How many exemptions should I claim for unemployment benefits in NY?
I'm filing my first unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor and I'm confused about the exemptions section. I have two kids and I'm married but my spouse works. Should I claim exemptions for my dependents on my UI application? I don't want to mess this up and cause problems with my claim. Does claiming exemptions affect how much I get in benefits or is this just for tax purposes? The form isn't very clear about what this means for unemployment specifically.
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StellarSurfer
The exemptions you claim on your unemployment application are only used for tax withholding purposes, not for calculating your benefit amount. Your weekly benefit amount is based on your earnings history over the past 18 months. If you normally claim 2 exemptions on your W-4 for your kids, you can claim the same on your UI application. This just determines how much federal and state tax they withhold from your weekly payments.
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Anastasia Romanov
•Oh okay that makes sense! So it won't change my actual benefit amount, just the taxes taken out?
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Sean Kelly
yeah i was confused about this too when i filed last year, i ended up claiming zero exemptions because i wanted more taxes taken out so i wouldnt owe at tax time
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Zara Malik
•That's actually smart. A lot of people get surprised at tax time because unemployment benefits are fully taxable income. Better to have too much withheld than owe a big chunk in April.
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Luca Greco
Wait, I thought exemptions affected your benefit calculation somehow? I've been claiming zero this whole time because I was worried it would reduce my payments. Should I change this on my weekly claims?
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StellarSurfer
•No, exemptions have absolutely no impact on your benefit amount calculation. That's determined solely by your base period wages. You can update your tax withholding preferences by calling NYS Department of Labor or through your online account, but it only changes what's withheld for taxes.
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Luca Greco
•Thanks! I'll call them to update it. I've been having way too much tax taken out apparently.
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Nia Thompson
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to make changes, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made it much easier than sitting on hold for hours trying to update my withholding preferences.
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Sean Kelly
•how much does that cost? i've been trying to get through for weeks to fix something on my account
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Nia Thompson
•It's worth checking out their site for current info. For me it was way better than the endless busy signals and disconnected calls I was getting before.
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Mateo Rodriguez
Just claim whatever you normally claim on your regular job taxes. The unemployment system in NY is confusing enough without overthinking the exemptions part.
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Tyler Murphy
Just to add to what everyone else has said - you're absolutely right to be careful about this! When I first filed, I was also worried about messing up my claim. The good news is that the exemptions section is really just about tax withholding, not your benefit calculation. Since you have two kids and are married, you could reasonably claim 2 or 3 exemptions (similar to what you'd claim on a W-4), but keep in mind that unemployment benefits are fully taxable income at both federal and state levels. Some people prefer to claim fewer exemptions or even zero to avoid owing money at tax time, since unemployment income can sometimes push you into a different tax bracket than you expect.
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