NY unemployment tax refund amounts for 2025 - when will we get them?

The $10,200 unemployment tax exclusion was only for the 2020 tax year as part of the American Rescue Plan. There's currently no similar exclusion for 2024 taxes (filing in 2025). All unemployment benefits are fully taxable at the federal level unless something changes with new legislation. NYS does follow federal guidelines on this. As for refund timing - there's no special refund happening for unemployment recipients this year since there's no exclusion currently in place. Standard refund processing times apply - typically 21 days for e-filed returns if there are no issues with your return.

i got unemployment last year and i didnt have anything withheld, am i gonna owe a ton? this is so confusing

The 10,200 exclusion was ONLY for 2020 tax year (filed in 2021) because of COVID. NY State followed the federal guidelines on this. For 2024 taxes, all unemployment benefits are fully taxable unless Congress passes new legislation. If you're concerned about owing taxes, you can still adjust your withholding on current benefits by submitting Form W-4V to request 10% federal tax withholding. NY State taxes can be withheld too if you request it. For anyone who needs help with NY unemployment issues, including tax questions, getting through to an actual person at NYSDOL is crucial. I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when I was desperate to talk to someone about my claim issues. They got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

WAIT SO THEY'RE NOT DOING THE TAX BREAK THING ANYMORE???? I was counting on that!! I got laid off in November and have been on unemployment since then. This is going to COMPLETELY mess up my finances!!! Why don't they tell people this stuff?!?!

I went through this confusion last year too. The standard rule is that unemployment benefits are fully taxable, both federally and for New York state. The $10,200 exclusion was a one-time thing specifically for 2020 due to the pandemic (which you filed in 2021). If you didn't have enough withheld, you might want to make an estimated tax payment now to avoid underpayment penalties. You can do this through the IRS Direct Pay system and NYS has a similar option. As for refund timing - if you're expecting a refund for other reasons, the IRS typically issues refunds within 21 days for electronic returns. New York state usually takes 2-3 weeks. However, if your return gets flagged for review (which happens randomly), it could take months. My brother's return was held up for verification last year and it took 11 weeks to get his refund.

I had unemployment for 3 months early last year and just did my taxes. ALL of it was taxable. No special exclusions. The tax preparer told me this happens to ppl every year - they hear about some special tax break from a different year and think it still applies. My refund came in 18 days btw.

so wait is NY state taxing unemployment differently than federal? im so confused

my cousin said he got a tax break on unemployment last year but maybe he was talking about something else???

Thanks everyone for clearing this up! I'm definitely going to adjust my expectations for my tax return. I had about 4 months of unemployment last year and had the 10% withholding, but I'll set aside some extra money just in case that wasn't enough. Really appreciate all the information!