DEO benefit year end date December 26 - will payments stop completely?

That's exactly what it means. The December 26 date is a HARD cutoff. The system will stop paying you after that date no matter how much balance you have left. DEO doesn't care if you have $1 or $10,000 left - once your benefit year ends, that's IT!!! I learned this the hard way last year when I had over $4,000 balance that just DISAPPEARED overnight. You'll need to file a whole new claim after the 26th which means MORE waiting, MORE verification, and probably weeks with NO MONEY coming in. The system is DESIGNED to screw us over.

The previous comment isn't entirely accurate. Yes, December 26th is your benefit year end date, but what happens next depends on your specific situation. If you're on Regular Unemployment Assistance (RA), then you would typically need to file a new claim after your benefit year ends if you're still unemployed. However, if you have a non-zero balance, sometimes DEO will automatically review your claim for a potential extension. The key is to continue claiming your weeks even as you approach the end date. Have you been consistently claiming your weeks and completing the required 5 work search activities per week?

I went through this exact same thing in August. What nobody tells you is that you should call DEO about 2 weeks BEFORE your benefit year end date to check if you qualify for an extension. In my case, I had to file a new application, but because I called ahead, I only had a one-week gap in payments instead of waiting a month+ like many people experience. The problem is actually REACHING a live agent at DEO - I spent 3 days calling non-stop before I gave up and used Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. Definitely worth it to avoid the payment gap.

the other thing nobody mentioned is that to qualify for a new claim after ur benefit year end you need to have worked since your original claim date and earned enough wages, its not automatic. my sister just went thru this and she had worked a temp job for 2 months but it wasnt enough wages so she got denied on her new application. its really confusing and the deo website doesnt explain it well

To qualify for a new Regular Unemployment claim in Florida, you'll need to have earned wages in at least two quarters of your base period, with total earnings of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages. The minimum qualifying amount varies based on your specific situation, but generally, you'd need several thousand dollars in earnings. Your best approach is definitely to contact DEO directly about 2-3 weeks before your benefit year end date. They can review your specific case and advise whether you'd qualify for a new claim or possibly an extension. The agent can also tell you exactly what options you have based on your work history and current claim status. Also important - make sure your contact information is up-to-date in CONNECT so you don't miss any important notices about your claim ending.

I just went through this process last month. Here's exactly what you need to do: 1) Keep claiming weeks as normal until your benefit year end date, 2) On the day after your benefit year ends, log into CONNECT and there should be a link to file a new claim application, 3) Complete the application honestly including all work history since your original claim, 4) After submission, it will likely go into "pending" status for 1-3 weeks, 5) You may get a fact-finding questionnaire to complete, and 6) Eventually you'll get a determination letter. The process took 18 days for me from application to first payment on my new claim. It's stressful but if you plan ahead financially for that gap period, you'll be okay. And like others said, getting through to DEO before your end date is extremely helpful - they can flag your account for expedited review sometimes.

Yes, they should back-pay you for any eligible weeks during the processing time, as long as you claim them properly. After you submit your new application, you should still be able to claim weeks through CONNECT. Those weeks will stay in pending status until your new claim is approved, then they'll all pay out at once. Just make sure you're diligent about claiming each week on time and documenting your work searches, as they might review those more carefully for the weeks between claims.