DEO qualification rules: Do mixed employment periods (W-2 + gig work) qualify for Florida benefits?
My son is trying to file for unemployment with DEO but we're confused about the base period qualification rules. He worked at a regular job (with proper W-2) from February to October 2024, then switched to doing Uber and food delivery gigs from November until he got laid off in March 2025. The CONNECT system keeps giving him errors during application. Does anyone know exactly how many quarters you need to have worked in the base period to qualify? And does DEO even count the gig work/1099 income toward eligibility? The website is so confusing about mixed employment types. Anyone dealt with this specific situation?
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Javier Cruz
my cousin had similar issue last yr. pretty sure u need at least 2 quarters of regular w2 work in the base period which is like the first 4 of the last 5 quarters before filing. gig work usually doesnt count unless he paid self-employmet tax on it
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Natasha Orlova
•Thanks for responding! So if he worked Feb-Oct on W-2, that would be almost 3 quarters, right? So that part should be ok? The CONNECT system is so confusing about which quarters they're even looking at.
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Emma Thompson
The Florida DEO uses a specific way to calculate the base period - it's the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. For a March 2025 filing, they'd look at Q4 2023 through Q3 2024. To qualify, your son needs to have: 1) Earned at least $3,800 total during the base period 2) Worked in at least two different quarters of the base period 3) Have a valid job separation reason (layoff, hours reduction, etc.) The gig work is tricky - if he reported that income and paid self-employment taxes, it *might* count, but Florida typically focuses on W-2 employment for regular state benefits. February-October 2024 W-2 work should definitely count toward his eligibility if it falls within the right quarters.
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Natasha Orlova
•This is super helpful, thank you! So it sounds like he should qualify based on the W-2 work, even if the gig work doesn't count. Do you know if there's any way to see exactly what income DEO is seeing in his base period? The CONNECT system isn't showing that information.
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Malik Jackson
Is he getting any specific error message?? When I filed last year it kept giving me an error about "insufficient wages in the base period" even though I DEFINITELY had enough!! Turns out my employer hadn't reported my wages properly to DEO for one quarter. It was a NIGHTMARE to fix!!! Had to submit paystubs and W-2 and wait FOREVER for adjudication. 😠😠ðŸ˜
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Isabella Costa
•This happened to me too! DEO's wage database was missing an entire quarter of my work history. I never could get through on the phone to fix it until I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a DEO agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj The agent was able to manually add my missing wages after I sent in my paystubs. Saved me from waiting in adjudication for months!
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StarSurfer
congratz your son is gunna be waiting 4ever lol. DEO system is a joke. took me 12 weeks to get approved even tho i qualified easy. maybe tell him to just find another job faster than waiting for benefits
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Natasha Orlova
•He's definitely job hunting but we're in a pretty rural area and there's not much available right now. He needs something to bridge the gap. 12 weeks is insane though, I can't believe they make people wait that long!
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Ravi Malhotra
To specifically answer your question about base period qualification: 1. Florida requires you to have wages in at least 2 quarters of the base period 2. Total base period wages must be at least $3,800 3. You must have earned at least 1.5x your highest quarter wages across the entire base period Gig work (1099 income) generally does NOT count toward regular state unemployment. It only counted during the pandemic under the special PUA program, which ended years ago. If your son worked regular W-2 employment from February to October 2024, and is filing in March 2025, he should qualify based on those quarters of work alone, assuming he earned enough. The error might be related to something else in his application. You can actually see what wages DEO has on record for him on his CONNECT account under "Monetary Status" after filing his claim.
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Natasha Orlova
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! He did make more than $3,800 during that period, so it sounds like he should qualify. I'll tell him to check the Monetary Status section. Really appreciate the help!
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Freya Christensen
when i applied in january my account showed the wrong employer information and my last quarter was completely missing! turns out employers have like 45 days after the quarter ends to report wages so if he just recently lost the job the system might not have all his information yet. might need to wait a couple weeks and try again
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Malik Jackson
•THIS!!!!! The quarter reporting delay is a HUGE issue that DEO never explains to anyone! I got denied initially because my Q4 wages weren't in the system yet even though I had worked the whole quarter! Had to wait and reapply later. The whole system is designed to make people give up I swear!!
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Emma Thompson
One more thing - if your son is getting a specific error about insufficient wages but you believe he qualifies, he should request a wage review by submitting proof of employment (paystubs, W-2s) through CONNECT. There's an appeal option specifically for monetary determinations. Also, make sure he's completing the work search requirements while his claim is processing - 5 work search activities per week that he must log in the system. That way if/when his claim is approved, he'll get paid for those weeks without delay.
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Natasha Orlova
•That's excellent advice about the work search requirements - I hadn't even thought about that yet! I'll make sure he starts documenting everything right away. And we'll definitely appeal if he gets denied based on wages. Thank you so much for all your help!
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Javier Cruz
btw my bros gf had the same thing happen with mixed work and they kept denying her until she talked to somebody on the phone who actually understood the rules. good luck getting thru tho lol took her like 100 calls
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Isabella Costa
•I had the same issue with the phones! I mentioned Claimyr above but seriously it saved me weeks of trying to call DEO. I was literally calling 30+ times a day with no luck before I used it. They connected me within about 20 minutes and the agent was able to see exactly what was wrong with my claim. Worth every penny to not deal with the constant busy signals and hangups.
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StarSurfer
tell ur son to check if hes eligible for food stamps while waiting DEO takes FOREVER
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Natasha Orlova
•That's a good idea - I didn't even think about food stamps as an option. I'll look into that for him too. Thanks!
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Payton Black
Just wanted to add that if your son is still getting errors in CONNECT, try clearing your browser cache and cookies completely, then try a different browser. I had persistent errors that turned out to be browser-related. Also, the system seems to work better early in the morning (like 6-8 AM) when fewer people are trying to use it. One more tip - if he does get approved, make sure he understands the difference between "pending" and "processed" payments. I made the mistake of thinking my weeks were processed when they were just pending, and it caused confusion about when I'd actually receive payment. The whole system is confusing but don't give up!
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