Job-loss checklist for Florida

Last checked: October 22, 2026. We are not FloridaCommerce or the State of Florida. We never ask for your Reconnect login, Social Security number or any claim details.

1. 1. Apply for Reemployment Assistance with FloridaCommerce right away

   Deadline: As soon as you are out of work (your claim starts the Sunday of the week you apply)

   In Florida, unemployment benefits are called Reemployment Assistance (RA). Apply online in Reconnect, the FloridaCommerce claims system at FloridaJobs.org, or in person at a local CareerSource Florida center. Apply as soon as you are out of work: your claim starts on the Sunday of the week you complete the application, and benefits are not paid back to the day you lost your job. Before you apply, create a Reconnect login (with multi-factor authentication) and verify your identity with ID.me. If you need help because of language, a disability or trouble using a computer, call 1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759). Reemployment Assistance is for workers who are out of work through no fault of their own. If you quit, you must show proof that you had a good cause, and if you were fired for misconduct you may not qualify, but apply anyway, because FloridaCommerce only decides your eligibility after you apply. After you apply, FloridaCommerce may send you fact-finding questionnaires, so check the Documents screen in Reconnect often. Complete each one by the due date on the form, because a late answer could delay your claim or lead to an incorrect determination. Have ready: your Social Security number; your driver license, state ID or other government photo ID; and, for every employer in the last 18 months, the name, address and phone number, your first and last day of work, your gross pay (before taxes), why you no longer work there, and the employer's FEIN from your W-2 or 1099 (or employer details from a recent paystub). Also, if it applies: your DD-214 (military), SF-8 and SF-50 with a W-2 or Leave and Earnings Statement (federal job), union name, hall number and phone (union member), or Alien Registration number or other work authorization (not a U.S. citizen). FloridaCommerce then sends a Monetary Determination with your weekly benefit amount, the most you can be paid, and your benefit year end date (about one year). If an employer or wages are missing or wrong, ask for a monetary reconsideration within 20 days of the determination date. To qualify you need at least $3,400 in base-period wages, wages in at least two quarters, and total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter. Your weekly benefit is your highest quarter's wages divided by 26, at least $32 and no more than $275. FloridaCommerce says 2025 and 2026 claims can be paid for up to 12 weeks, with a maximum total of $3,300. Under Florida law the number of weeks depends on the state's average unemployment rate: 12 weeks when it is 5 percent or lower, up to 23 weeks. The first week you are eligible is an unpaid waiting week: Florida never pays it, but you must still request it and report your work searches. You serve one waiting week per benefit year.

   Apply: FloridaCommerce Reemployment AssistanceFloridaCommerce: Reemployment Assistance FAQ

2. 2. Get your final paycheck and any unpaid wages

   Deadline: No Florida final-pay deadline; if your regular payday passes without pay, contact the U.S. Wage and Hour Division

   The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state payday laws lists Florida as having no regulations, and federal law does not require an employer to give you your final paycheck immediately. If the regular payday for your last pay period has passed and you have not been paid, the Department of Labor says to contact its Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243; complaints are confidential. Federal wage law (the FLSA) does not require severance pay or pay for unused vacation, sick days or holidays; those depend on your agreement or your employer's policy. Florida's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour from September 30, 2026. If you were paid less than the Florida minimum wage, state law says that before you file a lawsuit you must give your employer written notice of the minimum wage you claim, the dates and hours you worked, and the total unpaid amount. The employer then has 15 calendar days after receiving the notice to pay or resolve the claim.

   U.S. DOL: your last paycheckU.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division: file a complaintFloridaCommerce: Florida minimum wage

3. 3. Finish your Employ Florida work registration before you request payment

   Deadline: Before you request your first benefit payment (FloridaCommerce publishes no day count)

   Florida law requires most people who file a new claim to complete the online work registration in Employ Florida (EmployFlorida.com) before claiming benefits. FloridaCommerce says to finish it before you request benefit payments: if you do not complete every step, you are ineligible until you do, and your payments may be delayed or denied. If you submit your RA application before registering, you will have only a partial registration; open it from the Work Registration Information tab on your Reconnect Dashboard. To finish, complete the Reemployment Assistance Benefits Registration, give a valid Social Security number and email address, complete the Background Wizard, and create or upload a current resume in the Résumé Builder. It can take 24 to 48 hours for your registration to show in Reconnect. You do not have to register if you: cannot complete the online registration because of a language barrier or because you cannot read, write or use a computer well enough; have a physical, mental or visual impairment that keeps you from using a computer; do not live in Florida; are on a temporary layoff of no more than 8 weeks from your last day of work; are a union member who normally gets work through a union hiring hall; are in an approved Short-Time Compensation plan; or are legally barred from using a computer.

