Do you have to file unemployment benefits on your taxes from NYS Department of Labor?
Just realized it's tax season and I'm wondering if I need to report the unemployment I got from NYS Department of Labor last year. I collected benefits for about 5 months after getting laid off from my warehouse job. Got around $8,200 total. Do I have to claim this on my taxes? I heard different things from people and want to make sure I do this right.
9 comments


Vera Visnjic
Yes, unemployment benefits are considered taxable income by both federal and state. NYS Department of Labor should have sent you a 1099-G form showing the total amount you received. You'll need to report this on your tax return. If you didn't have taxes withheld from your weekly benefits, you might owe taxes on that income.
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Mason Lopez
•Oh no, I never got a 1099-G form. How do I get one? I moved apartments since I was collecting so maybe it went to the wrong address.
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Jake Sinclair
You can download your 1099-G from the my.ny.gov website. Log into your NYS Department of Labor account and look for tax documents or 1099 forms section. They're usually available by end of January. Also, you should have had the option to withhold 10% for federal taxes when you filed your weekly claims.
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Brielle Johnson
•This is exactly right. I made the mistake of not withholding taxes and ended up owing like $900 at tax time.
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Honorah King
Wait I thought unemployment wasn't taxable anymore because of covid? My cousin said they changed the rules
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Vera Visnjic
•That was only for 2020 tax year and only up to $10,200. Regular unemployment has always been taxable income - that temporary exclusion ended after 2020.
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Oliver Brown
Ugh the whole process of getting through to NYS Department of Labor for anything is such a nightmare. When I needed my 1099-G last year I spent hours on hold just to get hung up on. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at NYS Department of Labor in like 15 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. Way easier than dealing with the busy signals yourself.
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Mary Bates
•Never heard of that but might be worth it if you really can't get through. The phone system is definitely terrible.
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Clay blendedgen
definitely need to report it all, learned this the hard way a few years back when I didn't report my UI benefits thinking they wouldn't know about it LOL. IRS knows everything
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