How do I find my employer's EAN number for NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim?
I'm trying to file my unemployment claim but the NYS Department of Labor website is asking for my employer's EAN number and I have no idea what that is or where to find it. I worked at a small restaurant for 2 years before they let me go last week. My manager didn't give me any paperwork with numbers like this. Is this something I should have gotten when I was hired? I'm really stressed because I can't move forward with my claim without this information.
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Dylan Hughes
The EAN (Employer Account Number) is a 7-digit number that NYS Department of Labor assigns to every employer who pays unemployment insurance taxes. You should be able to find it on your pay stubs - it's usually listed near other tax information. If you don't have recent pay stubs, check your W-2 form from last year, it might be listed there as well.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•I checked my last few pay stubs but I only see my social security number and some other codes. Maybe the restaurant used a different payroll system?
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NightOwl42
If you can't find it on your paperwork, you can try calling your former employer directly and asking for their EAN number. Most HR departments or payroll people know this number. You can also proceed with your claim using just the employer name and address - the NYS Department of Labor can usually look up the EAN on their end.
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Sofia Rodriguez
•This is what I did when I couldn't find my employer's EAN. Just put in the business name and full address and they figured it out during processing.
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Dmitry Ivanov
ugh i had the same problem when i filed!! took me forever to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about this. if your employer is being difficult about giving you the number, you might want to try using a service like claimyr.com to help you get through to an actual agent faster. they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. saved me hours of trying to call myself.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already worried about money while waiting for benefits to start.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•I think it varies but honestly it was worth it for me to avoid the headache of calling over and over. The regular phone lines are always busy.
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Ava Thompson
Small restaurants sometimes use third-party payroll companies which can make finding this info confusing. Look for any company names on your pay stub besides your actual employer - if there's a payroll service listed, you might need to contact them instead.
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Miguel Herrera
honestly the whole system is such a mess, they should just be able to look this stuff up automatically instead of making us hunt for random numbers
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Zainab Ali
•agree 100%! why do we have to do all this detective work when they have all the employer info in their database already
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GalaxyGlider
You can also try checking any tax documents you might have received from your employer, like a W-2 or 1099 if you have one from previous years. Sometimes the EAN appears on those forms. If you're still stuck, another option is to visit your local NYS Department of Labor office in person - they can often help you locate your employer's information more quickly than trying to get through on the phone. Don't stress too much about it though, as others mentioned they can usually figure it out from just the business name and address during processing.
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