How long does it take NYS Department of Labor to find out you're working while claiming unemployment?
I started a part-time job two weeks ago and I'm supposed to report it on my weekly claim but I'm honestly scared about what happens next. Will they immediately cut off my benefits or can I still get partial payments? More importantly, how fast do they usually find out if someone doesn't report work? I know I should be honest but I'm worried about losing everything before I know if this job will work out. Has anyone dealt with this situation?
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Nia Wilson
You absolutely need to report any work income on your weekly certification, even part-time. NYS Department of Labor has multiple ways to verify employment - they cross-reference with employer wage reports, tax records, and Social Security Administration data. The system is designed to catch unreported work, usually within 4-8 weeks. If you report properly, you may still qualify for partial benefits depending on how much you earn.
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Luca Ferrari
•Thanks for the info. What happens if they find out I worked but didn't report it for a couple weeks? Is it better to come clean now or just start reporting going forward?
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Mateo Martinez
dude just report it. i tried hiding a weekend job last year thinking it wouldn't matter and they found out in like 6 weeks. had to pay back everything plus penalties. not worth the stress
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Aisha Hussain
•How did they find out exactly? Did your employer report something or was it through taxes?
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Mateo Martinez
•employer reported my wages to the state. apparently they do quarterly wage matching or something like that
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Ethan Clark
The detection timeline varies but NYS Department of Labor typically processes employer wage reports quarterly. However, they also get real-time data from larger employers and can flag discrepancies faster now. If you don't report work income, you're committing benefit fraud which can result in overpayment demands, penalties, and potential disqualification from future benefits. Start reporting immediately and call NYS Department of Labor to discuss any unreported weeks.
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StarStrider
•calling NYS Department of Labor is impossible though, you'll be on hold for hours and probably get disconnected. I've been trying to get through for weeks about my own adjudication issue
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Yuki Sato
•I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor agents too until someone recommended Claimyr. It's a service that calls for you and gets you connected to an actual person. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to fix my claim status.
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Carmen Ruiz
I'm in a similar boat! Started working 20 hours a week but I'm terrified to report it because I need the full unemployment to pay rent. This whole system is so confusing and they make it seem like any work means you lose everything.
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Nia Wilson
•That's not true - you can often work part-time and still receive partial unemployment benefits. NYS Department of Labor has a formula where they subtract a portion of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. It's usually better to work and get partial benefits than risk fraud charges.
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Andre Lefebvre
honestly the whole system is rigged against working people anyway. they want you to stay unemployed but then punish you for trying to get back on your feet. meanwhile it takes them forever to process claims but they can catch you working in no time
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StarStrider
•exactly! my claim has been in adjudication for over a month but somehow they have super fast computers to track if you work. makes no sense
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Ravi Sharma
I went through this exact situation last year. The key thing to understand is that partial unemployment benefits exist for a reason - you're supposed to report work and they'll calculate what you still qualify for. In my case, I was earning about $300/week part-time and still received around $200 in unemployment benefits. The formula basically allows you to earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing your benefits dollar-for-dollar. As for detection, they caught my friend who didn't report within about 2 months through the quarterly wage matching system. My advice: report it now, even if you missed a week or two. You can often backdate corrections and it's way better than dealing with fraud charges later.
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Ethan Clark
•This is really helpful, thanks for sharing your experience! Can you explain more about how the partial benefits calculation works? Like if I'm making $400/week at my part-time job, would I still get anything from unemployment? Also, when you say you can backdate corrections - did you have to pay any penalties for the weeks you initially didn't report, or do they waive that if you come forward voluntarily?
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