Will unemployment find out if I worked while claiming NYS Department of Labor benefits?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and I'm wondering how thorough NYS Department of Labor is about checking if people work while claiming. My friend said they cross-reference with employers but I'm not sure if that's true. Does anyone know what kind of tracking they actually do? I'm asking because I might have an opportunity for some temporary work but I want to make sure I understand the reporting requirements properly.
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Miguel Alvarez
Yes, NYS Department of Labor absolutely tracks this through multiple systems. They get quarterly wage reports from all employers, cross-check with Social Security records, and even coordinate with other state agencies. You MUST report any work on your weekly claim certification, even if it's just one day or a few hours. The penalties for not reporting work can include overpayment demands, disqualification, and even fraud charges.
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CyberSiren
•Thanks for the info. So even if I work just one day I need to report it? What if the pay doesn't come until after I file my weekly claim?
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Zainab Yusuf
They definitely find out eventually. I learned this the hard way when I did some cash work thinking it wouldn't show up anywhere. Three months later I got a notice saying I owed back $2,800 plus penalties. The employer had reported my wages even though they paid me in cash. NYS Department of Labor has access to way more data than most people realize.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Wow that's scary. Did you have to pay it all back at once or did they set up a payment plan?
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Zainab Yusuf
•They gave me the option to appeal or set up a payment plan. I ended up doing the payment plan because I couldn't afford to pay it all back immediately.
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Yara Khoury
The system is pretty sophisticated now. When you work, you report it on your weekly certification and they reduce your benefit amount based on how much you earned. It's actually better to be honest because you can still get partial benefits if you work part-time. If you try to hide work and they catch you later, the consequences are much worse than just the reduced benefits.
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CyberSiren
•That makes sense. I guess I was overthinking it. Better to just follow the rules and report everything properly.
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Keisha Taylor
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask questions about reporting work, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach a live agent. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I used it last month when I had questions about reporting temporary work and it saved me hours of trying to call.
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StardustSeeker
•Never heard of that before. Sounds too good to be true tbh
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Keisha Taylor
•I was skeptical too but it actually worked. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or having the system hang up on you.
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Paolo Marino
just be honest about it... my cousin tried to hide some side work and got caught when they audited his claim randomly. not worth the stress
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