Florida Unemployment Benefits Laws

Unemployment compensation is a benefit paid to employees after a layoff or termination of employment. The program provides income to replace the lost income from a job until new employment is found. Florida unemployment compensation pays a portion of the salary of someone who is in between jobs.

Employer-Paid Program

Businesses pay for unemployment compensation through business taxes. The Florida Department of Revenue collects the taxes from businesses and keeps it in a fund for unemployed workers. Businesses cannot deduct the tax from employees' wages during employment.

Businesses

Businesses are required to pay Florida unemployment taxes if they are required to pay federal unemployment taxes, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. Certain requirements determine if and how much a business must pay into the unemployment compensation fund, including the size of the payroll and the number of employees. Churches are exempt from paying unemployment compensation taxes. The wages paid to alien workers and non-resident aliens is not covered by unemployment compensation, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.



Filing a Claim

An unemployed worker is able to file a claim online with the Florida Unemployment Compensation program. Once a claim has been filed, the application is reviewed and accepted or rejected. Those who are denied unemployment compensation may request an appeal hearing.

Within 14 days of a claim, the unemployed worker receives a Wage Transcript and Determination document that shows the amount of the claim and the number of weeks that can be collected.

Responsibilities While Collecting Benefits

Workers' responsibilities when collecting unemployment benefits include actively looking for work. Recipients must keep a written record of the job search with a Work Search Record form.

All work performed while collecting unemployment must be reported to Florida Unemployment Compensation program even if the wages have not been paid.