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The whole unemployment system is so confusing! I keep worrying I'm going to answer something wrong on my weekly claim and lose my benefits. Why can't they just make it simple - you're either unemployed or you're not, right??
Most employers have to pay both state and federal unemployment taxes. The federal rate is 6% on first $7,000 of wages but they get credit for state taxes paid so it usually works out to 0.6%. Your employer claiming they don't have to pay sounds fishy - definitely report this to NYS Department of Labor.
I work in data analysis and from what I can see unemployment is definitely higher in certain upstate counties compared to NYC metro area. Tourism-dependent areas got hit pretty hard and haven't fully recovered. Construction has been variable - some areas busy with infrastructure projects while others are slowing down.
honestly the whole system is just overwhelmed right now, doesn't matter what industry you're in if you lose your job you're gonna be waiting weeks just to get your first payment
you might want to look into constructive discharge too. if they're making working conditions so bad that any reasonable person would quit, that could be treated like being fired instead of quitting
Zane Gray
Before you quit, try calling NYS Department of Labor directly to discuss your situation. I know their phone lines are always busy, but I actually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have this video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The agent was able to explain exactly what documentation I'd need for a good cause quit before I made any decisions.
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Landon Morgan
•That's really helpful, thank you! I had no idea there was a way to actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor without waiting on hold forever.
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Maggie Martinez
just want to add that even if you do get approved for quitting with good cause, there might be a longer waiting period before benefits start. and you'll still need to do job search activities and file weekly claims. the whole system is designed to make it as difficult as possible
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