California Unemployment
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Do you have to be full time to get unemployment in California EDD?
Lost my part-time retail job two weeks ago and I've been going back and forth on whether it's even worth filing. My store cut the entire seasonal staff after the holiday push, so it wasn't like I quit or anything, they just ended my position. I was working about 22-25 hours a week when it happened. Someone at my old job told me you have to have been full-time to qualify for California unemployment benefits, but that honestly sounds off to me. Does anyone know if that's actually true? I don't want to waste time on an application if part-time workers don't qualify.
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Can you receive unemployment if you are fired? My California EDD claim just got flagged
Got let go from my warehouse job two weeks ago and I'm honestly not sure where I stand. My supervisor claimed it was for 'performance issues' but I never got a single written warning the whole eight months I worked there. Filed my California EDD claim right away and UI Online is showing a Pending status on my certified weeks with no explanation of what's holding things up. Main thing I keep wondering is can you receive unemployment if you are fired — like does the reason my employer gives actually matter? My sister keeps telling me I'm going to get denied automatically because I was fired but that doesn't sound right to me. I've also heard the employer has to actually prove something before EDD denies you, but I don't know if that's accurate either. Anyone been through this where their former employer called it a performance thing and you still got your benefits? I'm trying to figure out if I should even bother fighting this or just start looking for a new job and forget about it.
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Six weeks into waiting on a fired claim and tried Claimyr after reading about it somewhere — the agent I ended up talking to looked at my file and said there was an open identity verification step I hadn't completed. I had no idea because I'd done ID.me when I first applied and thought I was done. Apparently EDD had sent a DE 1326C asking for more and I'd somehow missed the letter. Got that handled and my claim finally moved.
Turns out there can be more than one step depending on how EDD processed your application. Worth asking if your claim is stuck and you can't figure out why.
i should check if i have a letter like that sitting around, i don't always open everything right away
The appeal hearing itself — if it comes to that — is less scary than it sounds. An administrative law judge runs it, you testify under oath, and you can bring someone with you to represent you if you want, like a union rep or even just yourself. I went alone to mine and it was fine. You'll get a Notice of Hearing in the mail at least 10 days before it's scheduled. It's a real legal proceeding but it's also designed for regular people to navigate without a lawyer.
Not at all. It's usually done by phone now and it's structured but not aggressive. The judge just wants to understand what happened.
If you do end up at a hearing, keep certifying through the whole thing. That's really important — if you win on appeal, EDD can only pay weeks you actually certified for.
What number does unemployment call you from when they schedule your phone interview?
So I've been waiting on this phone interview that EDD scheduled after I filed my claim — I got the DE 4800 notice in the mail and it shows the date and time, but I realized I have no idea what number is actually going to show up on my phone when they call. My cell phone blocks a lot of unknown numbers automatically and I'm paranoid I'm going to miss this interview and it'll screw everything up. Does anyone know what number unemployment calls you from? Like is it the same 1-800-300-5616 number or some other number entirely? I turned off my call blocker just in case but I'd love to actually know what to watch for. I was laid off from my restaurant job about five weeks ago and I really need these benefits to come through.
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Couldn't get through to EDD for two weeks after my interview to find out why my weeks were still pending — the main line just kept disconnecting me after a long hold. My weekly benefit amount on the DE 429Z was $390 and I needed to know if the amount was going to change because of an earnings question from a part-time gig I'd had. Claimyr got me through to an EDD agent and she confirmed the part-time earnings I'd reported were processed correctly and the $390 amount on my award notice was still accurate going forward. That cleared up the last thing I was unsure about with my claim.
Is that something I could use to try to explain the missed interview situation? I need to actually talk to someone about getting rescheduled.
Worth trying — when I ended up speaking to the EDD agent through that she was actually able to look at my account in real time and answer specific questions, so for something like a reschedule question it seems like the right approach.
Updating this since my interview is now done. 916 area code, showed up as a full number on my screen, answered on the second ring. The interviewer was really calm and professional, confirmed my layoff details, asked if I was looking for work, and that was about it. She said to watch UI Online in the next few days. My pending weeks are still showing but it's only been one business day so I'm trying to be patient. Thanks everyone in this thread — you all genuinely helped me prepare.
The 'looking for work' question is standard — glad your layoff case was straightforward. Pending weeks should clear soon.
Really glad you answered it. 916, full number, calm interviewer — that matches most people's experience when things go right. Keep certifying every two weeks while you wait.
Unemployment is defined as what exactly? Trying to understand California EDD eligibility
Okay so I'm embarrassed to even ask this but I genuinely don't understand the basics. I got laid off from my warehouse job three weeks ago and my coworker keeps telling me I might not qualify because I 'chose' to pick up extra shifts before they let me go, which somehow means I wasn't really unemployed? I have no idea what that even means. I went to file through myEDD and the system asked me all these questions about my last day, my wages, why I stopped working — and I just froze because I don't actually know how California EDD defines what unemployment is or who it covers. Like is it just 'you lost your job'? Or is there a specific legal definition they use to decide if you get benefits? I've been reading stuff online and it's all contradicting each other. Some sites say you have to have earned a certain amount in a specific time window, others say it's about why you stopped working, others say it's about being available to work. Which of these actually matters and in what order does California EDD look at them? Also my last paycheck came with something called CASDI taken out and my brother is now saying that means I already paid for unemployment insurance through that. Is he right? Because if so I feel like I should definitely be getting benefits. Any help from people who've actually gone through this would be really appreciated. I'm trying not to panic but rent is due in two weeks.
