EDD sent employment verification letter for freelance work - what to do with husband's disability claim?

You definitely did the right thing reporting all income sources! For freelance work, EDD needs to verify the income since there's no employer to contact. You'll need to provide documentation like 1099 forms, client contracts, invoices, bank statements showing deposits, or tax returns that show his self-employment income. They use this to calculate his correct benefit amount based on all qualifying income. Don't worry about the delay - just respond promptly with as much documentation as you can gather.

omg this same thing happened to my sister last year!! such a headache. she ended up just sending in her tax returns and some invoices but it delayed her claim by like 3 weeks. so annoying!!

You need to respond to this letter ASAP with documentation proving his self-employment income. Here's what you should include: 1. Copy of Schedule C from his most recent tax return 2. Any 1099 forms from clients 3. Profit & loss statements if he has them 4. Bank statements showing client payments 5. A brief cover letter explaining these are for his freelance work EDD needs this to verify income for benefit calculation. For return-to-work date, provide your best estimate based on his doctor's recommendation. You did the right thing reporting all income - hiding income is fraud and can result in penalties.

I've been in this exact situation trying to navigate disability with mixed W2/freelance income. After spending DAYS trying to get through to a human at EDD about these verification forms, I finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual EDD specialist in about 25 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd The agent I spoke with explained exactly what documents they needed for my husband's freelance work and how to submit them properly. Saved me so much stress trying to guess what they wanted.

I went through something similar with my SDI claim in January. The EDD system is NOT designed well for people with mixed income. When I got that verification letter, I panicked too! My suggestion: create a simple document explaining his freelance situation - when he started, types of work, typical monthly income, and when he expects to return based on his disability. Then attach supporting documents (tax returns showing Schedule C, 1099s, bank statements showing payments received, invoice examples). One important thing - don't miss their deadline! If you don't respond within the timeframe on the letter (usually 10 days), they might deny the claim entirely or only calculate benefits based on W2 income, which could significantly reduce his payment amount.

THE EDD IS A COMPLETE JOKE when it comes to self-employment!!! I had this EXACT PROBLEM last year and they made me wait 9 WEEKS while they "verified" my freelance work. Called 50+ times and either got hung up on or told different information EVERY SINGLE TIME. Meanwhile I couldn't pay rent and almost got evicted. The system is DESIGNED to make us fail!!! 😡😡😡

my cousin is an accountant and she says always report all income because otherwise IRS and EDD might do some kinda cross check and then you get in trouble for fraud which is way worse than waiting a few extra weeks

One tip I learned from my own experience - if your husband's freelance income varied a lot month-to-month, provide a monthly breakdown of income for the past 12-18 months. This helps EDD calculate the correct base period and benefit amount. Also, keep checking your SDI Online account daily - sometimes they'll request additional information without sending you a letter or email notification.

I think you did the right thing to include the freelance work. I work at a tax office and we see people get in trouble for not reporting all income sources. Better to deal with a little delay than potential fraud issues later. Just submit the docs they're asking for.

Update on my earlier comment - I just remembered something important! When sending in your documentation, write your husband's full name and EDD Customer Account Number (from the letter) on EVERY page you submit. This helps ensure all documents stay together during processing. Also make copies of everything before sending. I learned this the hard way when EDD claimed they never received some of my documents and I had no proof I sent them.

I just went through this exact situation with my wife's disability claim last month! The verification letter for self-employment income looks scary but it's actually pretty straightforward once you know what they want. Here's what worked for us: I gathered her Schedule C from last year's tax return, all 1099-NEC forms from clients, and printed out bank statements showing the deposits from her freelance work. I also wrote a simple one-page letter explaining what type of freelance work she did, average monthly income, and included her doctor's estimated return-to-work date. The key is to be thorough but organized. Put everything in chronological order and include a cover sheet listing each document you're sending. We submitted everything through SDI Online and got approval within 2 weeks. Don't stress too much - you absolutely did the right thing reporting all income upfront. EDD just needs to verify it since there's no employer to contact like with W2 income. Good luck!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago when filing for my own disability claim. The employment verification letter for freelance work caught me completely off guard too! What I learned is that EDD needs this documentation because unlike regular employers who can verify employment directly, they have no way to confirm self-employment income without your records. I ended up submitting my tax returns with Schedule C, 1099 forms, and a few months of bank statements showing client payments. I also included a brief letter explaining my freelance work and when my doctor expected me to be able to return. The whole process took about 3 weeks from when I submitted the documents to getting my first payment. I know that feels like forever when you're dealing with medical bills, but it's much better than the horror stories you hear about people waiting months. One thing that really helped speed things up was calling the SDI phone line early in the morning (like right at 8am) to confirm they received all my documents. The wait times are brutal later in the day but I actually got through pretty quickly in the morning. You definitely made the right choice reporting everything honestly - I've heard of people getting hit with fraud penalties for not reporting freelance income, and that's way worse than a short delay.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my partner's SDI claim! We also have mixed W2 and freelance income, and I was terrified when that verification letter showed up in the mail. From what I've gathered so far (and talking to a few people who've been through this), the key things you'll want to include are: - Your husband's most recent tax return showing Schedule C for self-employment - All 1099 forms from his freelance clients - Bank statements showing deposits from freelance work (maybe 6-12 months worth) - A simple cover letter explaining his type of freelance work, average monthly earnings, and expected return date based on medical recommendations I'm still waiting on my partner's approval, but our tax preparer said EDD basically just needs to verify that the freelance income you reported is legitimate since they can't call an "employer" like they would for W2 work. The waiting is definitely stressful when medical bills are piling up, but from what I'm seeing in these comments, most people get through the verification process in 2-4 weeks if they submit everything promptly. Hang in there - you did the right thing being honest about all income sources!

I'm going through this exact same verification process right now and wanted to share what I've learned from my experience so far. When I got that letter, I immediately panicked thinking I'd done something wrong by reporting the freelance income! After talking to a few people who've been through this, here's what I gathered for my submission: - Tax return with Schedule C (this seems to be the most important document) - All 1099-NEC forms from clients - 6 months of bank statements showing freelance payments - A one-page summary letter listing the type of work, typical monthly income range, and doctor's estimated return date I submitted everything through SDI Online about a week ago and I'm still waiting, but the representative I spoke with said 2-3 weeks is typical for mixed income verifications. The key thing she emphasized was to respond quickly and include your husband's EDD Customer Account Number on every single page. You absolutely did the right thing reporting everything upfront - I've heard that trying to hide freelance income can lead to much bigger problems down the road. The verification is just their standard process since they can't contact a "boss" to verify self-employment like they do with regular jobs. Hang in there!

Adding onto this - does anyone know how to submit form 2503 for yourself online? I wanted to use SDI online, but it said the employer must register in California and file quarterly payroll taxes at least once with the EDD in order to register to use SDI online. Since I just recently became self-employed (sole proprietor) after my W-2 job, I'm not registered in CA. This is making me think I will need to submit everything through the mail. If anyone knows, appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!