How to Collect Unemployment in New York While Living in Florida
When you have two states involved with your unemployment insurance claim, it can complicate matters, but it doesn't disqualify your claim. If the two states are Florida and New York, which state you file your claim in depends on where you worked during your base period. Your base period is the first four of the last five full calendar quarters before you filed your claim. If you worked only in New York during that time, you should have filed your claim with the New York State Department of Labor (DOL). If you work in New York but also worked in Florida during that time, you file your claim with Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI).
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Instructions
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Worked Only in New York During Your Base Period
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File your claim with New York state through the Internet or telephone claims line. Make sure you give your Florida mailing address during the application process. Review your Notice of Determination carefully when you receive it from the state about a week later to understand the DOL's decision on your unemployment claim.
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Conduct an active search for a full-time job and keep records of your search, including the contact person, the position and the date you applied. Keep the records in a safe place to show the DOL if requested.
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File your weekly claims certifications on the Internet or through the phone to the DOL on your weekly schedule, answering all the eligibility questions as truthfully as possible.
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Access your unemployment payments through your prepaid benefit debit card or direct deposit into your personal bank account, whichever method you chose during your initial claim.
Worked in New York and Florida During Your Base Period
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File your claim with Florida's AWI by Internet or telephone. Read the Notice of Determination from the AWI carefully after it has reviewed your claim to understand the decision it made on your claim.
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Conduct an active job search for a full-time job and keep accurate records of it to show the AWI if requested. Include the jobs you applied for, the contact person and the dates.
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File your weekly claims certifications every other week through the AWI's telephone claims line or Internet claims site. Answer all the questions about the previous two weeks of unemployment to the best of your knowledge.
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Access your benefits on your biweekly payment date through direct deposit into your personal bank account or cashing the paper check mailed to your address.
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Tips & Warnings
When in doubt of whether you should file a new claim with Florida or New York, file your claim with the AWI and Florida will direct you to the next steps.
The Notice of Determination usually takes about seven to ten days to arrive at your Florida address from either state. If you worked in New York and Florida during your base period, it may take closer to ten days because Florida has to verify your work history with New York to proceed.
If you already have an open claim with New York and you move to Florida during that claim, do not follow these instructions. Instead, contact the DOL by phone to update your address before you move. The DOL will direct your next steps from there.
Some claimants believe it's just easier to pretend that they live in New York to avoid dealing with any interstate unemployment tissues. However, failure to notify the DOL of your current address can result in the cancellation of your claim and the forced payback of your benefits.
