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does anyone know if they're gonna extend the $600 past july??? my bills dont stop just cuz the govt decides to stop helping!!
They SHOULD extend it but with this government who knows!!!! You should be calling your representatives EVERY DAY to demand they extend it! The economy hasn't recovered and we're STILL in a pandemic!!!
There's currently no legislation passed to extend the $600 FPUC payments beyond July 25th. However, it's always possible that Congress could pass something new before the deadline. For now, I'd recommend planning your budget assuming the payments will end as scheduled on July 25th, and then it'll be a nice surprise if they do get extended.
My cousin in California said they get a different amount. Is Florida's $600 different from other states?
The FPUC payment of $600 is the same fixed amount nationwide - it's a federal program. However, the regular unemployment benefit amount varies significantly between states. Florida's regular UC benefits max out at $275/week (one of the lowest in the country), while California's can go up to $450/week. So your total weekly payment (regular benefits + $600) would be different between states, but the FPUC portion is always $600.
Does anyone know if we'll still get the full 11 weeks of the $300 supplement that was authorized, or does the 3-week gap count against our total? I'm so confused by all of this.
You should still get the full 11 weeks of the $300 supplement that was authorized in the program. The gap weeks don't count against your total. The program runs for 11 weeks from its start date (January 25, 2025), not including the gap period when no program was in place. So you haven't lost any of your eligible weeks - you just don't get payments for the period when no program existed.
One important thing to note: make sure you're still completing your 5 work search requirements each week even during confusing periods like this. I've seen several people get denied benefits because they thought the work search requirements were paused during the transition between programs, but they weren't. The DEO is being really strict about this in 2025.
i tried to claim yesterday and got those same new questions! but i thought we had to do work searches now? im in miami-dade and my neighbor said the covid waiver ended already. this is so confusing!!!!
Just wanted to update everyone - DEO just released an official statement about the work search question changes. They confirmed it's a system update that caused confusion. Here's what they said: 1. If you're in a county with an active work search waiver, put "COVID-19 WAIVER" in all fields 2. If your county's waiver has expired, you MUST complete 5 work search activities per week 3. All claims using the COVID waiver will be manually reviewed to verify county residence 4. They're working on an update to make the system recognize county waivers automatically They also said if you made an honest mistake on a recent claim due to confusion, you can call to have it corrected without penalty.
WARNING: Be super careful if you worked AT ALL during your claim period before filling this out. My friend filled out his quarterly form last month and accidentally underreported some gig work he did. They flagged his entire claim for fraud investigation and his payments have been on hold for 3 weeks now!
Oh no! That's scary. I did some freelance work last month that I reported on my weekly claims. Should I attach documentation to this quarterly form too or just list the income again?
@profile3 - If you already reported the freelance work on your weekly claims, you should still include it on the quarterly form if it falls within the quarter being reviewed. The system should already have record of it, but it's always better to be consistent. You don't need to attach documentation unless specifically requested, but keep those records for at least a year in case they do an audit later.
UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know I successfully submitted my quarterly form yesterday, and this morning my claim status is back to Active! No interruption to my payments so far. The whole process was much easier than I feared. Thanks everyone for the reassurance and helpful tips!
Logan Scott
hey has neone tried using turbotax to check if they did it rite? my friend said u can go back in and look at ur old return 2 see if u missed anything
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Ethan Clark
•I did use TurboTax and double-checked my return. Everything looks correct as far as I can tell. The 1099-G amount matches what I entered, and I did include the tax withholding from Box 4. I guess it's just the IRS being extra cautious with unemployment benefits this year.
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Lucas Adams
One final update that might help others: The IRS announced they're specifically taking longer with returns that include unemployment benefits because of potential tax credit implications. It doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong. For anyone receiving DEO benefits this year (2025), I strongly recommend having at least 10% withheld for federal taxes (you can set this in your CONNECT account under tax withholding preferences). This won't prevent the IRS scrutiny, but it will reduce the chance of owing taxes next year. Also, many people don't realize that unemployment benefits can affect other tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit. Sometimes the IRS delay is because they're recalculating these credits based on your unemployment income.
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Ethan Clark
•Thanks for all this information! It's been really helpful. I'll definitely set up the 10% withholding going forward. Just to update everyone - my refund FINALLY showed up today! Took almost 10 weeks but it's finally done. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences and advice!
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