SDI online filing error - forced to call. Any tips to get through?
Hey everyone, I'm having trouble filing my SDI claim online. Every time I try, I get an error message telling me to call them instead. Has anyone else run into this issue? Any tips on how to get through to a real person on the phone? I'm starting to get really frustrated with this whole process.
25 comments


Omar Fawaz
Ugh, I feel your pain! I had the same issue last month. It's like they WANT us to waste hours on hold. 🙄 Have you tried clearing your browser cache and cookies? Sometimes that helps with weird website glitches.
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Freya Pedersen
•Thanks for the suggestion! I'll give that a try. Did you end up having to call them after all?
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Omar Fawaz
•Yeah, unfortunately I did. Spent like 3 hours on hold before I got through. Bring a book or something if you have to call lol
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Chloe Anderson
•pro tip: use speakerphone and do chores while ur waiting. At least then ur not wasting ALL ur time 💁♀️
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Diego Vargas
I found a way to get someone on the phone without waiting forever. I used this site called claimyr.com - it's a calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, and then sends the call to your phone when a live agent picks up. It costs $20, but it worked for me. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Sounds too good to be true. Is this legit? Anyone else tried it?
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Diego Vargas
•I was skeptical at first too, but it really did work for me. Saved me hours of frustration.
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StarStrider
•$20 seems steep just to make a phone call. Cant believe we have to pay extra just to use a government service we already pay for with our taxes 🤦♂️
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Diego Vargas
•I get that, but for me, it was worth it to not waste an entire day on hold. Time is money, ya know?
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Sean Doyle
Here's what worked for me when I had this problem: 1. Try filing very early in the morning (like 5 AM) or late at night. The website seems to work better when there's less traffic. 2. If that doesn't work, call right when they open. I got through faster that way. 3. Have all your info ready before you call - SSN, employer details, last day worked, etc. It'll make the process quicker if you do get through. 4. Be super nice to the rep when you finally talk to someone. They deal with angry people all day and might be more helpful if you're pleasant. 5. If all else fails, contact your local state representative. Sometimes they can help push things through. Hope this helps! Good luck!
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Freya Pedersen
•Wow, thanks for the detailed advice! I'll definitely try the early morning filing trick. Fingers crossed it works!
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Zara Rashid
•Contacting your rep is solid advice. My cousin did that and got her issue resolved in like 2 days.
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Luca Romano
am i the only 1 who thinks its ridiculous we gotta jump thru all these hoops just to file a claim? the system is broken af 😤
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Nia Jackson
•Preach! 🙌 It's like they're trying to discourage people from claiming benefits we're entitled to.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Tinfoil hat time: maybe that's exactly what they're doing 👀
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CosmicCruiser
Have you checked if there's any scheduled maintenance on the SDI website? Sometimes they do updates that can cause issues for a few days. Might be worth waiting a bit to see if it resolves itself.
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Aisha Khan
I had this exact same problem last year! Turns out there was an issue with my account that could only be fixed over the phone. It sucked, but once I got through to someone, they were able to sort it out pretty quickly. Hang in there!
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Freya Pedersen
•Oh man, I hope that's not the case for me. Did they tell you what the issue was with your account?
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Aisha Khan
•Something about my employment history not matching their records. Took like 10 minutes to fix once I actually talked to someone. The hard part was just getting through lol
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Ethan Taylor
pro tip: if u cant get thru on the main line, try calling one of their auxiliary offices. sometimes theyre less busy and can still help. google "SDI field offices" for numbers
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Yuki Ito
•This is actually genius. Why didn't I think of this before? 🤯
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Carmen Lopez
Ive been dealing with SDI for 3 months now and still havent gotten my claim sorted. its a nightmare. hope u have better luck than me OP
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Freya Pedersen
•Oh no, that sounds awful! Have you tried any of the suggestions in this thread?
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Carmen Lopez
•tried everything except that claimyr thing. might have to bite the bullet and try it next week if things dont improve
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Aiden Chen
I ran into this same issue a few weeks ago! What finally worked for me was using a different browser entirely - I was using Chrome and kept getting errors, but when I switched to Firefox it went through no problem. Also make sure you're not using any ad blockers or privacy extensions that might be interfering with the site. If the browser switch doesn't work, I'd definitely recommend calling first thing in the morning around 8 AM when they open - that's when I had the best luck getting through. The wait was still annoying but way better than trying later in the day. Good luck with your claim!
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