Why did I get a 1099-G from Washington ESD if I didn't receive unemployment benefits?

That's so frustrating! How am I supposed to contact them though? I've been trying to call for weeks about other issues and can never get through.

Yeah the phone lines are impossible. I've been trying to reach someone about my adjudication for over a month.

I checked and there's nothing showing any payments were ever made. My claim status just shows 'Denied' from back in April.

Then definitely sounds like an error on their end. You'll need that corrected before filing your taxes.

How does that work exactly? Do you have to give them all your personal information?

Not really, it's pretty straightforward. They just need enough info to get you connected to the right department. Way easier than sitting on hold for hours.

Sounds too good to be true. How much does something like that cost?

Should I still file my taxes normally or wait until this gets resolved? I don't want to get audited over income I never received.

You can file normally - just don't report the unemployment income since you didn't receive it. But definitely get the 1099-G corrected ASAP in case the IRS questions the discrepancy.

How did she finally get it resolved? Did she have to go through the appeal process or was there another way?

she ended up having to mail them a letter with copies of all her documents showing the claim was denied. took forever but they eventually sent a corrected form

Have you been able to get in touch with anyone to fix it? This is so stressful with tax season coming up.

Not yet. I've tried calling probably 50 times. Someone mentioned that Claimyr service - might have to try that at this point.

Yeah, that's what I used. Really did work for getting through to the right person about 1099-G corrections.

It's probably some automated system that doesn't sync properly with their adjudication database. Typical government IT problems.

Well it's causing real problems for people trying to file their taxes correctly. Someone needs to be held accountable for this.

Do you know if there's a specific phone number for that department? Or do I have to go through the main line?

Unfortunately, it's usually through the main customer service line, which is why it's so hard to reach them. That's the main frustration with Washington ESD - everything funnels through the same overloaded phone system.

I don't think so - my claim was denied pretty early in the process due to work history issues. But I'll double-check my bank statements to be sure.

Good idea. Also check if there were any automatic deposits that got reversed. Sometimes those create phantom payments in their system.

That's really good advice. I do have the denial letter and screenshots of my claim status, so hopefully that will be enough documentation.

Yeah, that should be sufficient to get the 1099-G corrected. Just be persistent with them.

Form 4852? I've never heard of that. Is that something I file with the IRS directly?

yes its a substitute form when you have incorrect w-2 or 1099 info. your tax preparer should know about it or you can get it from irs.gov

Correct - Form 4852 is the substitute for Form W-2/1099 when you receive incorrect information documents. Good backup option if Washington ESD won't fix the 1099-G in time for filing.

Wouldn't surprise me. Every time they 'upgrade' something it breaks ten other things.

There were definitely some system issues during the migration. Could be contributing to these 1099-G discrepancies.

I'm going to try that. I can't keep spending hours every day trying to call Washington ESD myself.

Thanks for the update. I think I need to look into this too since I'm not getting anywhere with regular calls.

Oh wow, I hadn't thought of that. How would I check for identity theft on my unemployment claim?

You can check your eServices account for any claims you didn't file, and also check your credit report for any unusual activity. Washington ESD has an identity theft reporting process too.

If you never received any payments and your claim was properly denied, you shouldn't get a 1099-G. But keep an eye out just in case - seems like Washington ESD's systems are glitchy this year.

thanks, i'll keep checking my mail. this is all so confusing

6-8 weeks?! That's going to push me past the tax filing deadline. Did you have to file an extension?

I ended up filing with the incorrect info and then amending my return when I got the corrected form. Wasn't ideal but it worked out.

I looked at mine and box 1 shows $4,200 but box 2 is blank. So it's definitely showing as if I received the full amount.

Then yeah, that's definitely an error that needs to be corrected. Box 2 should show any repayments or adjustments.

Exactly! And we're the ones who have to spend hours trying to fix their mistakes.

There should be some kind of penalty for government agencies that issue incorrect tax documents. This creates real problems for taxpayers.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'm going to try the Claimyr service tomorrow and see if I can finally get through to someone who can fix this mess.

Good luck! Hope you get it resolved quickly. Let us know how it goes.