Will I have to pay back unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor?
I've been receiving regular unemployment benefits for about 8 weeks now and everything seemed fine, but I keep hearing horror stories about people getting overpayment notices months later. I've been filing my weekly claims honestly and reporting the few temp jobs I've done. Should I be worried about having to pay back unemployment? What are the main reasons NYS Department of Labor makes people repay benefits? I'm already stressed about my job search and don't want to get hit with a surprise bill.
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Ryder Everingham
You only have to pay back benefits if there was an overpayment due to fraud, misreporting income, or if you weren't actually eligible when you received them. If you've been honest on your weekly claims and reported all work/earnings, you should be fine. The most common reasons for overpayments are: not reporting part-time work, being unavailable for work, or quitting without good cause.
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Aisha Jackson
•That's reassuring. I've definitely reported every single day I worked, even just a few hours here and there. Thanks for explaining the main reasons.
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Lilly Curtis
ugh this happened to my cousin last year - she got a notice saying she owed like $2800 because supposedly she didnt report some freelance work properly. took forever to appeal and get it sorted out
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Aisha Jackson
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about! Did she end up having to pay it back or did the appeal work?
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Lilly Curtis
•appeal worked but it took like 6 months and lots of paperwork. she had to prove she reported everything correctly
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Leo Simmons
The key is keeping good records of everything. Save screenshots of your weekly claim certifications, keep track of all the work you report, and document your job search activities. If NYS Department of Labor ever questions something, you'll have proof. Most overpayment issues come from people who either made honest mistakes or didn't understand the reporting requirements.
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Aisha Jackson
•Good point about keeping records. I haven't been taking screenshots but I'll start doing that now.
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Lindsey Fry
I was paranoid about this too when I was on unemployment. Honestly if you've been following the rules and being truthful, you're probably fine. The people who get in trouble are usually the ones who work under the table or don't report income they should have. Just make sure you understand what counts as reportable income - even small cash jobs need to be reported.
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Saleem Vaziri
If you're really worried about getting through to someone at NYS Department of Labor to double-check your claim status, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I couldn't get through their phone lines. They actually got me connected to a real person who could review my account. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Helped me get peace of mind about my claim.
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Aisha Jackson
•Thanks, I'll check that out if I need to talk to someone. The phone lines are always so busy when I try to call.
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Kayla Morgan
Yeah you should be good if youve been honest. The system flags weird stuff automatically anyway so if there was a problem youd probably know by now
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PixelPrincess
I went through something similar and was constantly worried about overpayments. What helped me was calling the NYS DOL office (when I finally got through) and asking them to review my account to make sure everything looked correct. They were actually pretty helpful and confirmed that as long as I was reporting accurately, I shouldn't worry. Also, keep in mind that if there ever is an issue, they have to give you proper notice and a chance to appeal before demanding repayment. The horror stories you hear are usually from people who either made mistakes or didn't respond to notices properly.
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Jamal Harris
•That's really helpful to know they'll actually review your account if you ask! I didn't know you could do that. It's good to hear that they have to give proper notice too - some of the stories I've heard made it sound like people just got surprise bills with no warning. I think I'm overthinking this because I've been so careful about reporting everything correctly.
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AstroAdventurer
Don't stress too much about it if you've been reporting everything honestly! I was on unemployment for about 6 months last year and had the same worries. The key thing is that NYS DOL has to prove you did something wrong - they can't just randomly decide you owe money. Most overpayment cases happen when people either don't report work income, work while claiming they're available, or provide false information. Since you mentioned you've been reporting your temp jobs, you're already doing the right thing. The system is actually pretty good at catching discrepancies early on, so if you were going to have issues, you'd likely know within a few weeks rather than months later.
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