Confused about unexpected $980 DEO payment - regular benefit is $220 biweekly

probably backpay. if u appealed and won they gotta pay u for them weeks. i got a random $1200 after my appeal went thru last month. just make sure ur claim status says eligible now.

This definitely sounds like backpay for weeks that were previously on hold and are now resolved. The math makes sense - $220 biweekly means $110 per week, and $110 × 9 weeks = $990, which is close to what you received (they may have taken taxes out of some weeks if you opted for that). I would recommend logging into CONNECT and checking your payment history. Each payment should be itemized by week, and you can see exactly which weeks were included in that lump sum. Look under "View and Maintain Account Information" then "Payment History." This will help you confirm it's legitimately yours without having to call DEO.

Congratulations on winning your appeals! When DEO approves multiple weeks at once, they typically send it as a lump sum payment like you're seeing. The $980 is very likely your backpay for the weeks you were fighting for. To verify exactly what this payment covers, you should: 1. Check your CONNECT payment history (as mentioned above) 2. Look at your "Determination, Pending Issues and Decision Summary" section to see if there are any resolved issues with recent determination dates 3. Check if the weeks that were previously disqualified now show as "payable" status If you want absolute confirmation, you'll need to speak with a DEO agent directly. Getting through to them can be challenging though.

I was in EXACTLY the same situation last month! Had 5 weeks stuck in adjudication, kept filing appeals, then BOOM - random $870 deposit. If your claim shows those weeks are now eligible, that money is YOURS. DEO isn't exactly known for giving people extra money by mistake lol. If you're really anxious about it though, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to a real DEO agent instead of waiting on hold forever. They got me connected in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj The agent confirmed all my backpay amounts and I could finally relax about spending it. Worth it for peace of mind!

Yes there is a fee but for me it was worth not spending hours redialing. I get your point though - we shouldn't have to pay to reach a government agency that's supposed to help us.

BE CAREFUL!!!! DEO is notorious for paying people then coming back MONTHS later claiming "overpayment"!!! This EXACT thing happened to my cousin last year - got a big lump sum payment, spent it, then 4 months later they said it was an error and demanded $1400 back!!! I'd hold onto that money for at least 60 days before spending it. DEO is a NIGHTMARE!!

While overpayments can happen, they're typically related to unreported wages, eligibility issues, or fraud concerns. If you've been honest in your applications, won your appeals legitimately, and the CONNECT system shows those weeks as eligible, the risk is fairly low. DEO calculates the exact amount you're owed based on your weekly benefit amount multiplied by the number of weeks they're paying you for. It's not a random amount - you can verify the math yourself by looking at your weekly benefit amount and counting the weeks that are now showing as paid in your payment history. If you're still concerned, you can always set aside some of the money for a couple of months for peace of mind.

when i got my backpay i called like 42 times trying to confirm it was right lol. never got thru. ended up just spending it and nothing bad happened. DEO website is trash but their math is usually right.

has anyone else noticed the connect website is down AGAIN today?????? trying to claim my weeks and can't even login!! this is the 3rd time this month!!!!

I'm following this thread closely because I'm in a similar situation! Been fighting with DEO for WEEKS about my claim, and suddenly got a deposit that seems like it might be backpay but I'm terrified to spend it. The anxiety of dealing with Florida unemployment is honestly worse than being unemployed itself sometimes. 😭 Has anyone who got backpay received any kind of official notice or letter from DEO explaining what the payment was for? I haven't gotten anything in my CONNECT inbox...