DEO work search requirements with job offer - still eligible for UI until start date?

Congrats on the job! Yes, you DO still need to do your work searches until you actually start working. Florida DEO requires you to continue all work search activities until your first day of employment. When you claim your weeks, there will be a question asking if you've accepted an offer of work - you should answer YES and provide the date you'll begin work (July 5th). As long as you aren't earning wages yet, you can still receive benefits until your start date if you meet all other eligibility requirements.

when i got my job last yr they told me i had to keep doin the work searches. really annoying tbh but i just did it anyway didnt wanna risk losing the $$$ before i started

The same thing happened to me in February and I TOTALLY messed it up! I got a job offer and just stopped claiming weeks because I thought I wasn't eligible anymore. DON'T DO THAT!! I lost out on almost $1,200 I could have collected until my start date. Keep claiming those weeks and doing the work searches right up until you start. The DEO system is so confusing and the website doesn't explain this situation clearly AT ALL.

You've gotten some good advice already, but I want to clarify a few things about standby status vs. having a job offer: 1. You need to continue the 5 work searches per week until your first day of work 2. When claiming weeks, answer YES to the question about having accepted work 3. Provide the start date accurately 4. Continue to certify that you're available for work until your start date 5. Report any training or orientation days if you're paid for them Also important: if your start date gets pushed back for any reason, update this information on your next claim. The DEO system will automatically adjust your eligibility based on your responses.

Congrats on the new job! I remember being in this exact spot last year and feeling so confused about what to do with CONNECT. I just kept doing everything the same until I actually started working.

Be careful how you answer the questions! The wording can be tricky. When they ask if you're "able and available" for work, you need to say YES even though you have a job lined up. If you say NO, they'll deny benefits for that week. I learned this the hard way when I had a job starting in August last year. I said NO thinking I should be honest about having a job lined up, and they immediately cut my benefits. Had to appeal and it was a whole mess!!

I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at DEO about this exact situation last month. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a live agent. They have this service where they call DEO and connect you when they reach an agent. Saved me hours of frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. The agent confirmed you need to keep doing work searches until your actual start date, but you should report the job offer and start date when claiming weeks.

btw does anyone know if u can use indeed applications for the work searches even when u already have a job lined up? seems easier than other options

One more important thing: once you start working, don't forget to file your final weeks! You can still claim for the partial week when you start working (just report any wages earned). Many people make the mistake of just stopping their claims once they start working, but you should properly close out your claim by claiming all eligible weeks, even partial ones.

Just wanted to add that you should also keep documentation of your job offer (email, letter, whatever they gave you) in case DEO ever asks for proof during an audit or review. I had a friend who got questioned about a gap in her work search activities and had to provide documentation showing she had accepted employment during that period. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around! Also, make sure your employer knows your expected start date is firm - any changes could affect your benefits eligibility for those weeks.

Congratulations on landing the job! Just to add one more perspective - I went through this same situation about 6 months ago and everything worked out fine following the advice others have given here. The key things that helped me were: 1) Keep doing ALL 5 work searches every week until July 5th (I know it feels pointless but DEO doesn't care), 2) Answer YES when they ask about accepting work and put your start date, 3) Still answer YES to being available for work until you actually start. I was paranoid about messing something up so I also called the employer to double-confirm my start date a week before starting. The transition from UI to regular paychecks went smoothly and I didn't lose any benefits I was entitled to. You're in the home stretch - just keep following the same routine for 3 more weeks!

I went through this exact same situation last fall! One thing I want to emphasize that others have touched on - make absolutely sure you understand the difference between "accepting a job offer" and "starting work" when filling out your weekly claims. DEO considers you unemployed until your actual first day of work, not when you accept the offer. I made the mistake of overthinking this and almost talked myself out of claiming benefits I was entitled to. Also, if your new employer offers any pre-employment activities (like orientation, paperwork, drug testing, etc.) before your official start date, those usually don't count as "work" unless you're being paid for them. Just keep doing exactly what you've been doing - the 5 work searches, weekly claims, staying available - until July 5th. The system is set up to handle this transition period, even though it doesn't feel very intuitive! Best of luck with the new job!