Does your job pay for unemployment benefits in NY - confused about how this works
I'm really confused about how unemployment insurance works in New York. My coworker told me that our employer pays into unemployment for us, but I'm not sure if that's true or if it comes out of my paycheck somehow. I've been working at my current job for about 8 months and I see all these deductions on my paystub but nothing that says unemployment. If I lose my job, will I be eligible for benefits? And does it matter that my employer pays for it or not? I tried looking this up on the NYS Department of Labor website but it's confusing. Can someone explain how this actually works?
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Maggie Martinez
Your employer pays unemployment insurance taxes on your behalf - it doesn't come out of your paycheck. In New York, employers pay both state unemployment insurance (SUI) and federal unemployment tax (FUTA) based on their payroll. As long as you've worked long enough and earned enough wages, you'll be eligible for unemployment benefits if you lose your job through no fault of your own. The NYS Department of Labor uses your employer's wage reports to determine your benefit amount.
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Zane Gray
•That makes sense! So I don't need to worry about whether my employer is paying it correctly? The NYS Department of Labor handles all that automatically?
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Alejandro Castro
yeah your employer definitely pays for it, not you. I just filed for unemployment last month and the whole process was pretty straightforward. You just need to have worked enough quarters and earned a minimum amount. I think it's like $2,600 in one quarter or something like that but don't quote me on the exact number.
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Monique Byrd
•It's actually $2,700 in your highest quarter OR at least $1,800 in your highest quarter plus total wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter amount. But you're right that employers pay the full cost of unemployment insurance - employees don't contribute anything to the UI system in New York.
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Jackie Martinez
I had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my claim status. The phone lines are always busy and I kept getting disconnected. A friend recommended trying claimyr.com - it's a service that helps you get through to actual NYS Department of Labor agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Ended up being really helpful for getting my questions answered about wage calculations.
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Lia Quinn
•Never heard of that service but honestly anything that helps you actually talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor sounds worth it. I spent weeks trying to get through on the phone.
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Haley Stokes
Just to add - even if your employer goes out of business or stops paying their unemployment taxes, you're still covered. The state has systems in place to handle those situations. Your benefits come from the unemployment insurance fund that all employers pay into, not from your specific employer's account.
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