text: why do you have to pay for unemployment on your taxes? people tend to think its your tax dollars that pays for unemployment. its not. businesses pay for insurance that covers unemployment and causes their premiums to raise if claims are filed for them. so why does uncle sam get to charge u out the  a$ $ on taxes for something they never paid for? employers cover only a portion of unemployment.  the remainder is covered by the federal government and the state.  this safety net helps hundreds of thousands of workers each year who are laid off with no prospect of a new job.  one of them was my father in the year 1972.  another was me in the 80's.  another was my sister's husband in the 90's.  sometimes, we pay for things that we never personally use.  that doesn't mean that the thing isn't useful or wise to have paid.  i am happy to pay for house insurance; although i hope and pray that i may never need to cash in on the policy.  likewise, i'm happy to pay the unemployment tax, though i hope and pray i never again need to make a claim.