FINAL UPDATE: My account is finally unlocked! The phone option that @helpful_guidance suggested worked. I got through this morning, they confirmed they could see my ID.me verification was complete, and unlocked my account while I was on the phone. I was able to log in immediately after hanging up. For anyone else with this issue: 1. Call 833-FL-APPLY 2. Use option 5, then 7, then 2 3. Be prepared with your claimant ID and verification date Thank you everyone for all your help! This community is amazing.

So glad you got it resolved! This is such a helpful thread - I'm bookmarking it because I know I'll probably need these tips at some point. The fact that DEO's systems don't automatically sync after ID.me verification is absolutely ridiculous. It's 2025 and we're still dealing with government systems that can't talk to each other properly. For anyone else reading this thread, definitely try that phone tree option (833-FL-APPLY, then 5-7-2) first since it worked for the original poster. If that doesn't work, the email addresses people shared seem to be the next best option. Don't give up - your benefits are worth fighting for even though they make the process unnecessarily difficult!

I went through almost the exact same thing last year with a $3,400 overpayment notice! Like you, I was meticulous about reporting every single dollar I earned from my part-time retail job. Turned out the issue was that my employer had reported some of my December wages in their Q4 report, but I had actually received and reported those wages in early January during my claim weeks. The appeal process was nerve-wracking but totally worth it. I won because I had kept screenshots of all my weekly certifications and had my pay stubs organized by the actual dates I received payment (not when the employer said they "paid" me). The hearing officer could clearly see the timing discrepancy wasn't my fault. One tip that really helped me: when you get your documentation from DEO, cross-reference their quarterly wage data against your actual pay dates. Look for any weeks where the timing might be off between when you got paid versus when your employer claimed they paid you. That's often where these discrepancies come from. You're doing the right thing by appealing immediately. Don't let them intimidate you with the collection notices - they can't take any action while your appeal is pending. Stay organized with your documentation and you'll get through this!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact nightmare 6 months ago. Got hit with a $6,200 overpayment notice that made absolutely no sense - I had been super careful about reporting my gig work earnings every single week. Here's what I learned: DEO's system often can't properly handle irregular income patterns. In my case, I drove for a delivery app and would get paid weekly, but the payments included tips and bonuses from different time periods. I reported exactly what I received each week, but DEO later claimed I should have "allocated" the earnings differently based on when I actually worked, not when I got paid. The good news is I won my appeal! The key was showing that I followed the instructions on the certification form exactly as written. The form asks "How much did you earn?" not "How much should you have earned in this time period?" I had screenshots proving I reported the actual amounts I received. My advice: Document EVERYTHING about your appeal. Take screenshots of every form you submit, keep copies of all correspondence, and if possible, get a confirmation number for your appeal submission. The hearing was conducted over the phone and lasted about 30 minutes. The officer was actually pretty reasonable once I explained the situation clearly. Stay strong - if you genuinely reported accurately, you have a good chance of winning this!

mine got fixed when i went to my local careersource office in person they have ppl there who can call DEO direct

I had a very similar situation last year with the mixed W-2/1099 income issue. What helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet showing all my income by quarter during the base period, separating W-2 wages from 1099 earnings. When I uploaded this along with my tax documents, it made it much easier for DEO to see that I clearly met the minimum requirements. The key thing to remember is that 1099 income sometimes gets processed differently in their system, so having everything clearly documented speeds up the review process. Also, don't panic if your payments stop temporarily - mine were on hold for about 2 weeks while they sorted it out, but I got all the back pay once it was resolved.

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! Remote worker from Illinois for a Florida company, just filed with IL unemployment 2 weeks ago. This entire thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea interstate claims were this complicated and broken. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm realizing I need to be much more proactive. IL unemployment just told me to "wait for processing" but based on what everyone's shared here, that probably means nothing is actually happening behind the scenes. Starting tomorrow I'm going to: - Call FL DEO directly to see if they've received any wage verification request from Illinois - Contact my former employer's payroll department to make sure they're ready to respond quickly to any requests - Start that documentation spreadsheet that several people mentioned - Stop trusting the online portal and demand specifics when I call The most eye-opening thing from this thread is realizing that the states often aren't actually communicating even when they claim they are. It sounds like we basically have to manage the coordination ourselves, which is absolutely ridiculous for a government system. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and advice! At least knowing that persistence eventually pays off (even if it takes 2-3 months) gives me hope. I'm bookmarking this thread to refer back to as I navigate this nightmare. For anyone just starting this process - definitely read through all these comments and be prepared to become your own case manager!

I'm dealing with this exact same interstate nightmare right now! Remote worker from Colorado for a Florida company, been waiting 8 weeks since filing with Colorado unemployment and getting absolutely nowhere. What's really helped me after reading through this entire thread: - Finally got through to FL DEO yesterday using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - turns out Colorado never actually sent any wage verification request despite telling me they did 6 weeks ago! - My former employer's payroll department had been waiting for verification requests that never came - Started calling both states daily with specific questions about case numbers and reference IDs like others suggested The breakthrough came when I got both states on a three-way call (took me 47 attempts to coordinate this) and we discovered the wage request was sitting in Colorado's "pending interstate queue" with no one assigned to process it. The agent was able to send it while we were all on the phone together. For anyone just starting this process - don't trust ANYTHING either state tells you about "processing" or "waiting for information." Demand specifics, get reference numbers, and verify everything with both states. The system is completely broken but persistence does eventually pay off. I should finally get my first payment next week after 8 weeks of hell, but at least I'll get all the backpay. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this thread literally saved my sanity and gave me the roadmap to finally get results!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in this situation - I was furloughed from my retail management job last year with a guaranteed return date 6 weeks out. I successfully got the work search exemption approved, but here's what I learned: make sure your employer's letter includes not just the return date but also confirms you're expected to return to the SAME position with the SAME hours/salary. DEO rejected my first request because the letter didn't specify I was returning to my exact same role. Once I got that clarification added, it was approved within a week. Also, keep checking your CONNECT dashboard daily - the approval notification is easy to miss and you want to know right away so you can stop doing work searches if you've been doing them as a backup plan.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago when my company had a temporary shutdown for equipment upgrades. Here's what worked for me: definitely go for the return-to-work exemption as others mentioned, but also have a backup plan. While waiting for approval, I started doing the work searches anyway just in case - better to be safe than get hit with an overpayment later. The key thing that helped me was getting my HR department to include very specific language in the letter about the temporary nature of the layoff and that I was "expected to return to active employment status" on the exact date. Also, screenshot everything when you submit the exemption request - I had to reference my submission details when I called to check on the status. The whole process took about 10 days for me, but having that documentation trail saved me from any issues. Good luck with your hotel management position!