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Mei Zhang

Do taxes get taken out of unemployment benefits in New York?

I just started receiving unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor and I'm confused about the tax situation. When I look at my payment details, it shows the full amount but I'm not sure if taxes are being withheld automatically or if I need to handle this myself. I remember hearing different things about whether unemployment is taxable income. Can someone explain how this works? Do I need to request tax withholding or will I owe money at tax time?

Yes, unemployment benefits are considered taxable income by both federal and New York state. NYS Department of Labor doesn't automatically withhold taxes from your weekly payments - you have to specifically request it. You can set up tax withholding through your my.ny.gov account or by calling the Tel-Service line. Federal withholding is 10% and NY state is about 3.5%. If you don't withhold, you'll likely owe taxes when you file your return.

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Thanks! How do I set this up through my.ny.gov? I don't want to get hit with a big tax bill later.

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i didnt know this either when i first got benefits last year and ended up owing like $800 at tax time :( definitely set up the withholding

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To set up withholding, log into your my.ny.gov account and go to the 'Payment and Tax Information' section. There should be an option to elect federal and/or state tax withholding. You can also change this at any time if your situation changes. Just remember that even with withholding, you might still owe some taxes depending on your total income for the year.

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Is there a way to withhold more than the standard percentages? I had other income this year and want to be safe.

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I've been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify my tax withholding situation but their phone lines are always busy. I've been on hold for over an hour multiple times this week. Has anyone found a better way to get through to them? I need to make changes to my withholding before my next payment.

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You might want to try Claimyr.com - they help people get through to NYS Department of Labor agents quickly. I used them when I couldn't reach anyone about my claim issues. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

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Wait I'm confused - I thought all government benefits were tax-free? This is news to me and I've been collecting for 6 weeks already without any withholding set up.

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No, unemployment insurance benefits are definitely taxable income. You're probably thinking of certain welfare programs or disability benefits which can be tax-free. You should set up withholding ASAP and maybe consider making an estimated tax payment for what you've already received.

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Just wanted to add that you'll get a 1099-G form from NYS Department of Labor at the end of the year showing your total benefits received. Make sure to keep track of this for tax filing. Also if you had any federal taxes withheld, it will show on the form too.

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This is really helpful info! I'm in a similar situation - just started collecting last month and had no idea about the tax implications. Quick question: if I set up withholding now, does it only apply to future payments or can they somehow withhold extra to cover what I've already received without withholding? I'm worried about owing a chunk at tax time like @Amara mentioned.

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Just a heads up for everyone dealing with the phone wait times - I found that calling the Tel-Service line right when they open at 8am tends to have shorter hold times. Also, if you're tech-savvy, the my.ny.gov portal is usually your best bet for making changes to tax withholding since it's available 24/7. I set mine up online in about 5 minutes once I figured out where to navigate. One more tip: keep screenshots of your withholding elections in case there are any discrepancies later - I learned this the hard way when there was a glitch and my withholding didn't take effect for two weeks.

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That's great advice about calling right at 8am! I've been struggling to get through too. One thing I'd add - if you do use the online portal, make sure to check back in a few days to confirm your withholding election actually took effect. I've heard from a few people that sometimes there can be delays or glitches in the system processing the changes. Also, does anyone know if there's a way to see exactly how much has been withheld so far once you set it up? I want to track this closely so I can adjust if needed.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! Once you log into your my.ny.gov account, go to Payment "History and" it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount, any taxes withheld, and net payment. It usually updates within 1-2 business days after each payment is processed. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks correct. If you notice any discrepancies, definitely contact them right away - it s'much easier to fix issues as they happen rather than trying to sort it out months later.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholding amounts through the my.ny.gov portal. Once you re'logged in, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld if (any ,)and net payment. It s'really helpful for keeping track. I check mine every week after I certify just to make sure everything looks right. Also, totally agree about double-checking that the withholding actually started - mine took about a week to kick in after I set it up online.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! When you log into your my.ny.gov account, go to the Payment "History section" and it should show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld federal (and state separately ,)and net amount deposited. I check mine every week just to make sure everything looks right. If you notice any discrepancies or if withholding stops unexpectedly, definitely contact them right away - I had a friend whose withholding randomly stopped after a few months due to a system error and she didn t'notice for weeks.

