1220 Publ 5444 (PDF)

Official source: IRS Forms, Instructions & Publications (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5444.pdf), retrieved 2026-10-03. U.S. Government work (17 U.S.C. § 105).

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• Do I have to report unemployment benefits on my federal income tax return? Yes, any unemployment compensation received during the year must be reported on your federal tax return.

• How will I know how much unemployment compensation I received? If you received unemployment compensation during the year, you should receive Form 1099-G from your state’s unemployment office.

• How will unemployment compensation affect my tax return? If you do not have taxes withheld from your unemployment compensation, it could result in a tax liability.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 23 million U.S. workers have filed for unemployment this year nationwide.

For the first time, some self-employed workers qualified for unemployment benefits.

• Can I have federal income tax withheld from my unemployment compensation? Yes, you can choose to have federal income tax withheld from your unemployment benefits by contacting your state unemployment office .

• If I am no longer collecting unemployment benefits, how can I pay the tax due? You can make estimated tax payments using Form 1040-ES and/or increase your withholding by completing Form W-4 once you have a new job. You can check your estimated withholding using the calculator at www.irs.gov/W4app . See www.irs.gov/payments for more payment options.

For more information, contact your state’s unemployment office and visit:

Publication 5444 (Rev. 12-2020) Catalog Number 74859V Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov