Do you have to payback unemployment benefits if you get approved?

No, unemployment benefits are NOT a loan! Your employer paid into the unemployment insurance system while you were working, so you've already earned these benefits. You don't have to payback unemployment unless there's an overpayment situation (like if NYS Department of Labor determines you weren't eligible for some of the weeks you claimed).

your coworker is wrong, unemployment isnt a loan at all. the only time you payback is if you get overpaid by mistake or lie about your eligibility

The confusion might come from the fact that unemployment IS taxable income, so you'll owe taxes on it when you file next year. But the benefits themselves don't need to be repaid. Just make sure you're following all the job search requirements and reporting any work income correctly to avoid overpayment issues.

Wait I'm confused now. I thought I read somewhere that if you get a job later you have to pay some of it back? Or is that only for certain programs?

I had the same worry when I first applied! The NYS Department of Labor system can be confusing but unemployment benefits are definitely not loans. Just keep filing your weekly claims honestly and you'll be fine. The only payback situations I've heard of are when people accidentally get overpaid or don't report work income properly.

Ugh I hate how complicated they make this stuff seem. Been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months trying to get answers about my claim status. If you need to actually talk to someone there about payback rules or anything else, I finally found something that works - there's this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

Just to be super clear - you earned these benefits through your work history. Your employer paid unemployment insurance taxes specifically for this purpose. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about using a system you paid into!

Your coworker is definitely wrong - unemployment benefits are not a loan at all! I went through the same situation a few years ago and was worried about the same thing. The benefits are funded by employer contributions to the unemployment insurance system, so you've essentially already "paid" for them through your work history. The only time you'd need to pay anything back is if there was an error (like getting benefits you weren't entitled to), but that's not the normal situation. You're dealing with enough stress from being laid off - don't let misinformation add to your worries. Just focus on your job search and filing your weekly claims correctly.