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UGH the federal unemployment tax act is such a mess!! My employer went out of business and apparently never paid their unemployment taxes properly. Now I'm stuck dealing with NYS Department of Labor trying to figure out my benefits while I can barely pay rent. The whole system is broken!!!
If you're worried about getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check your eligibility or ask questions, I used claimyr.com when I couldn't get anyone on the phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It's way easier than trying to call during their busy hours and getting hung up on.
Wait, are you looking at state unemployment rates or individual unemployment claims? Because if you're trying to get data about actual claims filed with NYS Department of Labor, that's totally different from the overall unemployment percentage for the state. I was confused about this too when I was doing research.
If you need help accessing NYS Department of Labor data or have questions about their statistics, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to someone at the department who could point me to the right resources. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Sometimes calling directly gets you better guidance than just searching their website.
Actually this is relevant since understanding how unemployment taxes work helps explain how the system is funded. Your FUTA payments go into the federal unemployment trust fund, while your NYS Department of Labor payments fund the state benefits. When people have issues getting through to NYS Department of Labor for claim questions, services like claimyr.com can help connect you directly to agents. They have a good demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.
Oscar O'Neil
If you're having trouble understanding NYS Department of Labor terminology or need to speak with someone about your claim status, I had luck using Claimyr to get through to an actual agent. The phone lines are always busy but their service helped me connect without waiting on hold forever. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI and the site is claimyr.com if you want to check it out.
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JaylinCharles
•Thanks! I might need that if I run into more confusing stuff. The website is pretty overwhelming with all the different sections.
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Sara Hellquiem
Claimant is just legal speak for 'person filing the claim.' You'll also see terms like 'benefit year' and 'base period' that sound complicated but are really straightforward once you understand them. The NYS Department of Labor website has a glossary somewhere that explains all these terms if you want to get familiar with them.
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