What happens if you work and collect unemployment benefits in NY?

Thank you! That actually sounds better than I expected. Do I report this on my weekly certification or somewhere else on the NYS Department of Labor website?

This is so true. My cousin got an overpayment notice for $4,200 last year because she didn't report her weekend catering job. Now she's paying it back $50 per week out of her current benefits.

If you earn more than your weekly benefit rate plus $50, you won't receive any UI payment for that week. But your claim stays active - you just resume collecting when the temp job ends. You still need to file your weekly certification and report the work though.

I had the same problem until someone told me about Claimyr - it's a service that calls NYS Department of Labor for you and gets you connected to an actual agent. I used it at claimyr.com and got through in like 20 minutes instead of spending hours trying myself. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration.

Interesting, I might have to try that. This whole process is just so stressful when you can't get answers about something as basic as reporting work income.

@Paolo Bianchi This is really helpful advice! I m'in a similar boat - just started collecting UI and wondering about taking on some freelance work. When you say gross "earnings do" they mean before all deductions or just before taxes? Like if I do some contract work and have to pay for my own supplies/materials, can I deduct those costs or do I report the full amount the client pays me?

@Zoe Papanikolaou For NYS unemployment, you report the gross amount the client pays you - that s'the full payment before any taxes or deductions. Unfortunately, you can t'subtract business expenses like supplies or materials when reporting to the Department of Labor. They want to see your total earnings, not your net profit. However, you can still deduct those business expenses on your tax return later. I learned this the hard way when I was doing some graphic design work while on UI - I initially tried to report only my profit "after" deducting software costs and the DOL rep told me that was incorrect. Just report what the client actually paid you, even if you had to spend some of that on materials.

@Zoe Papanikolaou For freelance/contract work, NYS Department of Labor typically wants you to report the gross amount you receive from clients - so the full payment before any taxes. However, for legitimate business expenses like supplies or materials that are directly required for the work, you can usually deduct those. The key is keeping detailed records and receipts. I d'recommend documenting everything carefully and maybe trying that Claimyr service @Amara Eze mentioned to get through to an actual DOL agent for clarification on your specific situation. Freelance income can get tricky with deductions and they ll want'to see you re reporting'it correctly from the start.

@Zoe Papanikolaou For freelance/contract work, you generally need to report the gross amount the client pays you - before taxes but also before business expenses. NYS Department of Labor doesn t'typically allow you to deduct supplies or materials when reporting earnings for UI purposes. However, if you re'self-employed and have significant business expenses, there might be special rules that apply. I d'recommend checking the NYS DOL website or using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get a definitive answer from an agent, since freelance income can be trickier than regular W-2 employment.