NYS Department of Labor remuneration definition - what does this mean for my unemployment claim?
I'm filling out my weekly claim certification and there's a question about whether I received any 'remuneration' during the week. I understand wages and salary but what exactly counts as remuneration for NYS Department of Labor purposes? I did some freelance graphic design work and got paid $200 but I'm not sure if that's considered remuneration or just casual income. Also got a small severance check from my previous employer that I'm supposed to report. Really don't want to mess this up and get my claim flagged for review.
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Xan Dae
Remuneration is basically any payment you receive for work or services. This includes wages, salary, tips, commissions, freelance payments, and yes - severance pay. The $200 from your graphic design work definitely counts and needs to be reported on your weekly claim. NYS Department of Labor wants to know about ALL income during your claim week, not just regular employment.
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Isaiah Sanders
•Thanks for clarifying! So even though the freelance work was just a one-time thing, I still need to report it?
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Fiona Gallagher
yeah i had the same confusion about this term. basically if you got paid for any kind of work during the week you're claiming benefits for, that's remuneration. doesn't matter if it's from your regular job, side gig, consulting, whatever. they want to know about it all
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Thais Soares
The NYS Department of Labor defines remuneration very broadly. It includes wages, salaries, commissions, tips, bonuses, severance pay, vacation pay, holiday pay, sick pay, and payments for freelance or contract work. Even if you haven't received the payment yet but you've earned it during the claim week, you're supposed to report it. The key is whether you performed work or services during that specific week.
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Nalani Liu
•Wait, so if I earned money in a previous week but got paid this week, do I report it for this week or the week I actually did the work?
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Thais Soares
•You report it for the week you actually performed the work, not when you received payment. The NYS Department of Labor cares about when you worked, not when you got paid.
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Axel Bourke
I've been dealing with similar questions about reporting income and had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to clarify. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo showing how it works at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI. The agent was able to explain exactly what I needed to report and helped me avoid any issues with my claim.
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Isaiah Sanders
•That's really helpful! I've been trying to call for days and just get busy signals or get disconnected.
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Aidan Percy
The whole remuneration thing is SO confusing! Like why can't they just say 'income' or 'money you earned'?? I reported everything I could think of but still worried I missed something and they'll say I committed fraud or something scary like that.
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Fernanda Marquez
Better to over-report than under-report. If you're not sure whether something counts as remuneration, include it. NYS Department of Labor will adjust your benefits accordingly but won't penalize you for being thorough. It's when you don't report income that you can get into trouble.
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Dylan Baskin
I went through this exact same situation last month! The NYS Department of Labor considers any payment for work or services as remuneration, so your $200 freelance payment definitely needs to be reported. Same with the severance check - that's actually one of the most common things people forget to report. When I was unsure about what to include, I called and they told me it's always better to report something you're not sure about than to leave it off. They can always adjust your benefit amount, but not reporting income can cause way bigger problems down the line. Just be honest and thorough on your weekly certification!
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