half trying to prove you deserve the pittance they give you. And God forbid you make one small mistake on your weekly claim because they'll cut you off faster than you can blink.
One important thing to remember is that you need to file your claim as soon as possible after losing your job. You can't get benefits for weeks before you file, so don't wait. Also make sure you have your recent pay stubs and employment information ready when you apply online through my.ny.gov. The whole process usually takes 2-3 weeks before you see your first payment if everything goes smoothly.
I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for three days to ask about my claim status and the phone system is completely jammed. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to a real person at NYS Department of Labor without waiting on hold forever. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you end up needing to call them about anything.
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to ask similar questions about my claim funding. Kept getting busy signals for weeks. Finally used claimyr.com and their callback service got me through to an actual agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helpful for getting answers about how the system operates.
Connor Gallagher
The tax bracket thing your friend mentioned isn't really how it works. Tax brackets are marginal, so only the income above each threshold gets taxed at the higher rate. Your unemployment benefits will just be added to whatever other income you have for the year. If you're worried about contacting NYS Department of Labor to set up withholding, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Yara Sayegh
•How much does that service cost? I've been trying to call NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my withholding election.
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Connor Gallagher
•They focus on getting you connected rather than the cost - much better than sitting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. Really helped when I needed to update my tax withholding mid-claim.
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Keisha Johnson
Just remember you can also make quarterly estimated tax payments if you don't want to have taxes withheld from your benefits. Some people prefer to manage it themselves rather than having less money in their weekly payments.
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