Does unemployment mess up your taxes - NYS Department of Labor benefits causing tax problems?
I'm getting ready to file my 2024 taxes and I'm worried about how my unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor are going to affect everything. I was on UI for about 4 months last year after getting laid off from my retail job. Got the 1099-G form from NYS Department of Labor but I'm scared this is going to mess up my refund or cause me to owe money I don't have. Has anyone dealt with this? Did unemployment benefits screw up your tax situation or am I overthinking this?
10 comments


Jessica Nguyen
Unemployment benefits are taxable income, so yes they'll affect your taxes but it doesn't necessarily 'mess them up.' The 1099-G shows what you received from NYS Department of Labor and any taxes that were withheld. If you had taxes withheld from your weekly claims, you might actually get a bigger refund. If you didn't have taxes withheld, you'll owe on that income just like regular wages.
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Cameron Black
•I think I had taxes withheld but I'm not 100% sure. How do I check if NYS Department of Labor took taxes out of my payments?
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Isaiah Thompson
same boat here, got unemployment for 3 months and now im stressed about taxes too. my friend said unemployment money doesnt count as income but that doesnt sound right??
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Ruby Garcia
•Your friend is wrong - unemployment is definitely taxable income. You'll need to report it on your tax return. Check your 1099-G form from NYS Department of Labor to see exactly how much you received and if any federal taxes were withheld.
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Alexander Evans
Ugh the whole tax thing with unemployment is so confusing! I was on UI last year too and when I went to file my taxes it was such a headache. Had to call NYS Department of Labor like 5 times because my 1099-G had the wrong amount on it. The system is just broken.
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Evelyn Martinez
•Wait, the 1099-G can have wrong amounts? How do you even get that fixed? I just assumed whatever NYS Department of Labor sent me was correct.
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Benjamin Carter
•If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor about tax form issues, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me time instead of calling for hours.
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Maya Lewis
It really depends on your total income for the year. If unemployment was your only income and it wasn't that much, you might not owe anything. But if you had other jobs plus the UI benefits, yeah it could push you into owing taxes if you didn't have enough withheld.
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Cameron Black
•I had a part time job for a few months after I got back to work, so I guess that means I'll probably owe something. This sucks.
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Isaiah Thompson
just looked at my 1099-G and it shows $0 in the federal tax withheld box... does that mean im screwed???
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