Will driving for Uber Eats affect my NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and I'm thinking about doing some Uber Eats deliveries to make extra money. I know I have to report any work but I'm confused about how gig work like this affects my weekly claim certification. Do I report it as wages even though it's independent contractor work? Will it reduce my benefits dollar for dollar or is there some kind of allowance? I don't want to mess up my claim status but I really need the extra income right now.
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Liam O'Sullivan
Yes, you absolutely need to report ALL income from Uber Eats on your weekly claim certification. Even though you're technically an independent contractor, NYS Department of Labor considers this work and it will affect your benefits. You report the gross amount you earned during the week you actually received payment, not when you did the deliveries. There's a partial benefit formula - you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit rate without any reduction, then it's dollar for dollar after that.
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Mei Liu
•So if my weekly benefit is $400, I could earn up to $100 from Uber Eats without losing any unemployment? That's actually not too bad.
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Amara Chukwu
be careful with the timing though!! i made this mistake when i was doing doordash last year. you report the income for the week you GET PAID not the week you worked. uber eats usually pays weekly so just keep track of when the deposits hit your account
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Mei Liu
•Good point about the timing. I wasn't thinking about that. So if I work Monday-Sunday but get paid the following Tuesday, I report it on the claim for the week I got paid?
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Liam O'Sullivan
•Exactly right. NYS Department of Labor goes by when you receive the payment, not when you performed the work.
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Giovanni Conti
I've been doing Uber Eats while on unemployment for 3 months now and it's been working out okay. Just make sure you're still available for full time work and actively job searching. The job search requirement is still 3 activities per week even if you're doing gig work. Also keep really good records because if you get audited later you'll need to show exactly what you earned and when.
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Mei Liu
•Are you still meeting the job search requirements? I'm worried about having time to apply for jobs if I'm driving a lot.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
The whole system is so confusing! I tried calling NYS Department of Labor to ask about this exact same thing and spent 2 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Has anyone actually gotten through to them recently? I need to know if I can start doing Instacart without messing up my benefits.
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NeonNova
•I had the same problem trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about gig work questions. What finally worked for me was using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that calls on your behalf and gets you connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was able to get clarification on my specific situation within a day instead of spending weeks trying to get through myself.
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Dylan Campbell
Just want to add that you still need to be available for full time work. If you're driving Uber Eats 40+ hours a week, that could be an issue if NYS Department of Labor thinks you're not genuinely looking for regular employment. Keep it part time and make sure you can still accept interview offers during normal business hours.
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Sofia Hernandez
ugh the reporting is such a pain but yeah you have to do it. i learned the hard way when i got an overpayment notice for not reporting my grubhub earnings properly. just be honest about everything and keep screenshots of your earnings
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CosmicCaptain
I'm in a similar situation and have been hesitant to start any gig work because I'm worried about making mistakes with reporting. From what everyone's saying here, it sounds like the key things are: 1) Report ALL income when you receive payment, not when you work, 2) You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit without reduction, 3) Keep detailed records, and 4) Still maintain availability for full-time work and job search activities. Has anyone had issues with NYS Department of Labor questioning whether gig work makes you "unavailable" for regular employment? I'm thinking of just doing a few hours on weekends but want to make sure that won't flag anything.
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