Unemployment Benefits FAQ Sheets

1. What Is Unemployment Insurance?
2. What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?
3. How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits
4. When to Apply for Unemployment
5. How to Apply for Florida Unemployment Insurance
6. How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated
7. I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?
8. What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?
9. How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial
10. Need More Help?
11. View or Download Our Free Guide

What Is Unemployment Insurance?

Unemployment Insurance is a benefit program designed to replace part of the income of recently unemployed or underemployed workers. Unemployment Insurance is available to workers who are out of work through no fault of their own.

Learn more about Unemployment on Florida’s Unemployment Program Overview page here.

What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?

Unemployment Insurance Benefits are weekly payments given to eligible workers who apply to and are accepted into the program. These payments are typically provided via direct deposits to the beneficiary’s bank account.

Learn more about how Unemployment Insurance payments work here.

How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

To qualify for Unemployment Insurance in Florida, you must:

• Have lost your job due to no fault of your own.
• Be able to work.
• Be actively seeking work.
• Meet Florida’s monetary and personal eligibility requirements.

Learn more about Florida’s monetary and personal eligibility requirements here.

When to Apply for Unemployment

Apply for benefits online here during the week you are seeking payment, when your hours have been reduced or when you are no longer employed. Do NOT wait until the week is over.

How to Apply for Florida Unemployment Insurance

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in Florida, complete the following three steps:

1. Gather the documentation related to your previous employment and information you will need for the application.

Learn what documents and information you need here on page 4.

2. Choose how you are going to apply, whether online, by mail or in person.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance online, click here to access Florida’s Unemployment claim portal.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance by mail, then fill out the application here and mail to:

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
P.O. Box 5350
Tallahassee, FL 32314-5350

To apply for Unemployment insurance in person, find your nearest office location here.

The Florida Unemployment Office does not accept claims by phone.

3. Submit the Unemployment application, which is also known as filing a claim.

If you have questions about the application process or require assistance, contact the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Unemployment Compensation customer service line at (833) 352-7759.

All Florida DEO phone lines are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM until 6:30 PM ET as well as on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, except for the observed holidays listed here.

How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated

The amount of Unemployment Benefits you receive is based on your past reported earnings by employers that you worked for in Florida. To determine the amount you will receive each week, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity takes the highest-earning quarter in the applicant’s base period and divides that amount by 26.

The minimum weekly benefit amount in Florida is $126. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $275.

Learn more about Florida’s base period and how benefits are calculated on page 6 of this handbook.

I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What? 

1. Report Your Waiting Week

The week after you file your unemployment claim is called the Waiting Week. During the Waiting Week, you must file a Weekly Certification Application through the claimant portal here and the Unemployment Office will make sure you are still unemployed or underemployed, and meet all other eligibility requirements.

If approved, you will begin receiving your weekly benefits the following week. You are not paid for the Waiting Week, but you do receive a Waiting Week credit.

Learn more about the Waiting Week here.

Learn more about the Weekly Certification Application here.

2. Start Looking for Work

Keep track of your work-search contacts. You are required to make at least five contacts per week to receive payments and waiting week credit.

3. Discuss Possible Issues

If you were discharged or quit your last job, expect a call (or email if that i is your preferred contact method) to determine if you are eligible for unemployment insurance.

Learn more about what to expect after applying here.

What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?

You must file a Weekly Certification Application every week you are receiving Unemployment Benefits until you are employed again. This weekly claim is like a follow-up application that certifies your continued eligibility for the program and proves you are actively applying for new jobs.

Learn more about requesting benefit payment and file your Weekly Certification Application here.

It’s important to remember that you will stop receiving unemployment benefits and your Unemployment Claim will be canceled if you have not filed weekly certifications for two or more consecutive weeks.

How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial

If your Unemployment Insurance application was denied, you have the right to file an appeal. You can submit an appeal to the Department of Economic Opportunity by calling (800) 204-2418 or submit questions and comments through the contact form here.

You may also obtain an appeal request form here, which you can submit in person, by mail or by fax to the Office of Appeals. Learn about the appeals process here.

Need More Help?

For help with an Unemployment Insurance application, or for any further questions about your Unemployment Insurance claim, call the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity at (833) 352-7759.

You can also visit or call your nearest local office for further assistance. You can find the location nearest you and its contact information here.

The Department of Economic Opportunity phone lines are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM until 6:30 PM as well as on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

View or Download Our Free Guide

While we are not affiliated with the government in any way, our private company engaged writers to research the Unemployment Insurance program and compiled a guide and these answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.

Our free Unemployment Insurance Guide is filled with helpful information about how to apply, program eligibility requirements and how to get in touch with local offices. You can view or download our free guide here.