DEO confusion - do we get $600 federal supplement with regular unemployment in 2025?

The $600 federal supplement (FPUC) was only during the COVID pandemic. It ended years ago. Now you just get your regular Florida unemployment amount which maxes out at $375/week. The system is back to normal pre-pandemic rules now. There are NO federal supplements anymore. Don't expect anything extra beyond what your CONNECT account shows as your weekly benefit amount (WBA).

The $600 supplement was called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) and was only available during the height of the pandemic in 2020. There have been rumors about new federal supplements every year since, but nothing has actually passed. In 2025, you only receive your regular state Reemployment Assistance benefit which is calculated based on your past wages. The maximum benefit in Florida is $375 per week. Just make sure you're completing your 5 work search activities each week and reporting them correctly when you claim your weeks, or your payments could be delayed or denied.

my sister thout the same thing last month lol. she was all excited thinkin she was gettin a big fat check then got all mad when it was just the regular amount. florida unemployment is a joke compared to other states tbh

Just to clarify what others have said: The $600 FPUC supplement was only available from April-July 2020. Then it briefly returned as $300 FPUC from December 2020-September 2021. Currently in 2025, there are no federal supplements to regular unemployment. Your payment will come in one of two ways: 1. Direct deposit to your bank account if you set that up in CONNECT 2. Loaded onto a Way2Go debit card (automatically sent if you didn't choose direct deposit) The payment should process within 2-3 business days after claiming weeks if there are no issues with your claim. And yes, Florida's maximum benefit amount of $375/week hasn't increased in over 25 years, despite inflation.

When i was on unemployment back in 2020 we got the extra $600 but that stopped loooong ago. Florida unemployment is literally one of the worst in the entire country and they haven't raised the maximum amount in like forever!!! $375 a week? How is anyone supposed to live on that?? My rent alone is $1800/month. The system is completely broken.

I was locked out of my CONNECT account for nearly a month back in January and it was IMPOSSIBLE to reach anyone at DEO. I tried calling every single day, multiple times a day, and either got busy signals or was disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual DEO agent within 30 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj It was such a relief to finally talk to someone who could help with my locked account! As for your question about the $600 - others are right, that ended years ago. Now it's just the regular Florida amount which isn't much.

And BTW watch out for saying you're "locked out" of your account vs. your "account is locked" - totally different issues to DEO! Locked out usually means password/login issues, while account locked means there's an actual hold on your account that requires adjudication. Make sure you're explaining your issue correctly when you talk to them or you'll waste time getting to the wrong department.

my cousin said there might be a new stimulus check coming but i dunno if thats true or just a rumor. anybody hear anything about that?

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! I really appreciate all the information. Definitely disappointed about the $600 being only during COVID times (and long gone now), but at least I understand the system better. Will focus on my work search activities and hope I find something soon because $306/week is going to be really tight. Florida really needs to update their maximum benefit amount!

Hey Harold, glad you finally got back into your CONNECT account! That 3-week lockout sounds like a nightmare. Just wanted to add to what everyone else has said - you're absolutely right to be disappointed about the $600 supplement being gone. I remember when it ended in 2021, it was such a shock to go back to just the regular state amount. One thing that might help while you're job searching - if you're struggling to make ends meet on the $306/week, look into local food banks and utility assistance programs. Many counties in Florida have emergency assistance programs that can help with rent/utilities while you're between jobs. Also, some temp agencies count as valid work search contacts, so you might be able to find some short-term work to supplement your unemployment. Hang in there - the job market has been pretty decent lately, so hopefully you'll find something soon!

Harold, I completely understand your frustration! I went through a similar CONNECT lockout situation about 6 months ago and it was one of the most stressful experiences I've had. Three weeks is brutal - you must have been going crazy not being able to access your account. Everyone here has given you great info about the $600 supplement being long gone (pandemic-only benefit that ended in 2021). It's such a bummer because that extra money really made a difference back then, but now we're stuck with just the regular Florida amounts which are honestly pathetic. Since you're getting $306/week, I wanted to suggest looking into SNAP benefits if you haven't already - the income limits are pretty generous when you're on unemployment, and it can really help stretch your grocery budget. Also, if you have any utility bills piling up, most power companies in Florida have hardship programs for people on unemployment. For the work search requirements, don't sleep on attending virtual career fairs - they usually count as 2-3 contacts each since you can talk to multiple employers. Florida Works (employflorida.com) posts them regularly. Hope you find something soon and can get off this roller coaster! The system definitely isn't designed to actually help people, but at least you got back into CONNECT finally.