Hi Jasondra! You're absolutely fine to make a reasonable estimate for that missing quarter on your DE 2557 form. EDD actually expects this kind of situation and has built-in processes to handle it. A few tips to make your estimate as accurate as possible: - Check your bank statements for direct deposits from that employer during the quarter - Look for any old pay stubs you might have saved (even digital ones in email) - Try to remember your hourly rate/salary and approximate hours worked - If possible, call that employer's HR department - they might be able to give you the wage info over the phone EDD can independently verify your wages through their employer reporting systems, so don't stress about being off by some amount. They're more concerned with establishing your work history and eligibility than perfect precision. Just be honest that it's an estimate and submit your best guess - it won't hold up your claim processing. Good luck with your disability claim! The DE 2557 can seem intimidating but you're on the right track.

Hi Jasondra! You can definitely use reasonable estimates on the DE 2557 form when you don't have exact wage information. EDD understands that people may not have all their documentation readily available, especially for older quarters. Here's what I'd suggest for making your estimate as accurate as possible: - Check your online banking for direct deposits from that employer during the missing quarter - Look through old emails for any digital pay stubs - Try to recall your approximate hourly wage or salary and hours worked - Consider contacting that employer's payroll department - they may be able to provide the information over the phone The key is to make a good faith estimate and be upfront that it's not an exact figure. EDD has access to employer wage reporting systems and can verify the information independently, so minor discrepancies won't derail your claim. They're primarily focused on establishing your work history and eligibility rather than perfect accuracy on every dollar amount. Don't let the missing W2 delay your application - submit your best estimate and keep moving forward with your disability claim process!

Just discovered this community while desperately searching for EDD help online, and wow - reading through all these experiences makes me feel so much less alone in this nightmare! I've been calling for 12 days straight with absolutely zero success. Just that same soul-crushing "higher than normal call volume" message every single time. My certification has been stuck on "pending" for 4 weeks now with zero explanation or communication from EDD. I'm a single mom and my savings are completely wiped out - this is getting really scary. I've tried calling at random times throughout the day but clearly need to be more strategic based on everyone's advice here. Definitely going to try those Wednesday/Thursday 8:15-8:45am windows that @Mei Chen suggested, and @Connor O'Neill's tip about waiting through the entire automated message instead of hanging up immediately. I feel like such an idiot for not thinking of these strategies before! After reading multiple success stories about Claimyr from @Jamal Edwards, @Giovanni Marino and others, I think I'm going to have to try it too. It absolutely kills me to pay extra just to access my own unemployment benefits, but I'm running out of options and my kid needs stability. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and strategies - this thread has been more helpful than anything official from EDD. At least we can get through this bureaucratic hell together! 🙏

New member here and unfortunately joining the EDD nightmare club! I've been calling for 3 weeks straight with absolutely no luck - just that same automated "higher than normal call volume" message every single time. My claim has been stuck on "pending" for over a month now and I'm starting to lose hope. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both heartbreaking and oddly comforting. At least I know I'm not going crazy or doing something wrong - this system is just completely broken! I've been calling randomly throughout the day but clearly need to try the strategic timing approach that @Mei Chen and others have mentioned. Those Wednesday/Thursday 8:15-8:45am windows sound promising. The Claimyr service that @Giovanni Marino shared is looking more tempting every day. Normally I'd never consider paying a third party for something that should be a basic government service, but after reading @Jamal Edwards' success story and seeing others confirm it works, it might be worth it just to preserve what's left of my sanity. Thank you all for sharing your strategies and experiences. This community is literally the only helpful resource I've found for dealing with EDD's dysfunction. Here's hoping we all break through this bureaucratic nightmare soon! 🤞

Update question for the original poster - did any of these suggestions work for you? Were you able to get through to EDD?

That's awesome news @Samantha Johnson! So glad you finally got through and got it resolved. The identity verification flag issue is pretty common - I had the same thing happen to me a few months ago and it wasn't visible anywhere in the online portal either. It's frustrating that these issues aren't clearly displayed to claimants, but at least you're sorted now. Hopefully your payment comes through quickly! For anyone else still struggling, the UI technical support line (1-855-327-7057) really does seem to be the way to go based on multiple success stories here.

To all those having trouble reaching a human at California Unemployment. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/Ize0EkN4HDI

From my experience calling EDD, their lunch break seems to vary by department and individual representatives. I've noticed the phones are harder to get through around 12-1pm, but I've also had success calling during that time when others were available. The automated system runs 24/7, but for live representatives, I'd suggest calling early morning (8-9am) or mid-afternoon (2-4pm) for better chances of reaching someone without hitting lunch breaks.

Great news! Glad to hear you got it resolved before your certification was due. Always good to document those security answers somewhere secure.

So glad you got back in! This is such a common problem - I work at a local workforce development center and we see people locked out of their EDD accounts almost weekly. Your experience is exactly why we always tell people to save their security question answers in a secure note or password manager when they first set up the account. The EDD system is super sensitive about capitalization, spaces, and punctuation in those answers too. Thanks for sharing the update - it'll help other people know there's hope even when it seems impossible!