Do you have to pay for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor?
I'm really confused about something - my friend told me that some states charge fees for unemployment benefits but I can't find clear information about New York. Do you have to pay anything to the NYS Department of Labor to get your unemployment checks? I just filed my claim last week and I'm worried there might be hidden costs I don't know about. Also wondering if there are any fees for filing weekly claims or using the my.ny.gov website?
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Amara Okafor
No, unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor are completely free. You should never have to pay any fees to file your initial claim, submit weekly claims, or receive your benefits. The my.ny.gov system is also free to use. If anyone asks you to pay for unemployment services, it's likely a scam.
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Liam Sullivan
•Thank you! That's such a relief. I was getting worried because my friend said something about paying for faster processing but that didn't sound right to me.
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Giovanni Colombo
Your friend might be thinking of tax preparation services or job placement agencies that charge fees. The actual NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits are funded by employer taxes, not claimant fees. Just be careful of scam websites that might charge you for 'help' filing claims.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•This is so important! I almost fell for one of those scam sites that wanted $50 to 'expedite' my claim. Luckily I realized the real NYS Department of Labor website is my.ny.gov and it's totally free.
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StarStrider
been on unemployment twice and never paid a dime... the whole point is that its supposed to help when you dont have money coming in lol
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Dylan Campbell
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask questions about your claim, there are services like Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you reach an agent faster. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. But the actual unemployment benefits themselves are always free - never pay for those!
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Sofia Torres
•Wait, so that service costs money though right? I thought everything was supposed to be free?
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Dylan Campbell
•The unemployment benefits are free, but if you can't get through the busy phone lines to ask questions about your claim, some people use that service to help with the calling part. It's optional though - you can always keep trying to call NYS Department of Labor yourself for free.
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Dmitry Sokolov
I've been filing weekly claims for 2 months now and haven't paid anything. The NYS Department of Labor system can be frustrating but at least it doesn't cost us money on top of everything else we're dealing with when unemployed.
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