Can unemployment see if you are working - NYS Department of Labor tracking question
I'm currently collecting unemployment benefits and got offered some part-time work that would be maybe 15-20 hours a week. I want to stay compliant but I'm honestly confused about how the NYS Department of Labor tracks whether you're working or not. Do they have access to see if I'm employed somewhere? I know I'm supposed to report earnings on my weekly claim but I'm wondering what happens if someone doesn't report - can they actually detect it? Not trying to cheat the system, just want to understand how closely they monitor things.
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Diego Chavez
Yes, NYS Department of Labor has several ways to track employment. They cross-reference data with employers who report new hires to the State Directory of New Hires, plus they receive quarterly wage reports from all employers. They also work with other state agencies and can access Social Security earnings records. If you work and don't report it on your weekly claim, they'll eventually catch it and you'll face an overpayment demand plus potential fraud penalties.
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AstroAlpha
•Thanks for the info. So even if it's just part-time work they'll know about it? How long does it usually take for them to catch unreported earnings?
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Anastasia Smirnova
Always report your earnings! Even if you only work one day, you need to report it on your weekly claim. The good news is you can still collect partial benefits if you're working part-time - they have a formula where they reduce your benefit amount based on what you earn. It's way better to be honest upfront than deal with an overpayment later.
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Sean O'Brien
•wait so you can work part time and still get some unemployment? i thought it was all or nothing
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Anastasia Smirnova
•Nope! In NY you can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits. Check the partial benefit calculator on the NYS Department of Labor website to see how much you can earn.
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Zara Shah
They definitely track everything. I made the mistake of not reporting some cash work I did and got hit with a huge overpayment notice months later. Had to pay back like $2,800 plus penalties. The NYS Department of Labor doesn't mess around with this stuff.
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Luca Bianchi
If you're having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about partial benefits, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting busy signals when I needed to clarify my work reporting requirements.
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AstroAlpha
•That's interesting, I've been trying to call for weeks about this exact question. Did they actually connect you to a real person?
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Luca Bianchi
•Yeah, within like 20 minutes I was talking to an actual NYS Department of Labor rep who explained the whole partial benefit calculation to me. Way better than sitting on hold forever.
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GalacticGuardian
Just be honest about everything!! I know someone who tried to hide a side job and they not only had to pay everything back but also got disqualified from future benefits. The stress isn't worth it.
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Angelina Farar
I went through this exact same situation last year! The NYS Department of Labor definitely has ways to track employment - they get wage reports from employers and cross-reference with other databases. But here's the thing - you can absolutely work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits. When you file your weekly claim, just report exactly what you earned that week. They'll calculate a reduced benefit amount based on their formula. I was working about 20 hours a week at $15/hour and still got about 60% of my full unemployment benefit. The key is being completely honest on your weekly certification. Don't stress about it - the system is actually designed to encourage people to take part-time work while job searching!
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Aisha Rahman
•This is really helpful to hear from someone who actually went through it! So when you were working those 20 hours at $15/hour, you were making $300 a week and still got 60% of your unemployment? That actually sounds pretty reasonable. Did you have any issues with the weekly certification process or was it pretty straightforward to report the earnings?
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