DEO part-time reporting rules for self-employed with fluctuating income

Yes, you report your earnings for each individual week when you claim those weeks. Florida uses an 80/20 rule - they deduct $0.80 from your weekly benefit amount for every $1 you earn over $58. So if your weekly benefit amount is $275, and you earn $400 in a week, the calculation would be: $400 - $58 = $342 × 0.8 = $273.60 deduction, leaving you with just $1.40 in benefits for that week. For the $100 week, you'd get much more of your benefit. The important thing is to ALWAYS report accurately - underreporting can lead to fraud charges and overpayments you'll have to pay back.

OMG been dealing with this exact thing for months!!! its a nightmare!!! I do gig work driving and some weeks i make good money and others barely anything. DEO system is the WORST for understanding how to report this!!!! i think i messed up like 3 times already and now im scared they'll come after me for fraud but i SWEAR i tried to report everything right!!!!

Self-employed person here who went through this last year. Let me walk you through this: 1. Yes, report EACH week separately with exactly what you earned THAT week (not when you got paid, but when you did the work) 2. Keep claiming every week as long as you're still earning less than your WBA (weekly benefit amount) 3. For each week you claim, you'll get partial benefits if you earned something but less than your full benefit amount 4. Document EVERYTHING. Keep all invoices, payments, dates of service, etc. 5. If you have a week where you earn more than your WBA, you'll get $0 for that week but CAN STILL get benefits the following week if your income drops This is why so many self-employed people get confused. The system wasn't really designed for us with fluctuating income.

wait so do u still have to do the work searches if ur self employed but not making much money? i thought if u had a job even part time u didn't have to do those anymore?

Have you tried calling DEO directly? I was in a similar situation (freelance photographer with unpredictable income) and needed clarification on how to report properly. Obviously getting through to DEO is nearly impossible, but I found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real agent in under 20 minutes. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. The agent I spoke with explained exactly how to handle variable income reporting for my specific situation. Saved me so much stress about potentially reporting wrong!

Listen, DEO is horrible with self-employed people. I've been through this nightmare. The system is designed for W2 employees with consistent hours, not us. Here's what they DON'T tell you: if you report income in the week you RECEIVE payment rather than when you EARNED it, they'll flag your account for fraud investigation. Happened to me. Took 11 weeks to resolve. Also, if your income fluctuates too much week to week, they sometimes trigger a "pattern investigation" because they think you're manipulating your reporting. It's RIDICULOUS. Document EVERYTHING and keep all client contracts/invoices for at least a year.

One more thing that's important - make sure you're handling your taxes correctly too. Since you're self-employed, DEO isn't withholding taxes from your benefits AND you'll owe self-employment tax on your earnings. I'd recommend setting aside at least 25-30% of both your self-employment income and unemployment benefits for taxes. Many people get caught off guard by this come tax time.

After reading everyone's comments, I want to emphasize something: Florida's system is frustrating but the rules do work consistently if you follow them exactly. Report earnings when EARNED (not paid), keep claiming every week even when your income fluctuates, and be prepared that some weeks you might get $0 benefits while others you'll get partial. The most important thing is accurate reporting - being off by even a day in when you report income earned can trigger issues. Also, for the work search requirements, log into CONNECT and check if your work search requirement status has changed based on your specific claim. Some claimants are assigned different work search requirements.

Just wanted to add one more tip that saved me a lot of headaches - keep a simple spreadsheet tracking each week with columns for: week ending date, work performed, amount earned, date payment received, and whether you claimed benefits that week. When I started doing this, it made reporting so much clearer and gave me documentation if DEO ever questioned anything. Also, screenshot your CONNECT submissions each week showing exactly what you reported - the system sometimes glitches and doesn't save properly. I learned this the hard way when they said I didn't report income for a week that I definitely did report. Having those screenshots saved me from a potential overpayment situation.

I'm dealing with a similar situation as a freelance graphic designer. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple calendar where I mark down exactly what work I did each day and for which client. This way when I'm filling out my weekly claim, I can easily see what income belongs to which week. Also, I set up a separate savings account just for taxes - every time I get paid (either from clients or unemployment), I immediately transfer 30% to that account. It's been a lifesaver because like others mentioned, you'll owe taxes on both sources of income. The key thing I learned is that DEO really does want you to succeed in finding consistent work, so as long as you're honest about your earnings and keep claiming while you're still underemployed, they'll work with the fluctuating income. Just don't skip weeks thinking "oh I made too much this week" - claim every week and let their system calculate what you're owed!