How to find unemployment insurance employer account number for NYS Department of Labor claim
I'm trying to file my unemployment claim and the NYS Department of Labor system is asking for my employer's unemployment insurance account number. My former employer didn't give me this information when I was laid off last month, and I can't find it anywhere on my pay stubs or W-2. Does anyone know where I can locate this number? I tried calling my old HR department but they haven't gotten back to me yet and I'm worried about missing the deadline to file my claim.
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Vincent Bimbach
You don't actually need your employer's UI account number to file your initial claim with NYS Department of Labor. The system will ask for your employer's business name, address, and your dates of employment. The NYS Department of Labor will match your employer internally using their database. Just make sure you have the exact business name as it appears on your paystubs.
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Skylar Neal
•Really? The online form seemed like it was requiring that field. Maybe I was looking at the wrong section. I'll try again without it.
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Kelsey Chin
yeah i had the same problem when i filed. just put in the company name and address exactly as it shows on your last paystub and skip the account number field if its not required. the nys department of labor has all the employer info already
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Norah Quay
If you absolutely need the employer account number for some reason, you can find it on the employer's quarterly wage reports or unemployment tax returns, but as an employee you typically wouldn't have access to those documents. The NYS Department of Labor primarily uses the Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number) and business name to identify employers in their system. Your W-2 should have the EIN which is more useful than the state UI account number.
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Leo McDonald
•Where exactly on the W-2 is the EIN located? I'm looking at mine now but there's so many numbers on this thing.
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Norah Quay
•The EIN is in box b on your W-2, labeled as 'Employer identification number.' It's a 9-digit number in the format XX-XXXXXXX.
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Jessica Nolan
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone when I needed help with my claim filing. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was way easier than sitting on hold for hours trying to get someone to answer basic questions about the claim process.
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Skylar Neal
•How much does that cost? I'm already stressed about money since being laid off.
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Jessica Nolan
•I found it worth it just to avoid the phone frustration and get actual answers quickly. The stress relief alone was valuable for me.
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Angelina Farar
This whole system is so confusing!!! Why can't they just make it simple like every other state?? I spent 3 hours yesterday trying to figure out how to file and kept getting error messages. The NYS Department of Labor website feels like it was designed to keep people from actually getting benefits.
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Sebastián Stevens
Most of the time when people think they need the employer UI account number, they're actually looking at old instructions or forms. The current NYS Department of Labor online system at my.ny.gov uses employer name matching. Just be very precise with the company name - if it's 'ABC Corporation' on your paystub, don't put 'ABC Corp' in the system.
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Chloe Green
Just went through this same situation last week! @Skylar Neal you definitely don't need the employer UI account number to file your initial claim. I was panicking about the same thing but it turns out the NYS system just needs your employer's exact business name, their address, and your employment dates. Make sure you use the EXACT name from your paystubs - don't abbreviate anything. The Department of Labor will handle the matching on their end. I was able to file successfully without any employer account numbers. Don't stress about the deadline - as long as you have your basic employment info, you should be good to go!
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NebulaNova
•Thanks so much @Chloe Green! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I was getting really anxious about potentially missing my filing window because I couldn't get that account number. I'll go back into the system tonight and just focus on getting the employer name exactly right from my paystubs. Really appreciate everyone's help here - this community is a lifesaver when dealing with all this bureaucracy!
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Maggie Martinez
I went through this exact same headache a few months ago when I got laid off from my retail job. Like everyone else is saying, you definitely don't need that employer UI account number to file your initial claim. The NYS system can be really confusing because some of the older help pages still mention it, but the current online filing process at my.ny.gov just needs your employer's business name exactly as it appears on your paystubs, their address, and your employment dates. I made the mistake of trying to abbreviate my company's name the first time and got an error, but once I put in the full legal name it went through fine. Don't let this delay your filing - you've got enough to worry about after being laid off without stressing over information you don't actually need!
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Raj Gupta
•@Maggie Martinez thank you for sharing your experience! It s'really helpful to know that others have been through this same confusion. I m'definitely going to be extra careful about using the exact company name from my paystubs when I file tonight. It s'such a relief to know that multiple people have successfully filed without that account number - I was starting to think I was missing something important. The stress of being unemployed is enough without having to navigate confusing government systems!
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