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My layoff came with a notice that HR called 'in lieu of notice pay' — basically two weeks of wages they paid me to not come back in. I had no idea how to report that when certifying. Put it in as wages for the week they paid it and EDD adjusted my payment for that period.
Good to know I did it right. I guessed honestly and it turned out fine.
Reporting honestly and letting EDD calculate is always the right move with any kind of separation pay. Trying to figure out the math yourself and reporting a modified number is where people get into overpayment trouble.
Coming back to update — I filed through myEDD last night. The CalJOBS registration is done too after reading this thread. Still waiting for the DE 429Z in the mail but the benefit calculator gave me an estimate I can work with. Really appreciate everyone explaining what 'unemployed' actually means in EDD's terms — it's a lot more specific than just 'you don't have a job right now.' Thanks for all of this.
Filing right away was the right call — your claim starts on the Sunday of the week you applied, so every day you waited before filing was potential benefit time you weren't getting.
Keep certifying on schedule once you get access to that in UI Online. The every-two-weeks rhythm matters and missing a certification period makes things complicated.
Can you get unemployment while on short term disability in California EDD?
So I've been out of work since my company eliminated my position back in September, and I already filed my UI claim and got my DE 429Z showing my weekly amount. The thing is, I also threw my back out pretty badly about two weeks after getting laid off, and my doctor put me on a 6-week restriction from any kind of work. My HR rep mentioned I should look into short term disability benefits, so I went ahead and applied through SDI Online. Now I'm completely confused about whether I can keep certifying for unemployment while also being on disability leave. I've been certifying every two weeks like I'm supposed to but I genuinely don't know if I'm allowed to do both at the same time. The last thing I want is to end up with an overpayment notice because I didn't understand how these two programs interact. Can you get unemployment while on short term disability and still keep your UI claim going? Has anyone actually navigated this before?
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Employer notification stuff that might matter here: when you first filed UI, EDD mailed your last employer a DE 1101CZ. The employer had 10 days from that notice date to respond. With a layoff the employer response usually just confirms the separation. When you reopen, there's generally no new employer notice for the same separation. Just flagging this in case anyone worries the employer gets a fresh notification every time you interact with your claim.
I hadn't thought about whether reopening would notify my former employer again. Good to know that's not how it works for the same separation.
The employer already had their chance to weigh in on the separation. The DI period and the reopen are your own claim management, not a new eligibility question for them.
The bigger picture for someone in your situation: keep certifying for DI while you're restricted, reopen UI the week your work restriction lifts, make sure CalJOBS is current, and stay honest on every certification about your ability and availability. The two programs are designed to hand off to each other for exactly this scenario - you don't have to choose one and abandon the other permanently. EDD built this for people who get laid off and then get hurt, or get hurt while unemployed. Use both programs in the right sequence and you get the coverage they're meant to provide.
The sequence framing is the key mental model. DI now, UI later, don't try to run them side by side.
And keep records of everything - the DI approval date, the clearance note date, every certification. If anything ever gets questioned you want that paper trail showing each program was used in its own proper window.
Lena Kowalski
EDD phone line is 1-800-300-5616, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's your main line for anything you can't resolve through UI Online or the live chat. If you have a question about your wage amounts after the DE 429Z arrives and UI Online chat isn't resolving it, the phone is the way to go. I ended up using Claimyr the second time I needed to reach EDD about my tips reporting situation - got to a live agent who pulled up my account and confirmed which weeks had been adjusted, which I couldn't see clearly in UI Online.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
AuthorTips reporting is something I'd have no idea how to handle. Good to know that's something an EDD agent can actually walk you through.
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Lena Kowalski
An agent can see your specific account and tell you exactly which weeks were updated and what the adjusted amounts are. UI Online shows payment status but the agent view has more detail when something specific needs checking.
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Amara Okafor
Went through the alternate base period question on my claim - my hours had been cut drastically in the most recent quarter so my standard base period looked terrible. EDD automatically checks whether the alternate base period (the last four completed quarters) gives you a valid claim when the standard one doesn't. It's not something you have to request; EDD does it on its own if needed.
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Amara Okafor
EDD runs the alternate base period check automatically when the standard one doesn't produce a valid claim. It doesn't boost your weekly amount if the standard base period already makes you eligible, but it's a safety net if your most recent quarter dragged your numbers down.
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Abigail bergen
Worth noting the alternate base period uses the most recent four completed quarters, so it might include more of your stronger earlier quarters. But as the person above said, EDD runs that calculation without you having to ask.
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