Who pays my unemployment benefits - NYS Department of Labor or my former employer?

Your unemployment benefits are paid by the NYS Department of Labor using funds from the unemployment insurance trust fund. Your employer doesn't directly pay your weekly checks - they pay unemployment insurance taxes throughout the year that go into this fund. Your former employer can't stop your payments once you're approved, but they can contest your initial claim if they believe you weren't eligible.

Think of it like this - employers pay into the unemployment system kind of like insurance premiums. When you file a claim, it can affect their future tax rates (called their experience rating), but they're not writing you a check directly. The state handles all the payments from the pooled funds.

Your employer will get notified when you file for benefits and they have a chance to respond if they think you shouldn't qualify. But once the NYS Department of Labor approves your claim, the payments come from the state trust fund. I had trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to confirm my claim status last month, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made it so much easier than trying to call myself.

wait so if my employer pays unemployment taxes does that mean they can see how much money im getting each week?? this is making me paranoid

The whole system is funded by employer contributions but administered by the state. It's designed to be independent so your former employer can't control your benefits once you're approved.