How long should you keep unemployment records after your NYS Department of Labor claim ends?

You should definitely keep all your unemployment records for at least 3 years after your claim ends. NYS Department of Labor can audit claims and request documentation even after benefits have ended. I keep mine for 4 years just to be safe. The most important things to keep are your weekly claim confirmations, any correspondence about overpayments or appeals, and your complete job search logs.

i threw mine out after like 6 months lol... hope that wasnt a mistake

The IRS requires you to keep records supporting tax returns for 3 years, and unemployment is taxable income, so that's your minimum right there. But NYS Department of Labor can investigate benefit overpayments for up to 6 years in some cases. I scan everything and keep it digitally - takes up way less space and you can search through it if needed.

I'm in a similar situation but I'm terrified to throw anything away. What if they say I owe money back or something went wrong with my claim? The anxiety of dealing with NYS Department of Labor again keeps me holding onto everything. Has anyone actually been contacted years later about their old claim?

I had to deal with NYS Department of Labor on an old claim issue about 2 years after it ended - thank god I kept everything! They wanted proof of my job searches from specific weeks and copies of my work search log. If you're having trouble reaching them about records questions, I used a service called claimyr.com that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.

This whole thread is making me paranoid. I wish they'd just tell you exactly what to keep and for how long when your claim ends instead of leaving everyone guessing.

I called NYS Department of Labor directly about this last year and they told me to keep everything for at least 4 years, but ideally 6 years to be completely safe. The representative explained that while most issues come up within the first year or two, they legally have up to 6 years to investigate potential overpayments or fraud cases. She specifically mentioned keeping weekly certifications, all correspondence, job search documentation, and any appeal-related paperwork. I ended up scanning everything and storing it on a cloud drive with folders organized by year - much easier than keeping boxes of paper around!

This is such a timely question! I just went through this decision myself a few months ago. After reading through all the responses here, I ended up keeping everything for 4 years but went the digital route that several people mentioned. I used a document scanner app on my phone to convert all my physical paperwork to PDFs, then organized them in folders by month/year on Google Drive. It took a weekend but now I have everything searchable and backed up, plus I freed up a whole file cabinet! The peace of mind is worth it - especially after reading about people actually getting contacted years later about their claims.

This is such valuable information - I wish I had known this when my claim ended! I'm currently dealing with a similar paperwork situation and was planning to just keep everything for one year. After reading everyone's experiences, especially about people being contacted 2+ years later, I'm definitely going to keep everything for at least 4 years now. The digital scanning approach that several people mentioned sounds perfect. Has anyone had experience with NYS Department of Labor accepting scanned/digital copies of documents if they request something, or do they specifically need original paperwork? I'd hate to scan everything only to find out they require physical documents during an investigation.