NYS Department of Labor unemployment tax question - do churches pay unemployment tax for employees?
I just got laid off from my church secretary position last month and filed for unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor. My claim was approved but then I got a notice saying there might be an issue with my employer's tax status. The adjudication letter mentioned something about 'religious organization exemptions' but didn't explain what that means. Does anyone know if churches actually pay into the unemployment system? I'm worried this could affect my weekly claims or cause an overpayment situation later.
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ApolloJackson
Churches and religious organizations in New York can choose whether to participate in the unemployment insurance system. If they elect coverage, they pay unemployment taxes like other employers. If they don't elect coverage, their employees typically can't collect unemployment benefits. The NYS Department of Labor has to verify your church's election status before processing your claim fully.
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Grace Patel
•Thanks for explaining! So they're checking if my church actually paid into the system? How long does this verification usually take?
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Isabella Russo
omg same thing happened to my friend who worked at a synagogue, took like 6 weeks for them to figure it out and she did get benefits in the end so don't panic yet
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Grace Patel
•6 weeks?? I really hope it doesn't take that long, I have bills to pay.
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Rajiv Kumar
I had a nightmare trying to reach NYS Department of Labor about a similar religious exemption question. Couldn't get through their phone lines for weeks. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real agent. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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Aria Washington
•Never heard of that service but honestly at this point I'll try anything to get answers about my adjudication.
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Liam O'Reilly
The whole religious exemption thing is such a mess! I worked for a Catholic school for 3 years and when they laid me off during budget cuts, turns out they never elected unemployment coverage. Had to scramble to find other assistance programs while looking for work.
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ApolloJackson
•That's frustrating but unfortunately common. Religious organizations often don't realize they need to make that election when they start hiring employees.
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Chloe Delgado
Keep filing your weekly claims while this gets sorted out! Even if there's an adjudication issue, you don't want to miss your filing dates. The NYS Department of Labor can always adjust payments retroactively if your church's coverage gets verified.
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Sean Kelly
I went through something similar when I worked at a Methodist church. The verification process can be nerve-wracking but hang in there! In my case, it turned out the church had elected coverage years ago but there was some paperwork mix-up in the system. The DOL eventually straightened it out and I received all my back benefits. Make sure you keep documenting everything - save all your correspondence and take screenshots of your online account status. If you have any old pay stubs from the church, check if they show unemployment tax deductions (SUTA) - that would be a good sign they were paying into the system.
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