Does NYS Department of Labor unemployment count as income for health insurance marketplace plans?
I'm getting ready to apply for health insurance through the NY State of Health marketplace and I'm not sure if I need to report my unemployment benefits as income. I've been collecting UI for about 2 months now after being laid off from my retail job. The application asks for my expected annual income but I'm confused about whether unemployment payments count toward that total. Has anyone dealt with this before? I don't want to mess up my application or get the wrong subsidy amount.
15 comments
Join the conversation
Olivia Kay
Yes, unemployment benefits absolutely count as income for health insurance purposes. You'll need to include your weekly benefit amount times 52 weeks as part of your estimated annual income on the marketplace application. This affects your eligibility for premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions.
0 coins
Henry Delgado
•Thanks! So if I'm getting $350 per week from NYS Department of Labor, I should put down $18,200 as my annual income estimate?
0 coins
Joshua Hellan
Just went through this myself last month. The marketplace application specifically asks about unemployment compensation. Make sure to estimate realistically though - if you think you'll find work before the year ends, adjust your income projection accordingly. You don't want to be way off when you file taxes next year.
0 coins
Jibriel Kohn
•Good point about adjusting for expected work. I put down my full UI amount and then updated it when I got a new job in October.
0 coins
Edison Estevez
Been trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about this exact question for weeks. Their phone lines are constantly busy and I keep getting disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get through to an actual person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Turns out they can confirm unemployment income details for marketplace applications.
0 coins
Henry Delgado
•That sounds helpful! I've been having the same problem getting through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor when I have questions.
0 coins
Emily Nguyen-Smith
wait so if i report unemployment income does that mean i wont qualify for medicaid anymore?? im really confused about all this
0 coins
Olivia Kay
•It depends on your total income level. In NY, Medicaid eligibility goes up to about $20,783 for a single person in 2025. If your unemployment plus any other income is below that threshold, you should still qualify.
0 coins
James Johnson
Don't forget unemployment is also taxable income federally so keep that in mind for next year's taxes too
0 coins
Sophia Rodriguez
The whole system is SO confusing. I spent hours on the NY State of Health website trying to figure this out. Why can't they just make it simple and clear what counts as income and what doesn't? Everything with NYS Department of Labor and health insurance feels like jumping through hoops.
0 coins
Jibriel Kohn
•I hear you! The good news is once you get it set up correctly it's pretty straightforward to update if your situation changes.
0 coins
Nora Brooks
I just went through this process a few weeks ago and can confirm what others have said - yes, you definitely need to report your unemployment benefits as income. What helped me was logging into my NYS Department of Labor online account to get the exact benefit amounts rather than estimating. They have a section that shows your total benefits received year-to-date and your weekly benefit rate. This made it much easier to calculate my projected annual income accurately for the marketplace application. Also, keep your documentation handy in case the marketplace asks for verification later in the process.
0 coins
Mohamed Anderson
•That's really smart advice about checking your NYS Department of Labor online account for exact numbers! I didn't even think about that - I was just trying to estimate from memory. Do you remember how easy it was to find that information once you logged in? I want to make sure I have everything accurate before I submit my marketplace application.
0 coins
Yuki Sato
•@Mohamed Anderson It s'actually pretty straightforward once you log in! When you get to your NYS Department of Labor account dashboard, look for a section called Payment "History or" Benefit "Payment Information -" it should show you a breakdown of all your weekly payments and the total amount you ve'received so far this year. There s'also usually a summary section that shows your weekly benefit rate, which makes it easy to project out for the rest of the year. Just remember to factor in whether you expect to find work before the year ends, like others mentioned above.
0 coins
Emma Johnson
Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation last year when I was laid off from my job. One thing that really helped me was calling the NY State of Health customer service line directly rather than trying to figure it all out online. They were able to walk me through exactly how to report my unemployment income and explained that even though it's temporary income, it still counts toward your annual estimate. They also told me I could update my application anytime if my income situation changed (like if I found a new job or my benefits ended). The whole process was much less stressful once I had someone explain it step by step. Don't be afraid to ask for help - that's what they're there for!
0 coins