   Employ FloridaFloridaCommerce: Employ Florida work registration instructions (PDF)

4. 4. Request your benefit payments every two weeks

   Deadline: Every two weeks, on or within 7 days from your scheduled report date

   After you apply, log in to Reconnect every two weeks to request payment, even while your claim is still being reviewed. Your Reconnect Dashboard shows your scheduled report date; when it is time, click "It's time to request benefits." You can also sign up for reminders by text, email or phone call. Request payment on or within seven days from your scheduled report date. If you are late, you will not be paid for those weeks, your claim becomes "Inactive" and you must reopen it. If you could not log in and missed a request, go to the RA Help Center (I am a Claimant, then Benefit Payment Assistance) to ask that the missed weeks be made available. For each week, you answer questions about whether you were able and available to work, give your work search contacts, and report any work, earnings, tips or commissions. A claim week runs Sunday through Saturday. Keep requesting payment if your claim is under review or on appeal; if you win, you are paid only for the weeks you requested. Choose how you are paid: direct deposit (money arrives 1 to 2 business days after you claim your weeks) or the Way2Go debit card, which is mailed after your first payment and can take 7 to 10 business days to arrive. Way2Go card line: 1-833-888-2780.

   FloridaCommerce: request benefit payment

5. 5. Make your weekly work search contacts

   Deadline: Every week you request (Sunday to Saturday)

   For every week you request, you must look for work and report it. If you live in a county with more than 75,000 people, contact at least five prospective employers each week; if your county has 75,000 people or fewer, contact at least three. The Required Weekly Work Search tab on your Reconnect Dashboard shows your number. Instead of employer contacts, you can meet in person with a representative at your local CareerSource Florida center for a qualifying service that week. For each contact, report the date, the employer or contact name, how you contacted them (in person, online, phone), their phone number, website, address or email, the type of work you wanted, and the result. Florida law says you may not list the same employer at the same location 3 weeks in a row unless the employer has said since your first contact that it is hiring. FloridaCommerce does random reviews, so keep a record of your contacts. Exceptions: if you will return to your same employer within 8 weeks, or you have a new job that starts within 6 weeks, keep requesting benefits but you do not need work searches. Union members stay in good standing and in regular contact with their union hall. People in approved training do not have to look for work. If you are unemployed for several weeks, you may be scheduled for a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) appointment at a CareerSource Florida center. The notice comes by U.S. mail, so keep your address current in Reconnect and Employ Florida. Once scheduled, attendance is mandatory; missing it can delay or deny your benefits.

   FloridaCommerce: work search requirementsFloridaCommerce: Work Search Requirements Guide (PDF, includes Spanish)

6. 6. Sort out health coverage within 60 days

   Deadline: 60 days (HealthCare.gov: from losing coverage; COBRA: from the later of coverage end or your notice). Florida continuation: written notice to the insurer within 63 days of the job loss

   HealthCare.gov: losing job-based coverage, even if you quit or were fired, lets you enroll in a Marketplace plan. Apply within 60 days of losing that coverage; plans start the first day of the month after your job-based coverage ends. When you apply, you will also learn if you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. COBRA (private employers with 20 or more employees, and state and local governments): you have 60 days to elect COBRA, counted from the later of the date your coverage ends or the date the election notice is given or mailed to you. The plan must send the notice within 44 days of the job loss. After you elect, you have 45 days to make the first payment. COBRA usually lasts up to 18 months after a job loss, and you pay the premium. Florida state continuation (employers with fewer than 20 employees and an insured group plan): if you cannot get COBRA, the Florida Health Insurance Coverage Continuation Act lets you keep the group plan. You must send the insurance company written notice within 63 days after the qualifying event (your job ending or your hours being cut; being fired for gross misconduct does not count). Within 14 days of your notice, the insurer must mail you an election and premium form by certified mail; you then have 30 days after receiving it to elect in writing and pay the first premium. Coverage can last up to 18 months, and the premium can be up to 115 percent of the group rate. Medicaid and KidCare: the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) decides Medicaid eligibility for parents and caretakers of children, children, pregnant women and others. Apply online through the MyACCESS portal; Florida uses one application for food, cash and Medicaid. If you do not qualify for Medicaid and have children under 18, you may be able to buy low-cost coverage for them through Florida KidCare.

   HealthCare.gov: if you lose job-based coverageDOL: COBRA continuation coverageFlorida Statutes 627.6692: state continuationApply for Medicaid: MyACCESS (ACCESS Florida)

7. 7. Apply for SNAP food assistance through ACCESS Florida

   Deadline: None (DCF must provide benefits to eligible households within 30 days of the application date)

