How do I know if I'm getting a NY unemployment tax refund after being unemployed all year?

they dont give refunds from unemployment directly lol. you only get tax refunds from the IRS if u paid more taxes than u owed during the year. check ur tax return

The person who told you about an unemployment refund might be confusing a few different things: 1. Regular tax refund - If you had taxes withheld from your unemployment benefits and your total tax obligation for the year was less than what was withheld, you'd get a refund when you file your taxes. This comes from the IRS/NY Tax Dept, not NYSDOL. 2. Benefit adjustments - If NYSDOL determines you were underpaid benefits during your claim period, they might issue a retroactive payment, but this isn't technically a "refund." 3. Tax adjustments on unemployment - Sometimes there are legislative changes (like during COVID) where unemployment benefits receive special tax treatment, resulting in refunds to people who already filed. Unless you received an official notice from NYSDOL about an adjustment to your claim, there's no separate "unemployment refund" you need to apply for or expect.

I'm wondering the same thing!!! I got unemployment all of 2024 too and I'm STRESSED about taxes. I didn't have anything withheld because I needed the full amount to survive. Now I'm worried I'll owe thousands!!! Do they ever forgive unemployment taxes if you're still unemployed??? I can't pay a huge tax bill right now, I'm barely keeping my apartment!!

I went through this last year and got super confused too. What finally worked for me was calling and talking to someone directly. I sat on hold for like 3 hours though which was ridiculous! I eventually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting all day. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent explained everything about how unemployment taxation works and cleared up my confusion. Turns out I was eligible for some additional benefits I didn't know about! Definitely worth talking to an actual person.

The whole system is DESIGNED to be confusing on purpose!!! I was on unemployment in 2023 and 2024 and both years I got different answers about taxes. One agent told me I might get a refund, another said I definitely wouldn't. Then I ended up getting a small refund anyway! The entire NYSDOL is just making it up as they go along. Don't trust anything they say!!!

Just wanted to mention I was in the same boat last year and I got a letter in April about a "monetary determination adjustment" that ended up giving me an additional payment. It wasn't technically a refund but it was extra money. It happened because they recalculated my base period wages and found I was eligible for a higher weekly benefit amount. So maybe check if you got all the correct benefit amounts too! Sometimes they make mistakes in their calculations.

To clarify the tax situation with NY unemployment benefits: 1. Unemployment benefits are fully taxable income at both federal and NY state levels 2. If you opted to have taxes withheld from your weekly benefits (typically 10% federal and 2.5% state), those withholdings are credited toward your annual tax obligation 3. Your 1099-G form from NYSDOL shows the total benefits received and taxes withheld 4. Any refund would come through your normal tax filing process with the IRS and NY State Tax Department, not from NYSDOL directly 5. NYSDOL does sometimes issue retroactive payments if: - They determine your weekly benefit amount was calculated incorrectly - There was an adjudication decision in your favor - There was a system error that affected your payments These retroactive payments are separate from tax refunds and are related to the benefits themselves.

my brother thought the same thing last year and there was no special refund. its just normal taxes, unemployment isnt special