Does NYS Department of Labor audit everyone on unemployment?

NYS Department of Labor doesn't audit every single claimant, but they do have automated systems that flag certain patterns. Things like irregular work history reporting, high benefit amounts, or random quality control selections can trigger a review. Most people never get audited if they're filing correctly and documenting their job searches properly.

been on unemployment 3 times over the years and never been audited. just keep good records and dont worry about it unless you get a notice

The audit process is usually triggered by specific red flags in your claim history. If you're consistently reporting your work search activities correctly and not making any mistakes on your weekly claims, you're unlikely to be selected. NYS Department of Labor focuses their audits on cases where there are discrepancies or unusual patterns rather than doing random checks on everyone.

I got audited last year and it was actually not that bad. They just wanted to see my job search log and verify a few employers I had contacted. The whole thing was resolved in about 2 weeks. I think they audit maybe 5-10% of claims based on what the rep told me.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO INTIMIDATE PEOPLE! They make you think everyone gets audited so you'll be scared to claim benefits you're entitled to. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for years and most audits are just fishing expeditions trying to find reasons to deny legitimate claims.

I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about their audit process, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Ended up being really helpful for getting clarification on what documentation I needed to keep to avoid any issues.

I work in workforce development and from what I've seen, NYS DOL audits are pretty rare for most claimants. They typically focus on higher-risk cases - people with unusual employment patterns, high wage claims, or those who've had previous issues. The automated flags usually catch things like unreported income or inconsistent information between your claim and employer records. If you're keeping good documentation of your job searches and reporting everything accurately, you're probably fine. Most legitimate claimants I work with have never been audited, so don't let the anxiety get to you.

From my experience working with UI claimants, the audit rate is actually quite low - probably around 3-5% of all claims. The system uses data matching to identify potential issues, like when your reported wages don't match what employers report to the state. As long as you're being honest about your work search efforts and any income you earn, you're very unlikely to have problems. The people who get audited usually have some kind of red flag in their file - maybe they worked while claiming and didn't report it properly, or there's a discrepancy in their employment dates. Keep doing what you're doing with the documentation and don't stress about it too much.

I've been on UI for about 4 months and was also worried about audits at first. What helped me was calling the DOL directly to ask about their documentation requirements - they told me that as long as you're keeping records of at least 3 job contacts per week (which is their minimum requirement) with dates, company names, and how you applied, you're meeting their standards. I use a simple notebook to track everything and haven't had any issues. The rep also mentioned that most audits happen within the first few weeks of a claim if there are immediate red flags, so if you've been claiming for 6 months without issues, you're probably in good shape.

I've been on unemployment for about 8 months and never got audited. From what I understand, they mostly target people who have inconsistencies in their reporting or unusual patterns. I keep a simple Excel spreadsheet with all my job applications - date, company, position, how I applied, and any follow-up. Takes maybe 5 minutes each week to update and gives me peace of mind. The way I see it, if you're following the rules and keeping records, an audit would actually just confirm you're doing everything right. Don't let the anxiety consume you - focus that energy on your job search instead!