Florida Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach Florida Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the DEO
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the DEO drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
DEO keeps disconnecting my calls - Need account reset ASAP
Super frustrated with Florida DEO right now. I've been locked out of my CONNECT account for over 2 weeks after I changed my phone number and can't receive the verification code. Every single time I call the 1-800 number, I get the 'high call volume' message and it hangs up on me! I've tried calling at 7:30am, during lunch, and even right before closing - same result every time! I need someone to help reset my account so I can claim my weeks before they expire. Has anyone successfully gotten through to a real person lately? What time or method worked for you? I'm desperate and bills are piling up.
Join the conversation
How to get Way2Go card expedited for Florida DEO benefits? Already paid but no access to money
So stressed right now! I got approved for my unemployment benefits and DEO finally paid me BOTH weeks yesterday after waiting forever, but I can't access any of my money because I don't have the Way2Go card yet. I seriously need these funds like yesterday to pay my rent (already 5 days late). Is there any way to get the card expedited? Has anyone successfully gotten their Way2Go card faster than the regular mail? I tried calling the number on the CONNECT website but just got stuck in an endless phone tree. Any advice would be really appreciated - bills are piling up and I'm getting desperate.
Join the conversation
I feel for you - this exact situation happened to me 3 months ago and it's absolutely maddening! Here's what worked for me: Call Way2Go at 1-833-888-2780 first thing in the morning (7am sharp) and keep calling until you get through. When you do, ask to speak to a supervisor immediately - regular reps sometimes can't help with expediting. The supervisor was able to overnight my card for $25 (comes out of your benefits). Also, while you're waiting, go into your CONNECT account and double-check that your mailing address is 100% correct - any small discrepancy will delay it even more. I got my card in 2 days after speaking to the supervisor. Hang in there, you'll get through this! The system is broken but there are ways to work around it.
First DEO payment received but weekly payments stopped - why am I not getting more?
So confused right now with my DEO payments! I got approved for unemployment benefits after waiting forever (like 3 weeks). I submitted all my work search contacts for 5 jobs each week like they require. Last Thursday I finally got my first payment of $281 deposited to my account and was SO relieved! But now it's been 8 days and nothing else has shown up? My CONNECT account still says I'm supposed to get weekly payments, and the status shows 'active' but no money this week. Do I need to do something else? Is there a delay between the first payment and regular weekly ones? I've claimed my weeks properly and everything shows 'processed' in the system. I'm starting to panic since rent is due next week! Anyone else have this happen?
Join the conversation
did u get ur payment yet? i had somethin similar happen last month
Yes! The money finally showed up in my account this morning - both weeks paid at once. Such a relief! Thanks for checking in.
This is exactly why I always tell people to document everything when dealing with DEO! Screenshots of your CONNECT account showing "processed" status, records of when you called, what agents told you - everything. The system is so unreliable that having proof of what happened can be crucial if you need to escalate later. I'm glad you got it resolved quickly once you reached an agent, but it's ridiculous that invisible holds like this are even possible. DEO really needs to fix their transparency issues - people shouldn't have to guess what's wrong with their claims when they're depending on these payments to survive.
DEO removed my final claim week from CONNECT - no option to claim final payment
I'm completely baffled! I logged into my CONNECT account this morning to claim my final eligible week (I've been counting them carefully), but the option is simply NOT THERE anymore. My benefit year doesn't end for another month, and according to my remaining balance, I should have one more week to claim. The system was working fine two weeks ago when I claimed my previous weeks. I've tried logging out and back in multiple times, tried different browsers, even tried at different times of day thinking maybe the system was just glitching. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there some weird rule about claiming final weeks that I don't know about? I know calling the DEO is practically impossible - been trying for days with nothing but busy signals. I really need this final payment for my bills this month. Any advice?
Join the conversation
@OP - just checking back. Were you able to get this resolved? I'm curious if it was the same issue I had with the remaining balance being less than the weekly amount.
Yes! You were exactly right. I used Claimyr yesterday morning and got connected to a DEO agent in about 10 minutes. She confirmed my remaining balance was $248 but my weekly benefit amount is $275, so the system wouldn't let me claim it. She had to do some kind of manual override, and the week appeared in my account about an hour later. I was able to claim it right away. Thank you so much for your help - I would have never figured this out on my own!
Glad to hear you got it resolved! This is such a common issue that more people need to know about. The fact that the system won't let you claim a partial final week when your balance is less than your full weekly amount is really frustrating - especially since you're entitled to that money. Thanks for sharing the solution about Claimyr too. I've been struggling with DEO phone lines for other issues and might give that service a try. It's crazy that we have to use third-party services just to reach our own state unemployment office, but if it works, it works!
DEO has my claim 'on hold' since May - facing homelessness while waiting for adjudication
I'm at my wit's end with the Florida DEO. My claim has been 'on hold' since MAY (it's now AUGUST!!) and every time I call, I get the same scripted response: 'We need more time for adjudication, call back in 14 days.' I've been calling every 2 weeks for THREE MONTHS! Meanwhile my savings are completely gone, I'm behind on rent, and my landlord is threatening eviction. When I explained my situation to the agent yesterday, they had the nerve to say 'If the decision is in your favor, you'll get a lump sum payment.' WHAT GOOD IS THAT if I'm already homeless by then?? They suggested I call 211 for Orange County resources, but most assistance programs require you to have some income to qualify for matching funds. This system is broken. Has anyone actually gotten results after being stuck in adjudication this long? What can I possibly do at this point?
Join the conversation
Have you been answering all the fact-finding questions? Sometimes they send those and if you miss them, your claim gets stuck. Also, are you checking your CONNECT inbox and not just your email? Sometimes notifications don't get sent properly. So frustrating they make this process so difficult!!! 😡
I check my CONNECT inbox daily, and I've answered every single question they've sent. That's what makes this so frustrating - I've done everything by the book, and they still keep telling me to wait. At least it helps knowing I'm not alone in this nightmare.
I'm so sorry you're going through this Paolo. Three months in adjudication is absolutely unacceptable, especially when you're facing homelessness. I went through something similar last year and here's what finally broke the logjam for me: I started emailing my state senator's office weekly (not just calling once). I also filed a complaint with the Florida Inspector General's office about the unreasonable delay. Within 2 weeks of filing that complaint, my claim was suddenly resolved. The IG complaint form is online and it creates a paper trail that DEO has to respond to. Also, if you haven't already, try calling the DEO director's office directly - sometimes going to the top gets results when the regular channels fail. Document everything and don't give up. You deserve better than this.
Grace Durand
UPDATE: I finally got through! For anyone with the same problem - I used the 7:29am trick mentioned above AND called on Tuesday instead of Monday (which seems less busy). Was on hold for 45 minutes but finally spoke to someone who reset my two-factor authentication and connected it to my new phone number. All fixed now and I was able to claim my weeks that were pending! Thanks everyone for your help!
0 coins
Hassan Khoury
Great news! Glad you got it resolved. Don't forget to set up your work search record for the weeks you're claiming. DEO has been doing more random audits of work search activities lately.
0 coins
Victoria Stark
thanks for updating us! good to know the 7:29 trick actually works
0 coins
Noah Lee
Congratulations on getting through! This is really helpful for others dealing with the same issue. I'm curious - when you called at 7:29am, did you get the usual "high call volume" message or did it actually put you in a queue? I'm planning to try this method myself next week for a different account issue and want to know what to expect. Also, do you remember roughly how long the actual account reset process took once you had the agent on the line?
0 coins