Can I claim DEO benefits until first paycheck arrives from new job starting in July?

Congrats on the new job! According to DEO rules, you must report when you WORK, not when you get paid. So you can keep claiming until your actual start date (July 10th). During your weekly certifications, you'll answer "no" to the question about whether you worked or earned income for those weeks before your start date. Once you start working, you CANNOT claim for those weeks even if you haven't received a paycheck yet. The system goes by when you performed the work, not when you received payment. Make sure to report your job acceptance in the next certification by answering "yes" to the question about obtaining employment, but you can still receive benefits until your first workday.

Adding to what was said above - be very careful with your reporting! When you certify weeks, there's a specific question about whether you've "obtained employment" - answer YES to this on your next certification even though you haven't started yet. Then continue claiming until your actual start date. After you start working, stop claiming immediately even if no paycheck yet. The question on CONNECT asks if you "worked or earned income" - and working counts even without a paycheck. If you accidentally claim after starting work, you'll get hit with an overpayment notice and potentially fraud penalties depending on the circumstances. Not worth the risk!

I've been in your exact situation with the childcare costs crushing any financial benefit from working. One thing to look into - Florida has the School Readiness Program that provides childcare subsidies for working families. The income limits are pretty generous (around $60K for family of 4). You can apply through your local Early Learning Coalition. Might take a few weeks to process but could help with that childcare cost issue. My subsidy brought my weekly payment down from $290 to $75 per kid. Wishing you luck with the transition back to work!

The DEO system is SO FREAKIN FRUSTRATING when it comes to these transition periods!!!! I had a similar situation last month and needed to ask some questions about partial benefits during training period but COULD NOT get through to anyone on phone. Kept getting disconnected after waiting 3+ hours!!! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a DEO agent in about 25 minutes instead of waiting all day. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj that shows how it works. Was actually worth it to get a definitive answer from DEO instead of guessing and risking an overpayment. The agent confirmed exactly what others are saying - you can claim until your start date but not after, regardless of when you get paid.

i know everyones talking about the technical stuff but I just wanna say I feel u on the childcare costs!! its INSANE right now. my daycare went up $75/week this year alone. im literally working to pay for daycare so I can work... make it make sense??? im glad u found a job tho! the emotional toll of unemployment is so hard, espceially for dads trying to provide. you'll get back on ur feet!!

One trick about DEO that nobody told me - when ur transitioning back to work, make sure u print/screenshot ALL ur claim info from CONNECT before it disappears! Once u stop claiming, u might lose access to parts of the system after a while. I needed proof of my unemployment later for a mortgage app and couldnt get the docs I needed! Just a heads up to save everything now.

dont forgit u can still get partial benefits if u work partime!!!! if ur 1st weeks at new job r less than full time hours u can still claim but u gotta report exactly what u earned each week even b4 getting paid. the system calculates if u can get partial payment. its confusng but sometimes u can get both!!

Just a heads-up that I've seen DEO being much stricter about reporting job offers lately. When you report obtaining employment during certification, they might ask for the offer letter with your start date. Having documentation ready will help if they put your claim on hold for verification. Also, the childcare situation in Florida is brutal right now. Check with your county's Early Learning Coalition for emergency childcare assistance - some counties have special programs for families transitioning from unemployment to employment that can cover those gap weeks.

I'm really sorry about your childcare costs doubling - that's happening everywhere in Florida right now. One thing to remember is that you might qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit when you file your 2025 taxes. Keep ALL receipts from your childcare provider because you can claim up to $3,000 per child (max $6,000 for 2+ children). It won't help immediately with cash flow, but it's something to look forward to at tax time. Some employers also offer Dependent Care FSAs that let you set aside pre-tax dollars for childcare - might be worth asking your new employer if they offer this benefit.