MONTPELIER – As claimants begin to receive their new 1099-G forms, the Vermont Deparment of Labor (VDOL) is reminding Vermonters of the following guidance issued by the Department last week.
Many Vemonters will receive more than one 1099-G, reflecting the different benefit programs available in 2020. Claimants can identify the program their 1099-G is for by using the code in the bottom left-hand corner of the tax document. All claimants fall into one of two base programs, which are either Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). From there, many claimants also received additional benefits from a variety of supplemental programs identified below.
- 001-UI: Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits received in 2020, including extended benefit weeks and the additional $600 per week under the FPUC program.
- 002-PUA: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits received in 2020, including the additional $600 per week under the FPUC program.
- 003-LWA: Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) benefits received in 2020. This federal program provided an additional $300 per week to eligible unemployment claimants between August 1 and September 5.
- 004-VSTS: Vermont Short Term Supplemental (VSTS) benefits received in 2020. The State provided an additional $100 per week to claimants between September 27 and October 31.
- 005-TREAS: One-time payment of $1,200 issued by the State on April 20. This was for Vermonters who had filed for unemployment insurance benefits between March 15 and April 4, but had not yet received any benefit payments (Different TIN number on 1099-G)
Claimants had the option to have personal income taxes withheld from either UI and PUA benefits; however, taxes were not withheld from LWA, VSTS, or TREAS payments. That means claimants who received these benefits will need to pay state and federal income taxes on them.
Due to the number of 1099-Gs mailed, PUA claimants may not receive all of their documents on the same day, and PUA 1099-Gs may be delivered one to two days later. Claimants can expect to receive all their documents by Friday, March 5.
Claimants should wait until they receive each of their 1099-Gs before filing personal income taxes. The Department expects all forms to be delivered by Friday, March 5. If you are expecting one or more documents and it has not arrived by March 5, please contact the Department using the information below.
VDOL has worked to ensure information was correct to the best of its ability. However, if information on-file was provided incorrectly, or if claimants have moved or changed their names, the Department has established a process by which claimants may request an update or reissuance of 1099-G forms.
Claimants can still file their personal income tax return if they believe information included in Box 1 Unemployment Compensation, Box 4 and Box 11 withholding amounts, and the Last 4 Digits of claimant’s Social Security Number are correct. Misspelled names will not prevent an individual from filing their tax returns.
Vermont Department of Labor
Claimant Assistance Center
(877) 214-3332 (Option 1)
https://labor.vermont.gov/request-1099-correction
Additionally, Claimants are encouraged to sign up for free identity protection services through Identity Theft Guard Solutions Inc. (IDX). Claimants may do so by going to https://response.idx.us/vermont/ or calling 888-726-0943.
The Department of Labor mailed detailed guidance to all claimants last week and further information is available at www.labor.vermont.gov.