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Yes, you can definitely track your withholdings! In your my.ny.gov account, go to "Payment History" and it should show each payment with the gross amount, taxes withheld (if any), and net amount deposited. I check mine weekly to make sure everything looks right. @Paolo that's smart about taking screenshots - I'm going to start doing that too. The system can be glitchy sometimes and having that documentation could save a lot of headaches later.

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@Alexis Robinson - Yes! You can track your withholding amounts by logging into my.ny.gov and going to Payment "History under" your unemployment section. It shows each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld federal (and state separately ,)and net amount deposited. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks right. The system usually updates within 1-2 business days after your payment is processed. You can also download/print these records which is super helpful for tax prep later.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! In the my.ny.gov portal, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld if (any ,)and net payment. It usually updates within 1-2 business days after each payment is processed. I check mine every week just to make sure everything looks right. Also, regarding the system glitches @Paolo mentioned - I experienced that too where my withholding election didn t'take effect immediately. When you make the change online, you should get a confirmation message, but definitely verify it shows up in your payment details within a week or so.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! Once you log into my.ny.gov, go to Payment "History and" it should show the gross amount, taxes withheld, and net payment for each week. I check mine every Monday after my payment posts. Also, totally agree about double-checking that the withholding took effect - mine didn t'kick in until the second week after I set it up, so I had to call and they confirmed there s'sometimes a processing delay. They were able to tell me the exact date it would start, which helped me plan accordingly.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! When you log into your my.ny.gov account, go to the Payment "History section" and it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount, federal withholding, state withholding, and net payment. I check mine every week to make sure the withholding is working correctly. You can also download/print these records which is helpful for keeping your own tax records organized throughout the year.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholding details through the my.ny.gov portal! Once you re'logged in, go to the Payment "History section" and it should show a breakdown of your gross benefit amount, any taxes withheld, and your net payment for each week. It s'really helpful for keeping track. I check mine every few weeks to make sure everything looks right. Also, if you notice any issues with the withholding not processing correctly, definitely call or use that Claimyr service @Liam mentioned - don t'let it slide because fixing it later can be a headache.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholdings through the my.ny.gov portal. Once you re'logged in, go to the Payment "History or" Payment "and Tax Information section" - it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount, taxes withheld federal (and state ,)and net amount deposited. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks right. It s'also helpful for keeping your own records so you can estimate what you might still owe or get refunded when tax season comes around.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholding! In your my.ny.gov account, go to Payment "History and" each payment should show the gross amount, what was withheld for federal and state taxes, and your net payment. It s'usually updated within 1-2 business days after each payment is processed. I check mine every week to make sure the withholding is still working correctly. Also totally agree about checking back - I had a friend whose withholding got turned off somehow after a system update and she didn t'notice for 3 weeks.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! In your my.ny.gov account, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with details including any federal and state taxes withheld. I check mine every week to make sure the withholding is working correctly. Also, that s'a good point about the system glitches - I actually had my withholding mysteriously turn off after about a month and had to re-enable it. Now I screenshot my settings every few weeks just to be safe.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholdings in the my.ny.gov portal under the same Payment "and Tax Information section" where you set it up. It shows a breakdown of gross benefit amount vs. net amount after withholdings for each payment. I check mine every week just to stay on top of it. Also, pro tip - if you re'using direct deposit, your bank statement will show the net amount deposited, but the portal shows the full breakdown which is super helpful for record keeping.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! In the my.ny.gov portal, go to Payment "History and" it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount, any taxes withheld, and net amount deposited. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks right. Also, pro tip - you can download a PDF summary that shows year-to-date totals which makes it easier to track for tax planning purposes. And you re'absolutely right about double-checking that changes took effect - I always verify by looking at my next payment to confirm the withholding amounts are correct.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholdings through the my.ny.gov portal. Once you re'logged in, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with the gross amount, any taxes withheld, and your net payment. It usually updates within 24-48 hours after each payment is processed. This is super helpful for keeping track of your total withholdings for tax planning. If the amounts don t'look right or if withholding isn t'showing up after you elected it, that s'when you might need to call or use that Claimyr service @Liam mentioned to get it sorted out quickly.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholding amounts! In your my.ny.gov account, go to Payment "History and" it will show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld if (any ,)and net payment. It s'really helpful for keeping track. I check mine every week after I certify just to make sure everything looks right. Also totally agree about double-checking that your withholding election actually processed - I had mine get stuck "for" almost two weeks before I realized it hadn t'taken effect and had to resubmit it.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholding amounts! When you log into my.ny.gov and go to your payment history, it should show both your gross benefit amount and any taxes withheld for each payment. You can also see year-to-date totals there. I check mine every week just to make sure everything is processing correctly. If you notice any issues with the withholding not showing up after a few days like @Paolo mentioned, definitely call or try that Claimyr service that @Liam recommended earlier - don t'let it slide because fixing it later is a hassle.

