Will NYS Department of Labor know if I drive for Uber while collecting unemployment?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and I'm thinking about doing some Uber driving to help with bills. I know I'm supposed to report any income but I'm wondering how the NYS Department of Labor would actually find out if I pick up some rides? Does Uber report drivers to the state automatically? I don't want to mess up my claim but I really need the extra money. Has anyone dealt with this situation?
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Amara Okafor
You absolutely need to report ALL income from Uber driving when you file your weekly claims. Uber issues 1099s for drivers who earn over $600 per year, and the IRS shares tax information with NYS Department of Labor. Even if you earn less than $600, you're still required to report it. Not reporting work income is considered fraud and can result in overpayment notices and benefit disqualification.
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Liam Sullivan
•Thanks for the info. So even if I only make like $50 in a week I have to report it? What happens to my unemployment payment that week?
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CosmicCommander
yeah they'll definitely find out, my cousin tried to hide his doordash income and got caught when they did an audit. he had to pay back like $2800 plus penalties
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Liam Sullivan
•Wow that's scary. How long did it take for them to catch him?
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CosmicCommander
•took about 8 months but when they got him it was bad, they wanted everything back immediately
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Giovanni Colombo
Here's how it works with gig work like Uber: when you file your weekly claim, you report the gross earnings from that week. NYS Department of Labor will reduce your unemployment benefit by 25% of whatever you earned. So if you normally get $400/week and earn $100 from Uber, they'll deduct $25 and you'll get $375 in unemployment. You can still work part-time while collecting as long as you report it properly.
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•Wait I thought they took away your whole benefit if you worked? This is news to me
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Giovanni Colombo
•No, there's a partial benefit formula. You can earn up to a certain amount before they start reducing benefits, then it's the 25% reduction formula after that.
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Dylan Cooper
Don't risk it honestly. The NYS Department of Labor has gotten really good at cross-referencing data. I tried calling them to ask about gig work rules but could never get through. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real NYS Department of Labor agent in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent explained all the rules about reporting gig income properly.
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Liam Sullivan
•That sounds helpful, I've been trying to call for weeks about this exact question. Did they charge you anything?
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Dylan Cooper
•Worth every penny to get accurate info instead of guessing and potentially messing up my claim.
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Sofia Ramirez
OMG I drive for Uber AND collect unemployment and never reported it!! Am I totally screwed?? I've probably made like $800 over the past month. Should I report it on my next weekly claim or is it too late???
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Amara Okafor
•You need to report it immediately on your next weekly claim and contact NYS Department of Labor to explain the situation. It's better to self-report than get caught in an audit. You may face some penalties but cooperation helps.
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Sofia Ramirez
•Thank you I'm going to call them first thing Monday morning and come clean about everything
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Dmitry Volkov
The system is SO messed up. They make it almost impossible to reach anyone to ask questions but expect you to follow all these complicated rules perfectly. Meanwhile people are just trying to survive and pay rent.
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CosmicCommander
•exactly! and then they act like you're trying to commit fraud when you just didn't understand the rules
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Haley Stokes
I just went through this exact situation last month! I started driving for Uber while on unemployment and was terrified about reporting it correctly. Here's what I learned: you MUST report every penny you earn, even $20. But the good news is you can still collect partial benefits. NYS has a formula where they let you keep most of your unemployment plus some of your earnings. For me, when I made $120 in a week from Uber, they only reduced my $380 weekly benefit by about $30. So I actually came out ahead! The key is being 100% honest on your weekly certification. Don't risk fraud charges over a few bucks - it's just not worth it.
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Cass Green
•This is really helpful to hear from someone who actually went through it! So you're saying I could potentially make more money overall by combining partial unemployment with Uber earnings? I was worried they'd just cut off my benefits completely if I worked at all. Did you have any issues when you first started reporting the Uber income, or did everything go smoothly with the weekly certifications?
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