What are /r/Unemployment's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Just want to drop a comment saying you're not alone. Please hang in there. Can you visit a food pantry in the meantime? I am shocked and disgusted that they are letting everything expire in December, but I feel so totally helpless. If you just need someone to talk to or listen this is a link to free therapy a friend recently shared with me - https://www.7cups.com/

I've been making a point of including a calendly.com link in my job applications. "If this sounds like a promising match, my calendar is open for scheduling here." Calendly lets people see my availability and schedule appointments directly on my personal calendar (supports: Google Calendar, Office 365, Outlook and iCloud). The free tier supports one personal calendar to connect and it's been plenty sufficient for my needs.

My vet has been using my calendly link to schedule appointments for me as well, so hopefully the employers you've been dealing with can figure out how to use it too.

As I've pointed out in multiple threads about this issue, April 17th was the last week the 20-week state extension was valid since New Jersey's UI claim numbers dropped, so they transitioned to the federal extension. IF the system mistakenly dropped some of you because of that, instead of transitioning you to the federal extension, you will have to talk to someone about that. Try using their "Send us an online request for information" form if you can't get them on the phone.

Here is a link to a submission for identifying your identity with Michigan Works!

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=LJXAkY3QHEG4FN-a9mxXjqQM4yYBiclLmuDc2D7febpUQzczMlpHNVo4SlZXMVZNMk9BUlpERFFLMCQlQCN0PWcu

This is the form for inquiries that our reddit colleages sent to me today

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

you can file even if you made 1$, actually you can (and even should) file if you made a negative amount, as a loss. the rule is if you make over 400$ in a year in self employment income you have to file, less than that you dont technically have to file, but you can. and for this specific circumstances of crazy 2020, you probably should.

but at this point you can only look to what you can do from this point moving forward- and i think thats to reconstruct books for 2019 and 2020. get some accounting software and whatever records/calender you have, get your bank statements that may show income and expenses and do books as best as you can remember from both years.

theres obviously quickbooks, but i don't recommend it, it isnt very intutive to use for a newbie. i recommend this free online accounting software ---> https://www.waveapps.com/

theres others too, and many of them are free to use. but yeah...you dont have to use something like that, you can do your books in a simple style with just a running document that has everything listed...but accounting software helps.

once you have done all the data entry, you can draw reports, and make a profit and loss for 2019, and one for 2020 while you are at it. the profit and loss report will draw from all the info you entered, and its basically a summary of all your business receipts.

it also adds up everything for the year...so you can use this to file taxes for 2019 and 2020. you can still file late taxes for both those years. once you do this...you will have a profit loss report, and schedule C and 1040 for both years. that should be acceptable for an appeal.

>I'd like to pursue training in tableau and a certification in project management.

Official Tableau licenses and training are free for students.

You might want to look into a certificate program in project management through one of the public colleges or universities there.

Big hint.

What degree did you get? I bought this book called https://www.amazon.com/Worthless-Young-Persons-Indispensable-Choosing/dp/1467978302

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Basically if you aren't in stem or you aren't a naturally amazin artist then don't go to college. You might get lucky in Journalism but much else you;re fucked.

1. Get an auto-redial app. I recommend this one [for Android]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.lithiums.autodialer

2. Set the app to call: 855 327 7057

3. Set the app to dial the extension "#".

4. Set the app to make 50 or so calls with no delay between calls

5. Start the app. It should connect, and when the extension gets entered it skips directly to the moment of truth where you either get put on hold or get hit with "we are currently receiving more calls than we can answer..."

6. If you start to get the "too many calls" message, end the call [manually, with your finger] and the app will immediately try again.

This is the most efficient way to get a human that I've found after many months of research and experimentation.

from reading your post I feel like you are depressed, I have been there with the help of therapist and really nice book by David Burns "Feeling Good" I get over it, I highly recommend you to get this book: https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336

Please read it! Main idea is, you don't suck, your life doesn't suck, it is just your thoughts about your life sucks. When you overcome that thoughts, your life will be different, Mr Burns teach you how to get over that thoughts which lead to depression.

> seeing everyone else be great while u alone

Keep in mind, some people try to show that they have everything, but in reality, everyone has their own problems.

Please read the book!