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Mei Zhang

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Yes, you can track your withholdings! In the my.ny.gov portal under "Payment History" or "Payment and Tax Information," it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount, any taxes withheld, and net amount deposited. It's usually updated within a day or two of each payment. You can also download or print these payment summaries to keep your own records. This is super helpful for tracking throughout the year so you know exactly where you stand tax-wise.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholdings through the my.ny.gov portal. Go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with the gross amount, federal tax withheld, state tax withheld, and net amount deposited. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks right. The withholding usually shows up starting with your next certification after you make the election, so there might be a week delay depending on when you set it up versus your certification schedule.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholding amounts through the my.ny.gov portal. Once you log in, go to Payment "History and" it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount and any taxes withheld. I check mine every week to make sure everything looks right. Also, if you notice any issues with the withholding not processing correctly, you can usually fix it faster through the online chat feature in the portal than trying to call - I discovered that option last month and it was a lifesaver!

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings through the my.ny.gov portal! Once you re'logged in, go to the Payment "History section" and it will show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, any taxes withheld, and net amount deposited. It usually updates within a day or two of each payment. I check mine weekly just to make sure everything looks right. And you re'absolutely right about double-checking that the election took effect - I had a friend whose withholding didn t'start for almost three weeks due to some processing delay, so definitely keep an eye on it!

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! In the my.ny.gov portal, go to Payment "History and" it will show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld federal (and state separately ,)and net amount deposited. I check mine every week after I certify to make sure everything looks right. Also, good point about verifying the changes took effect - I always look for the Tax "Withholding: Active status" on my account summary page just to be sure.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! You can track your withholdings through the my.ny.gov portal. Once you re'logged in, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, taxes withheld if (any ,)and net amount deposited. I check mine every week just to make sure everything is processing correctly. The detail view will show separate lines for federal and state withholding amounts. It s'super helpful for keeping track of your total withholdings for the year so you know roughly what to expect come tax time.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! When you log into my.ny.gov and go to your payment history, each payment should show the gross amount, any withholdings taken out, and your net payment. It s'usually broken down by federal and state withholding too. I check mine every week just to make sure everything looks right. If you notice any discrepancies or if the withholding suddenly stops appearing, definitely contact them right away - like @Paolo mentioned, there can be system glitches that interrupt the withholding without warning you.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes, you can track your withholdings! Once you log into your my.ny.gov account, go to Payment "History and" it should show each payment with a breakdown of gross amount, any taxes withheld, and net amount deposited. It usually updates within 1-2 business days after each payment is processed. This is super helpful for keeping track of exactly how much has been withheld for tax purposes. I check mine every week just to make sure everything looks right and to calculate my running total for the year.

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@Alexis Robinson Yes! When you log into my.ny.gov and go to your payment history, it should show a breakdown of each payment including gross amount and any taxes withheld. You can also see your current withholding elections in the Payment "and Tax Information section." I check mine every couple weeks just to make sure everything is processing correctly. If you notice any issues with the amounts being withheld, definitely call or use that Claimyr service @Liam mentioned earlier - it s'better to catch problems early than deal with them at tax time.

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