   SNAP (food assistance) helps low-income households buy food. The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) runs it. The quickest way to apply is online in the MyACCESS portal; you can also apply at a DCF Family Resource Center or community partner, or send a paper application by mail or fax. For help applying, call the DCF Customer Contact Center at 850-300-4323. If you are approved, an EBT card is mailed to you. Most households must have gross income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. DCF's policy manual says to screen every application for expedited (fast) service. You may qualify if your household has less than $150 in monthly gross income and no more than $100 in liquid assets; if your monthly gross income plus liquid assets is less than your rent or mortgage plus utilities; or if you are a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker household. For eligible households, DCF must provide benefits no later than 30 days after the application date. If your household qualifies for expedited service, DCF's manual says benefits are authorized much sooner: by the 4th day if you do not have an EBT card, or by the end of the 6th day if you already have one. Work rules: DCF says most people must meet SNAP work requirements, and adults aged 18 to 59 who must take part are referred to FloridaCommerce and CareerSource for the SNAP Employment and Training program (80 hours a month). Receiving or having applied for Reemployment Assistance and following its work rules is one of DCF's listed good reasons for not taking part. Other examples include caring for a child under 6 or being medically certified as unable to work. If you do not meet the work rules, you may lose SNAP for a period of time.

   Apply: MyACCESS (ACCESS Florida)Florida DCF: SNAPFlorida DCF: SNAP work requirements

8. 8. Plan for federal taxes on your benefits

   Deadline: Form 1099-G available by January 31 each year

   Reemployment Assistance benefits are taxable income on your federal return. Florida does not have a personal income tax, so there is no Florida income tax return to file. Withholding is your choice: you can ask FloridaCommerce to withhold 10 percent of your weekly benefits for federal income tax when you apply, or later in Reconnect (Tax Withholding preference on the Dashboard, then Change) or through the automated phone line at 1-833-352-7759. You can change this choice only two times in a calendar year. If you do not have tax withheld, the IRS says you can make quarterly estimated tax payments instead. FloridaCommerce issues Form 1099-G with the benefits paid to you in the past year and any federal tax withheld; it is available by January 31. You can see it on the 1099-G Forms screen in Reconnect (up to the last five years). If you chose U.S. mail, a paper copy is mailed by January 31 to the address on file. To ask for a duplicate or corrected form, use the RA Help Center (Tax Documents). If you get a 1099-G but never filed a claim, report possible identity theft in the RA Help Center.

   FloridaCommerce: Tax Form 1099-GIRS: unemployment compensation

9. 9. If FloridaCommerce says no, appeal within 20 calendar days

   Deadline: Within 20 calendar days after the date of the determination (the distributed date)

   FloridaCommerce sends a separate determination for each issue on your claim. If one denies benefits and you disagree, ask for a hearing with an appeals referee. File within 20 calendar days after the date of the determination (the "distributed date"). If the 20th day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, you can file on the next business day. File online in Reconnect (Eligibility, then the Details icon for that determination) or in the RA Help Center; by mail with a Notice of Appeal form to Office of Appeals, P.O. Box 5250, Tallahassee, FL 32399-5250; or by fax to 850-617-6504. Your filing date is the online submission date, the postmark date, or the fax date stamp. If you file late, the referee will look at whether you had good cause; without proof, the case is dismissed. You will get a Notice of Hearing. Most hearings are by phone and the referee calls you; you do not need to call in. If no one calls within 10 minutes of the start time, call the deputy clerk at the number on the notice. Mail copies of your documents to the Office of Appeals and to every address on the notice so all parties get them at least 24 hours before the hearing. Interpreters can be arranged: tell the Office of Appeals right away (1-800-732-8212). If you miss the hearing, ask to reopen it within 20 days of the decision and give a compelling reason. If you disagree with the referee's decision, appeal in writing to the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission (RAAC) within 20 calendar days of the date the decision was mailed or distributed: online through the Commission's own filing system, by mail to 1211 Governors Square Boulevard, Suite 300, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or by fax to 850-488-2123 (then call 850-487-2685 to confirm). The Commission usually does not hold a new hearing, so give all your evidence to the referee. Keep requesting payment every two weeks while you wait. If you win, you are paid only for the weeks you requested.

   FloridaCommerce: file an appealAppeal a referee's decision to the RAAC

10. 10. Working part time? Report every week's gross pay

    If you work part time while claiming, you may still get full or partial benefits, as long as you keep looking for full-time work. Report all work and your gross pay (before taxes and other deductions) for each week you request, even if you have not been paid yet. Report pay in the week you did the work, not the week you were paid; if your job has no regular pay schedule, such as commission work, report it in the week you were paid. This includes any number of hours, self-employment, all tips and paid training. The first $58 you earn in a week is not counted; the rest is subtracted from your weekly benefit amount. FloridaCommerce's example: with a $275 weekly benefit and $100 in earnings, $42 is subtracted and you can get $233. If you earn as much as or more than your weekly benefit amount, or you work 32 hours or more in a week, you get no payment and no waiting-week credit for that week. When you go back to work, tell FloridaCommerce in your next request and report your earnings for the week you started. Not reporting work or earnings is fraud: you must repay the money plus 15 percent, and you can face fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison for each offense.

    FloridaCommerce Benefit Rights Information Handbook (PDF)