I’ve been laid off since last March because of the pandemic, and I’ve come to learn how screwed up our ui system is. Many people have been without pay for months, and this is not right. I’ve gone without pay a couple of times. The first time was because some people had defrauded ui in Massachusetts, and then the other time was when 45 took his sweet time signing the last Covid relief bill. I was without pay, and the bills were still coming in. Manchin keeping our extra benefits at $300 has caused problems because I have to decide which bills to pay, how much and when. I belong to this group on Facebook called Unemployed Action. We’re a group made up of people that are laid off due to the pandemic. We will be having workshops on Wednesdays this month to discuss how to fix the ui system. You are welcome to join us as you have experience with this. Here is the link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrd-6sqTojG9daf2P5ldjI9jyexx0uPZ8w?fbclid=IwAR3lWCNkQTl5xgVs1KKyOeMox6MY-HHKufxPZEe-dFw10Vcuji3msQwknHE

That’s tragic and just so wrong, especially with all the new Covid variants out there. I’m unemployed because of the pandemic, too. It’s stressful for me because we have to keep fighting for our benefits every few months, and each state is different, with all these complex rules in place that everyone all over the country has to abide by. The rules are intentionally made confusing. Getting only that $300 instead of that $400 makes it harder for me to pay my bills. Like everyone else, I have to decide which bills to pay, when and how much. It’s stressful. I lost benefits for a short period of time at the end of December, as did others. This has not been an easy process. I belong to this group on Facebook called Unemployed Action. We are made up of people who have been laid off because of the pandemic. We will be having workshops on Wednesday this month to discuss how to fix this crazy and difficult ui system so we don’t have to keep going to congress every few months to fight for crumbs. If you would like to join us, here is the link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrd-6sqTojG9daf2P5ldjI9jyexx0uPZ8w?fbclid=IwAR1PNf_Rp_h_iHTE2kTZ-FiAeeDLIB3uHxQOYwFaMcqHxmSc_AKSGT9VKOk

I agree. I’ve been unemployed for a year because of the pandemic, and I’ve come to see just how little Republicans care about our personal health. They just want us to go back to work at low paying jobs, or at jobs that don’t pay us what we’re worth in work environments that may or may not be safe, regardless of Covid. I belong to this group on Facebook called Unemployed Action, which is made up of people unemployed due to the pandemic. We will be having workshops this month on Wednesdays to discuss how to fix the ui system. If you’re interested, this is the link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrd-6sqTojG9daf2P5ldjI9jyexx0uPZ8w?fbclid=IwAR1PNf_Rp_h_iHTE2kTZ-FiAeeDLIB3uHxQOYwFaMcqHxmSc_AKSGT9VKOk

I, too, am an unemployed person because of the pandemic. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Ossoff and Warnock! Thank you to everyone who voted for them. As many of you know, our unemployment system is broken. I belong to a group on Facebook called Unemployed Action. A lot people have been anxious about the Covid relief package and this tax season, me being one of them. We will be having workshops on Wednesdays this month to discuss how to fix the unemployment system. We need everyone’s input. It’s frustrating to have to fight Congress every few months just to get a paltry sum of money. Here is the link for anyone who is interested: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrd-6sqTojG9daf2P5ldjI9jyexx0uPZ8w?fbclid=IwAR1PNf_Rp_h_iHTE2kTZ-FiAeeDLIB3uHxQOYwFaMcqHxmSc_AKSGT9VKOk

Hey guys, as part of my university research, a group of us have put together a resource and discussion page for COVID-19 related issues. Check it out here if you're curious: https://www.notion.so/Homeowners-6784dd45744a41aa975c597e09ecca1a

https://www.yahoo.com/money/bipartisan-group-splits-stimulus-220109280.html

Light at the end of the tunnel for some.

Email your senators, on both sides, and succinctly explain to them why not passing the big one is a really bad thing.

That said, seriously job hunt.

If not the Howard's appliances I posted earlier, indeed.com, edd jobs site, Amazon turk and Amazon jobs, local target/Wal-Mart/supermarkets,

Put football skills to use https://zapier.com/blog/online-course-platforms/

Black hat seo forums

Etc

It's on their Contact Us section under "Send us an online request for information." It may just result in them telling you to wait for someone to contact you but at least you'll get something back.

There is a link for an online form to fill out for PUA questions. I filled that out about 6 weeks ago and was updated the next day and paid two days after that. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xPz4UNiUB0-E6zbtV8fIoqG3mGFuJWBFs97bw6hzRGNUMERHR01TNVBXSEJITVpWVEJaMkFOWDFJUy4u&fbclid=IwAR0x91shfOPGnTFG9yOPAOAX_0k909P8R6tBtCr_QXbEX480lbzgTuquSrU

L&W does have a new MS Forms form that you can submit. It implies a call back:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

You shouldn't have any penalty for moving within the country -- as long as you are Able and Available, and certify weekly.

609-292-0695. Good luck not having them hang up on you, though (too much call volume). Better off sending them an email here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

I do have a reply from them but that was a while ago -- I have heard of recent they shut it down - there is now a contact form -

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

New portal to send messages to NJ unemployment.

