Does rental income affect unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor?
I've been receiving unemployment benefits for about 6 weeks now and just realized I never mentioned that I collect rent from a small apartment I own upstate. It's only about $850 a month but I'm worried this might affect my eligibility or weekly benefit amount. Do I need to report rental income to NYS Department of Labor? I've been filing my weekly claims normally but now I'm panicking that I should have disclosed this from the beginning.
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Ravi Patel
Rental income generally doesn't affect your unemployment benefits in NY since it's considered passive income, not earnings from work. However, you should still report it to be safe. The NYS Department of Labor mainly cares about income from employment or self-employment activities.
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Isabella Oliveira
AuthorThat's a relief! Should I call them to report it retroactively or just mention it on my next weekly claim?
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Freya Andersen
wait i thought ANY income had to be reported?? i've been reporting everything including like $20 from selling stuff online
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Omar Zaki
You're partially right - rental income typically won't reduce your benefits but you should still report it. The key distinction is between 'earned income' (wages, self-employment) and 'unearned income' (rental, investments). NYS Department of Labor has specific guidelines about this. You can update your claim information by calling or through the online portal.
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CosmicCrusader
I had the same issue last year! Took me forever to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to clarify. If you're having trouble reaching them by phone, I actually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an agent quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works.
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Isabella Oliveira
AuthorHow does that service work exactly? I've been trying to call for days with no luck.
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Chloe Robinson
ugh the whole system is so confusing, why can't they just have clear guidelines posted somewhere instead of making us guess
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Diego Flores
I'm a landlord too and went through this exact situation. Rental income is considered 'unearned income' and won't affect your weekly benefit amount. However, if you're actively involved in property management (like doing repairs, showing units, etc.) that COULD be considered work activity. Since you didn't mention doing that kind of hands-on work, you should be fine.
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Isabella Oliveira
AuthorI just collect rent checks, no maintenance or anything like that. The property management company handles everything else.
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Diego Flores
Perfect, then you're definitely in the clear. Just report it for transparency but it shouldn't impact your benefits at all.
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Mei Liu
I went through something similar when I first started collecting unemployment. The key thing to remember is that rental income is passive income, not earned income from employment. NYS Department of Labor distinguishes between these types of income. You should definitely report it on your next weekly claim - there's usually a section for "other income" where you can include it. Don't panic about not reporting it initially - just be transparent going forward. The worst thing you can do is continue not reporting it now that you're aware of it.
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Ethan Scott
I'm dealing with a similar situation - I have a duplex and live in one unit while renting out the other. From what I've learned, as long as you're not actively managing the property (like doing maintenance, advertising, showing units), the rental income is considered passive and shouldn't affect your unemployment benefits. However, I'd still recommend calling NYS DOL to clarify your specific situation since every case can be different. The peace of mind is worth the wait time on hold. Also, when you do report it, make sure to specify that it's rental income from a property you own, not income from employment or self-employment activities.
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Sean Murphy
This is really helpful advice! I'm in a similar boat and have been worried about how to handle reporting rental income. The distinction between passive income and active property management makes a lot of sense. One question though - when you called NYS DOL, were you able to get through easily? I've been trying for days and keep getting stuck in the phone queue. Did you have any tips for the best times to call or any shortcuts to actually reach a human?
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Amina Diallo
I had the same problem getting through to NYS DOL! What finally worked for me was calling right at 8:00 AM when they open - I literally had my phone ready and hit redial the second it turned 8. Also try calling on Tuesday or Wednesday, seems like Mondays and Fridays are the worst. Another trick is to call the employer hotline first (518-457-2635) and ask them to transfer you to claimant services - sometimes that gets you through faster than calling the main claimant number directly. Don't give up, it took me about a week of trying but I eventually got through!
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Liam O'Sullivan
I've had luck calling NYS DOL right when they open at 8 AM - seems like the hold times are shorter first thing in the morning. Also, try calling on Tuesday or Wednesday rather than Monday or Friday when they tend to be swamped. If you're still having trouble getting through, you might want to check out that Claimyr service that @CosmicCrusader mentioned earlier - I haven't used it myself but it sounds like it could help with the callback process. Another option is to try updating your claim information through the online portal first, and then follow up with a call if you need clarification.
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Heather Tyson
I've had success calling NYS DOL early in the morning, usually right when they open at 8 AM or during lunch hours around 12-1 PM when call volume tends to be lower. Also try calling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays - Mondays and Fridays are usually swamped. If you're still having trouble getting through, you might want to check out that Claimyr service that @CosmicCrusader mentioned earlier - I haven't used it personally but it sounds like it could help with the wait times. Another option is to try their online contact form or chat feature if available, though phone calls usually get faster responses for urgent questions like this.
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Avery Flores
I had the same issue getting through to NYS DOL! After multiple failed attempts, I actually tried calling right when they open at 8 AM on weekdays - that seemed to work better than calling later in the day. Also, if you're still having trouble, @CosmicCrusader mentioned using Claimyr earlier in this thread which might be worth looking into. From my experience though, once you do get through, the representatives are actually pretty helpful about clarifying these rental income situations. They walked me through exactly what needed to be reported and what didn't.
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Emma Wilson
I've had success calling NYS DOL right when they open at 8am on weekdays - that seems to be when the hold times are shortest. Tuesday through Thursday tend to be better than Mondays or Fridays. Also, if you're still having trouble getting through, you might want to check out that Claimyr service that @CosmicCrusader mentioned earlier in the thread. I haven't used it myself, but it sounds like it could help with the connection issues. Another tip - sometimes the online chat feature on the NYS DOL website is faster than calling, though it's not always available.
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Jacob Smithson
@Sean Murphy I ve'had luck calling NYS DOL right when they open at 8 AM - seems like the wait times are shortest then. Also try calling on Tuesday or Wednesday, Mondays are always swamped. If you re'still having trouble getting through, there s'actually a callback service they offer where you can request a call back instead of waiting on hold. You can find it buried in their phone menu options. Another trick is to keep trying throughout the day - sometimes people hang up and spots open up unexpectedly. Hope this helps!
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Arjun Patel
I've had success calling NYS DOL right when they open at 8 AM - that seems to be when the wait times are shortest. Also, I've heard from other people in this community that there's a service called Claimyr that can help you get through to an agent faster if you're really struggling with the phone queues. @CosmicCrusader mentioned it earlier in this thread and said they have a demo video showing how it works. Might be worth checking out if you keep hitting dead ends with the regular phone system.
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