When will I get my unemployment tax refund from NYS Department of Labor?
I filed my taxes back in February and I'm supposed to get a refund for unemployment taxes I paid in 2023. My tax preparer said the IRS and NYS both owed me money because they changed the rules about taxing unemployment benefits. It's been almost 6 months now and I still haven't received anything. Does anyone know how long these unemployment tax refunds are supposed to take? I really need this money to catch up on some bills.
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Sophia Carter
The unemployment tax refund process can be really confusing. Are you talking about the federal refund or the New York State refund? The IRS handled automatic refunds for 2020 unemployment benefits that were made tax-free up to $10,200, but that was mostly completed in 2021. For 2023, unemployment benefits are generally taxable again unless you're referring to a specific calculation error.
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Aaron Boston
•I think it was both federal and state. My tax guy said there was some adjustment they had to make for unemployment I received in 2023. Maybe I misunderstood what he meant?
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Chloe Zhang
wait i thought unemployment was always taxable? i had taxes taken out of mine automatically when i was collecting from NYS Department of Labor last year
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Brandon Parker
•You're right that unemployment is normally taxable. There was a special exemption for 2020 only where the first $10,200 was tax-free, but that's long over. If you had taxes withheld from your weekly claims in 2023, you should have gotten a 1099-G form from NYS Department of Labor showing the total benefits and taxes withheld.
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Aaron Boston
I'm getting really frustrated trying to figure this out. I've called the IRS three times and each person tells me something different. One said they don't see any refund pending, another said it could take up to a year to process. Has anyone actually gotten an unemployment-related tax refund recently?
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Adriana Cohn
•I had a similar issue with getting through to the right people at government agencies. I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to help me get connected to an actual IRS agent who could look up my specific case. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of being on hold and getting transferred around.
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Aaron Boston
•Thanks, I'll check that out. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get some answers about where my refund is.
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Jace Caspullo
Double check that you actually filed an amended return if that's what was needed. Sometimes tax preparers say they'll handle everything but don't actually file the amended forms. Also make sure you have your 1099-G from NYS Department of Labor - that's the key document that shows your unemployment income and any taxes that were withheld.
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Melody Miles
ugh the whole tax system is such a mess. i filed in january and still waiting on my regular refund nevermind anything unemployment related. good luck getting answers
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