How to file taxes for unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor - confused about forms
I received unemployment benefits last year and now I'm trying to do my taxes but I'm completely lost. I got some form from NYS Department of Labor but I'm not sure if I need to report all of it or just part of it. My benefits were around $8,200 total and I had taxes taken out of some payments but not others because I kept changing my withholding preferences. Do I need special forms or can I just put this on a regular 1040? Also worried I might owe money since I didn't have taxes taken out consistently.
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Daryl Bright
You should have received a 1099-G form from NYS Department of Labor showing your total unemployment compensation for the tax year. This form will show the total amount you received and any federal taxes that were withheld. You'll report this on your Form 1040 as taxable income. If you didn't have enough taxes withheld throughout the year, you might owe additional taxes when you file.
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Natalie Khan
•I think I got that form but I'm not sure where I put it. Can I get another copy from the NYS Department of Labor website?
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Sienna Gomez
Yes unemployment is fully taxable as ordinary income. You can download your 1099-G from the my.ny.gov portal if you can't find the paper copy. Just log into your unemployment account and look for tax documents. The amount on the 1099-G goes on line 7 of your 1040 form where it says unemployment compensation.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
•wait so unemployment counts as regular income for taxes? I thought it was different
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Sienna Gomez
•Nope, it's treated just like wages for federal tax purposes. State taxes too in New York.
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Abigail bergen
ugh this is so confusing!! I got unemployment too but I never got any forms from anyone. How am I supposed to know what to report if they didn't send me anything?? This tax stuff is impossible to figure out
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Daryl Bright
•Check your my.ny.gov account first. If you still can't find your 1099-G, you can call NYS Department of Labor but you'll probably be on hold forever. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual person quickly when I needed my tax documents last year. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.
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Ahooker-Equator
Just went through this myself - if you had any federal taxes withheld it will show on your 1099-G. But even if you didn't withhold taxes you still have to report the full amount as income. I ended up owing about $1,200 because I didn't withhold enough during the year.
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Natalie Khan
•Oh no that's exactly what I'm worried about! Did you have to pay penalties too?
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Anderson Prospero
The whole tax system is rigged against working people. They tax unemployment benefits but give billionaires tax breaks. Makes no sense that people who lost their jobs have to pay taxes on the money that barely kept them afloat.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
•I mean I get why you're frustrated but unemployment is income replacement so it makes sense it would be taxed like income
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Lucas Notre-Dame
Just to add some practical advice - when you file your taxes, make sure you double-check that the amount on your 1099-G matches what you actually received. I had a discrepancy last year where the form showed more than I got, and it turned out there was an error in their system. Also, if you're worried about owing money, you might want to consider making estimated tax payments next time if you receive unemployment again. The IRS has a tool on their website to help calculate how much to withhold or pay quarterly.
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