DEO payment schedule confusion: weekly benefit amount vs. biweekly claiming
I just got approved for Florida unemployment and I'm confused about the payment schedule. I know we claim weeks biweekly, but my determination letter shows a 'weekly benefit amount' of $325. Does DEO actually deposit money every week, or do they send $650 every two weeks after I claim? The CONNECT dashboard isn't clear about this. Anyone who's been on unemployment recently know how this works?
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Kara Yoshida
u get paid after u claim. so its every 2 weeks. they just tell u the weekly amount so u know what ur getting per week but they send the full amount for both weeks together
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Mateusius Townsend
•Thanks! That makes way more sense. I was budgeting for weekly deposits and got worried when nothing showed up yesterday.
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Philip Cowan
The payment schedule works like this: You claim two weeks at once (biweekly), but each week is processed separately. Your weekly benefit amount ($325) is what you get for EACH eligible week. After you claim your weeks, DEO typically processes payments within 2-3 business days. The deposit might show as two separate $325 payments or one $650 payment, depending on your payment method (direct deposit vs Way2Go card). If you have any weeks with earnings or work search issues, those weeks might be held separately for adjudication while the clean weeks pay out.
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Mateusius Townsend
•This is super helpful! I chose direct deposit to my bank account. So I should expect $650 (minus taxes) every two weeks as long as I claim correctly?
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Philip Cowan
•Exactly! If you chose to have taxes withheld, they'll take 10% from each payment. So you'd receive $292.50 per week (or $585 combined) if withholding taxes. Just make sure you're completing your work search requirements - 5 job contacts per week - and reporting any earnings accurately.
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Caesar Grant
JUST A WARNING abt the payment schedule - DEO deposits can be SUPER inconsistent!! Sometimes I'd claim on Monday and get paid Wednesday, other times it took till Friday! And once it randomly took 9 days with NO explanation!!! The system is a mess honestly
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Mateusius Townsend
•Oh great 🙄 Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to keep some buffer in my budget in case payments are delayed.
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Lena Schultz
I had the same confusion when I first filed! The terminology is definitely unclear. Your CONNECT account will show a payment history section where you can view exactly when each week is paid. It's normal for both weeks to be paid together. If you need to speak with someone at DEO to clarify anything about your payments (especially if one seems delayed), I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It connects you directly to a DEO agent without the endless busy signals. I wasted days trying to call on my own, then used their service and got through in about 40 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj
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Gemma Andrews
•is claimyr legit? seems sketchy that u have to pay to talk to unemployment ppl that should be available for free
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Lena Schultz
@profile8 I felt the same way initially, but after spending literally 3 days trying to get through the regular DEO phone lines without success, I gave it a try. They just help you bypass the phone system - you still talk directly to the actual DEO agents. Saved me from missing a payment when my account had a weird hold.
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Pedro Sawyer
•i had a good experience with claimyr too. but wish it wasnt needed. florida's system is terrible compared to other states. my sister in michigan said she never had problems reaching someone when she was on unemployment there.
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Mae Bennett
Wait i'm cunfused... are we talking about regular UI or PUA here? cuz they might have different paymnet rules. I was on PUA during covid and that was diffrent i think
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Philip Cowan
•PUA ended a long time ago. The original poster is asking about regular Reemployment Assistance (RA), which is Florida's standard unemployment insurance program. There's only one type of unemployment benefit available now in Florida, and that's RA with the biweekly claiming schedule we've been discussing.
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Mae Bennett
•Oh ok gotcha thx for clearing that up!
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Pedro Sawyer
Something nobody mentioned - if Monday is a holiday, that can push everything back by a day. I claim my weeks Sunday night after the system updates, and I usually see deposits on Tuesday morning. But after holidays it's often Wednesday or even Thursday. Just something to keep in mind!
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Gemma Andrews
hey OP did u ever get ur payment? curious how long it took
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Mateusius Townsend
•Yes! Just got my first payment today. I claimed on Monday and it hit my bank account Thursday morning (so 3 business days). It came as one deposit of $585 (after the 10% tax withholding).
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