Florida Reemployment Assistance Program

Reemployment Assistance Program helps qualified workers who are out of work through no fault of their own by temporarily replacing part of their wages.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

Florida ranks among the lowest in the nation for unemployment benefits, offering a maximum weekly payment of just $275 (and no less than $32) and providing only 12 weeks of assistance — among the fewest of any state.

According to the Florida Statutes, in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and must have:¹

1. at least $3,400 in the first four calendar quarters out of the last five (the standard Florida base period), and
2. wages in at least two quarters of that base period, with total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your wages in the highest quarter.

For example, if you earned $3,400 or more across your base period but all of it was in one quarter, you would not qualify since your wages must be spread across two or more quarters to be eligible.

How many weeks of unemployment benefits does Florida offer?

Florida provides up to 12 weeks of benefits, which is shorter than the 26 weeks available in many other states. According to the Florida Statutes, the duration is tied to the state’s average unemployment rate: 12 weeks when the rate is at or below 5%, one more week for each 0.5% above that, and up to 23 weeks at 10.5% or higher.¹ Payments end once the maximum has been paid or the benefit year expires.

Where do I file for unemployment in Florida?

There are no unemployment offices in the state of Florida. All reemployment claims must be filed online using RECONNECT  which is Florida’s Reemployment Assistance claims system.

Unless otherwise exempt, all claimants filing a new claim are required by law to register for work through Employ Florida Marketplace  before claiming benefits.

Florida Department of Commerce
Claimant Assistance Line
(833) 352-7759