Late backdate claim to April - any success with DEO retroactive payments for self-employment?

I went through almost the exact same thing last year. Self-employed, waited until June to file but hadn't made any money since February. It took about 5 weeks for my claim to be approved, but here's the important part - I DID get backdated payments, but only after I specifically requested them through the CONNECT message center. After approval, go to the "Determination, Pending Issues and Decision Summary" section and check if they approved your claim with the April date. If not, you'll need to request backdating through the message center AND follow up with a phone call. The message will likely sit for weeks without action unless you call.

My claim got denied 3 times before I got approval. DEO HATES THE SELF-EMPLOYED!! They made me upload tax returns, 1099s, bank statements, you name it. And then they STILL denied me saying "insufficient work history" even though I'd been working for 2 years! Complete nightmare.

To directly answer your questions about the backdating process: 1) Approval timeframe varies widely, but for backdated self-employment claims, expect 6-8 weeks minimum. The system automatically flags these for manual review (adjudication). 2) Yes, you can receive backpay, but the process isn't automatic. Your claim effective date needs to match your last work date. 3) You absolutely need to call DEO once your claim is initially processed. Request to speak with an adjudicator specifically about backdating. Critical point: Make sure you complete all your work search requirements for EACH week you're claiming, even the backdated weeks. The system will prompt you to complete work searches for those past weeks if your backdating is approved. Missing this step is the #1 reason people lose their backdated benefits.

I was in your exact situation! Filed in June for business that stopped in March. Just be prepared for a LONG wait. My claim was pending for TWO MONTHS before it moved to adjudication, then another month to approval. The most frustrating part was trying to reach someone at DEO - I tried calling literally 30+ times a day for weeks and could never get through. I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which helped me get through to a live agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj - basically saved my sanity. The agent I spoke with was able to escalate my backdating request and I got approved about a week later with all the retroactive payments. Without being able to speak to someone, I think my claim would still be pending honestly.

i had a simlar issue but i waited even longer (sept) to file for april work stoppage. heres the thing nobody tells u - u have to specifcally say the magic words "I WANT TO BACKDATE MY CLAIM TO APRIL X" in every coversation with deo. if u dont use that exact phrase they dont do it right. also prepare for multiple fact-finding interviews where they ask the same Qs over and over

Important point about self-employment claims that I don't see mentioned yet: Make sure your claim is properly classified as a Regular UC claim with self-employment indicated, not mistakenly filed as a PUA claim (which no longer exists). Many DEO agents still confuse these programs. When you call, verify specifically that your claim type is correct. If they've misclassified your claim type, the backdating request will go nowhere and eventually be denied.

dont get ur hopes up on backpay tbh. some ppl get it some dont. i had to wait 12 weeks and they only paid me for 4 weeks even tho i asked for 10 weeks backpay. they said something about "administration error" whatever that means

Thank you everyone for the advice! This is all super helpful. I'm going to try calling DEO tomorrow (wish me luck!) and specifically ask about backdating my claim to April. I'll make sure to document everything and use the exact terminology you all suggested. If I can't get through after a reasonable number of tries, I'll check out that Claimyr service - at this point, waiting another 2-3 months for payment isn't really an option for me. I'll update once I hear anything!