What documents to submit for NY unemployment income verification - W2 only or include paystubs?

Just your W2s should be sufficient in most cases. That's what the NYSDOL primarily looks for since it shows your annual income in an official format. I sent only my W2s last quarter and my verification was processed within 10 business days. The paystubs are usually only necessary if you don't have W2s or if there's some discrepancy they need to verify.

i just sent my w2s last month, nothing else. got approved no problems

I was in your EXACT situation back in February. I overthought it and ended up sending W2s, four months of paystubs, AND my 1040. Guess what? Total overkill! The determination letter specifically mentioned they only used my W2 information for the calculation. Save yourself the hassle and just send the W2s unless you had multiple employers or inconsistent income.

I uploaded mine through the online portal. Much faster than mail, and you get a confirmation number right away.

W2 only here and got approved. My brother sent paystubs too and they actually delayed his claim by 2 weeks because they said they had to "reconcile" the different documents. Less is more with NYSDOL lol

MAKE SURE you keep copies of EVERYTHING you send them!!!! I sent just my W2 last year and they claimed they never received it, even though I had a confirmation number. Then they wanted me to repay $4,200 because they said I "failed to provide documentation"!!! Took me THREE MONTHS to get it resolved and I had to keep calling every single day. The system is BROKEN!!!

Had to threaten to contact my state rep before they suddenly "found" my documents. The whole time they had them!! Just incompetence.

DOL claims representative here. For standard W-2 employees, just the W-2 is sufficient for income verification in most cases. We only need paystubs in specific circumstances: 1. If your W-2 doesn't match our wage records 2. If you worked for multiple employers 3. If you had variable income throughout the year 4. If you're claiming income that doesn't appear on a W-2 Sending extra documentation when not needed can actually slow down processing as it requires additional review. My recommendation: Start with just the W-2, and if we need additional documentation, we'll specifically request it. Also important: Make sure you're sending documents for the correct base period. For claims filed in May 2025, we're typically looking at your earnings from January-December 2024, not 2023.

Just want to add something important - make sure the copies you send are completely legible! My first submission was rejected because the scan was too faint. They're really strict about being able to read all the numbers clearly.

anyone else notice how the deadline dates keep changing from year to year? last year it was june 30, now may 15? so annoying they can't keep anything consistent

Just as a follow-up: I noticed in your original post you mentioned sending 2023 earnings for a 2025 claim. As the claims rep pointed out, you'll likely need 2024 earnings documentation instead. The base period for unemployment calculations is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. Double-check your notice to confirm exactly which year they're requesting.