Florida Unemployment

Do you need help with your weekly claim to request benefit payment for FL unemployment? We can help. In this post, we will walk you through how to request benefit payment for Florida unemployment (Reemployment Assistance).

Additionally, we will provide information about 5 important things you should know about the FL unemployment benefits process.

This includes how benefits are calculated, what your weekly benefit amount is likely to be, and how to contact the FL unemployment office.

This post will cover:

How to Request Benefit Payment for Florida Unemployment
Setting up your PIN
How Unemployment Benefits are Calculated in Florida
How Much In Unemployment Benefits You will Receive in Florida
Contact The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Office of Unemployment Compensation
How to Login to Florida Unemployment Benefits CONNECT System

How to Request Benefit Payment for Florida Unemployment

After applying for Florida Unemployment benefits, you need to request benefit payment in CONNECT on a biweekly basis (every two weeks).

It is important that you request your benefits within 7 days of your scheduled date regardless of your claim status.

Once you are logged in, the CONNECT home page will provide you with your scheduled report date.

You will use the “Request Benefit Payment” link on your home page as shown below.

This link will not appear until your scheduled report date.

Also, For each week of benefits that you are requesting, you will:

Answer several yes or no questions regarding your ability, availability, and efforts to look for work
Provide your required work search contacts for the individual week
Report any earnings, tips, or commissions from any work for the requested week

To login to the CONNECT system, click here.

For help in logging into your CONNECT online account, click here.

For a step-by-step guide on how to request payment online, click here.

The video below from the Florida DEO provides a great summary of how to use the CONNECT system to request your weekly benefit payment.

We highly recommend that you watch it for more details about how the process works.

Important Information about your Florida Unemployment Claim

Here are some important details you should know about your FL unemployment application process and benefits.

1. Setting up your PIN

CONNECT is Florida’s unemployment benefits claims system. CONNECT offers access to apply, file, manage and review your claim details.

When you fill out your online application using CONNECT, you need to set up a PIN that you will use to log into the CONNECT system and claim your benefits.

The PIN must be four digits.
Your PIN can only be numbers. Letters and symbols are not allowed.
The PIN cannot be the numbers 1111, 9999, 0000, or 1234.
Your PIN cannot be the last 4 digits of your social security number.

2. How Unemployment Benefits are Calculated in Florida

The wages used to determine your weekly benefit amounts are the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.

Once the DEO has your wages on record, they will verify the following to determine if you are eligible for benefits:

$3,400 minimum gross earnings during base period.
You must have a minimum of two quarters of covered wages.
Total base period gross wages must be more than 1.5x the highest wage quarter.

Once they complete this step, they will determine your Weekly Benefit Amount and Maximum Benefit Amount.

The Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) is the highest quarter divided by 26 or the weekly amount is $275, whichever is less.

The Maximum Benefit Amount (MBA) is your total base period wages divided by 4 OR the yearly maximum, whichever is less.

3. How Much In Unemployment Benefits You will Receive in Florida

In the state of Florida, The state determines your weekly benefit payments based on your previous earnings during employment.

The minimum weekly unemployment benefit amount you could receive is $32 and the maximum is $275.

In 2021, you are entitled to a maximum benefit amount of $5,225

You will continue to receive Reemployment Assistance weekly for up to a maximum of 19 weeks.

When you secure a job, the payments will stop.

However, working part-time or temporarily does not necessarily end your Florida Unemployment benefits.

In addition, when unemployment is high, an existing Extended Benefits (EB) program kicks in to add 6 weeks of extra payments.

4. How to Contact The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Office of Unemployment Compensation

Here are the phone numbers to contact the FL unemployment office:

Contact the Reemployment Assistance (RA) Help Center at:

1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759), or

1-800-204-2418

You will first be connected to the Interactive Voice Response system and presented with several self-service options.

If you still need further assistance, you may select to be transferred to the RA Hotline to speak with a live person.

RA Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Access information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Listen to important program messages
Listen to detailed claim information including; payment status, determinations, and appeals
Change correspondence preference, payment method, and tax withholding option
Update CONNECT PIN

RA Hotline (Live Customer Service):

The Hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM until 6:30 PM EST and 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM on Saturdays.

RA agents can provide information about filing an RA claim, claiming your weeks, or obtaining information about your claim.

The Best Time to Reach a Live Person

You may call the RA Hotline to speak with an agent anytime during our standard operating
hours.

However, the Hotline’s busiest days are Monday and Tuesday, as most
customers are claiming their weeks.

The best time to reach a RA agent is generally: Wednesday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:30
a.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

5. How to Login to Florida Unemployment Benefits CONNECT System

CONNECT provides online access to all claim-related information that you can access anywhere, at any time.

The CONNECT system makes it easier and faster to apply for unemployment benefits, resolve issues, and provide information.

You will use CONNECT to:

Set up a PIN-protected Claimant Account
File initial Unemployment and continued unemployment claims
View your unemployment claim status and payments
Update personal and payment options information
View issues
Respond to requests for Information
View correspondence from the Department of Economic Security (DEO)
File appeals if your unemployment claim is denied
View overpayment balance and make payments
Access information about Florida Unemployment (Reemployment) Assistance.

To log in, follow the steps below:

Step 1 – Visit the DEO FloridaJobs.org website

The first thing you need to do when logging into your Florida CONNECT account is to visit the Department of Economic Security’s Florida Jobs website at www.floridajobs.org.

Once there, click on the CONNECT login link for “Claimants” as shown below:

Step 2 – Enter your CONNECT Account Information

Next, you will be taken to a page where you will be required to enter your CONNECT login email address and password.

Once you enter the requested information, click the green “Sign in” button to be taken to your Florida Unemployment CONNECT online account.

For help, please refer to the screenshot provided below.

You can also access your Florida Unemployment CONNECT online account via a mobile-friendly mobile site.

For the mobile-friendly mobile site, visit https://mobile.connect.myflorida.com.

How to Request Benefit Payment for Florida Unemployment Summary

We hope this post on how to Request Benefit Payment for Florida Unemployment was helpful.

Still Have Questions?

To go to the main Florida Unemployment page, click here: Florida Unemployment.

For details about Florida Unemployment Benefits, click here: Florida Unemployment Benefits Guide.

Also, for our detailed Florida Unemployment FAQ Page, click here: Florida Unemployment FAQ.

Additionally, if you need to contact Florida Unemployment Customer Service, click here: Florida Unemployment Customer Service Live Person.

To login to your CONNECT account and view your benefits, click here: Florida Unemployment CONNECT Website login.

Lastly, if you have further questions about Florida Unemployment, Unemployment Benefits, or Unemployment Debit Cards, you can fill out the comment form below and we will answer your question ASAP.

Be sure to check out our other articles on Unemployment Benefits, including:
Whether Unemployment Benefits are Taxable
List of States Extending Unemployment Benefits
Massachusetts DUA Unemployment Debit Card
How to file for Unemployment (in all 50 States)
Unemployment office Phone Number (All 50 States)

Florida Unemployment – Request Benefit Payment