I'd like to think you'll have a better chance to receive a response there than on Reddit.

If you haven't already, send them an email!

I have 2 coworkers that couldn't submit Covid claims back in March because Unemployment still had their maternity leave claims open (even though they were both back from maternity leave in December). They couldn't get through on the phones but heard back 7-10 days after submitting an email. So I'm holding on to hope they will answer my email!

If you are having issues contacting them try using this link.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=0cN2UAI4n0uzauCkG9ZCp8zTKxTpe0RMmjY7qrMr_3BUOFlVUklYTzhDQjlWR0NaMVk1NjBQODJDWCQlQCN0PWcu

I have a feeling the contact us link after the security questions are out of date.

> I was not aware that I needed to file in the beginning of my first quarter technically in business.

You actually don't need to in the first year of starting a new business. And after that, you only need to file quarterly if you think you will owe over $1000 at tax time- which I think after factoring in credits starts around the $15000 income range.

I don't think you have anything to worry about with your taxes on your pet sitting business, just report the money earned last year on your regular personal taxes with the schedule C form and you'll owe 15% of what you made for medicare and social security. you'll owe no federal income tax, maybe a tiny bit of state taxes. Your income will be low enough you can use free tax software, there is a free version of turbotax that will let you file the schedule C form. http://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/

it definitely sucks to do book keeping, but this is what you all need to do, IMOO.

all the 1099, gig worker, self employed anyway...i know, its the worst, i really do dislike it myself. but its gotta be done, as much as its like tempting to just not have to track anything.

get accounting software (if you pay for it, thats deductible as an expense) or use free accounting software, and enter all your data. reconstruct from memory dates and amounts you were paid, and also all expenses you paid out. its much easier and faster if you do it as you go along...then it can be a few hours every few months, or a few minutes once a week...that is if youre business is tiny and straight forward...like many gig work things are.

many accounting software programs will interface with your business accounts (or personal if thats what you got) and then will automatically add all the transactions from your account. some will do automatic updates from your online sales...thats very helpful if you sell things online..

then you would go through and delete the personal expenses...and categorize the rest as sales/income or expenses/bills

its tedious but this is what you need for proof.. or for an audit. for this here...do books for 2 years since early 2019...and having those all logged and set up good...thats a relief to have your books all set and clear. then you can draw up profit and loss and other reports, and have a complete log of your gig work/self employed income

...that you can use if you have any issues...to prove your income.

i recommend this software, its free...https://www.waveapps.com/

and also i hate quickbooks and just wouldnt recommend. thats the other obvious one...but you pay for it

schedule C is better obviously...but once you have the records all entered as best as you can, you just take all the numbers from there to file taxes. it is possible even now to file late taxes for 2019, if you need to...

i think you are worried and a bit paranoid. i dont mean to sound bad, just that youre over thinking it, or being anxious, and you are fine. you re just learning as you go. it's ok to do that.

even if you make an honest mistake, well honest mistakes are given leeway. honest mistakes are far from fraud. for many many businesses it is not unusual for them to take 2-5 years before they start showing significant profit. this is commonly known, so its not unusual if you aren't showing significant profit.

just be honest with UI and in your tax filings, keep basic but detailed records, maybe looking into wave (free ---> wave online acounting software), or other online accounting software ( or the old standby quickbooks) .

or just make month by month or year by year comprehensive records...and i think youre fine.

What system are you using?

PC or Mac?

Are you using the iTunes that was pre-installed on your computer? Uninstall iTunes and download the version from Apple.

https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/win64

There is also this LWA tool that shows you how much you receive from the program based on your state and the dates of payments - https://www.omnicalculator.com/finance/lost-wages-assistance

yeah I saw one of the work search activities that qualifies is you can watch videos related to job skills or resume building and I found a site called udemy.com and they have free courses online related to anything you want to learn and they send you a email once you sign up for a course so just so you have proof in case edd audits you . I know some people might say you can use youtube but if edd audits you there gonna ask for proof of a work search activity so yeah .

Well I currently have to appeal because they want me to repay 11k back because my proof of self employment would not upload on the file exchange site. Thankfully I took screen shots of the message it gave every time since they requested I got this http://datatables.net/tn/7 I called and it said after me speaking with someone that the uploading proof of self employment would remain until problems were fixed

> Sorry, but this line of thinking is prevalent on this Reddit board and it’s absolutely asinine

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Impossible-Politics-Morality-1990-1996/dp/0880641959

Well, if it's asinine all I can say is that I prefer his company to yours.

I really hope this helps someone.. I was having the same issues even with my VPN and ended up using the "teleserv" system ( 312-338-4337 ). It's so tedious. ugh. But this week I tried the website again. What was different was that I deleted only my cookies and refreshed the main IDES website. clicked to the section I wanted and could login like normal.

Specs: I have a Mac, use NordVPN on the "Browsing" preset from the sidebar, connected to a US server. I also use Google Chrome.

When I deleted my cookies I made sure to ready all the boxes I could check off because I didn't want to delete my history just yet. AND I also hit the setting for "all time" on my Time Range. Refresh the IDES website and hopefully you're good.

I apologize, maybe a little more information would be useful: I've tried Brave and Edge browsers, with and without Private Internet Access VPN (from Europe to Florida), and with tracking features enabled/ disabled for both browsers. So those are the simple steps taken so far.

Additionally, and perhaps unrelated, if one 'inspects' the chat feature page you will see a FLURRY or errors from api GET requests. I'm not versed enough in such things but to me it feels like it lends credence to the argument that this site was designed to fail? Just my thoughts.

Hey Dude,

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Same issue. Trying to connect with an agent. Live Chat function led to a dead end in that the UC system "isn't integrated" with the PUA system (so a Live Chat rep couldn't give me any information).

​

Obviously, calling the PUA number has led to busy signals galore, but I decided to just try something new and downloaded an auto-redialer app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.lithiums.autodialer2&hl=en_US&gl=US ). After 104 auto redials I connected and was put into a queue. I'll report back with any info I learn.

>Save

In my opinion, you don't file a UC claim until you hear back about a determination, which may be that you should go ahead and file one.

If you're trying to get through to the PUA office in order to hear something back from a human and having no luck due to an endless busy signal (like I have), I recommend an auto redialer app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.lithiums.autodialer2&hl=en_US&gl=US ). It auto redialed for me 105 and I connected and am now on hold.

​

I'll report back anything I learn.

Actually, it's more accurate to say that social welfare programs are written in a manner that discriminates against people of colour.

Here's a good read - https://www.amazon.com/Welfare-Racism-Playing-Against-Americas/dp/0415923417

TLDR: I got through!

I spent 6 hours trying to fax over my DL and SS card and answers to all of those Identity Verification questions that they've published. Repeatedly attempting and getting "line busy" or "no answer" but about 4am got a fax confirmation.

Also, I uploaded both on the website under My Documents but with that, you have to get through on the phone line to actually let them know they you've done that for any action to be taken 🙄

So then I set an alarm and started at 8am. I either immediately got disconnected after the "high call volume" recorded message or completed the maze of "press 2 to stay on the line" questions and then it would say "we're connecting you now" which was immediately followed by the "high volume" recording and it would drop my call. 🤬

At about 10am I was actually really on hold for a live person and getting hold music!

While sitting there @ 28 minutes of hold, I downloaded Firefox for Android Beta, just to try yet another browser (I've gone through all the tricks of using Chrome, DuckDuckGo, clearing cache, using laptop vs tablet, turning Do Not Track on, and off, etc) and when I got logged into DEW, it looked different for the first time and I clicked the Identity Verification for the now approximately 1000th time and it went through!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox_beta

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gamemalt.fast.auto.redial&hl=en_US
I used this one. I set it to redial every 5 seconds. When you call you'll hear a busy signal, and then it will hang up on you and the app will start redialing every time it hangs up. Just put it on speaker phone, leave it on the charger, and sit next to it all day. Once it connects, make sure you don't accidentally hang up by hitting the big red X button on the app, just leave it on speaker to be safe, ha ha.

I finally got someone on the phone today (asked the rep to transfer me to a level3). The level3 reviewed my docs and said now they need proof of VPN. Not sure what specifically, but I am going to send them proof of my VPN subscription. Unfortunately, I don't have the logs from that day. NordVPN only keeps 2 months of data and the incident occurred before that.

I was able to find something in EVENT VIEWER which shows an TCPIP ERROR for the specific time issue occurred (no website info though). I hope that is enough. As far as I am concerned, we only need to prove that we were not out of the country by providing the passport and/or enhanced driver's license. I just submitted it tonight and will call again on Tuesday. I will keep everyone updated.

I use ExpressVPN which is one of the highest rated ones and am located in California.

My server is set to San Francisco. The way to check if you're in the right state is to use one of those What's My Ip websites and it'll confirm whether or not your IP address is where you want it to be.

Here is a relevant article:

Public Service Announcement: Remember to turn off any VPN, Proxy, or Anonymizer services when certifying

Took 10 weeks for that guy to get it resolved unfortunately :( hope you can get it fixed sooner