As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my voice to the overwhelming consensus here - Santiago, you absolutely need to file your unemployment claim immediately! Reading through all these detailed responses has been incredibly educational. What strikes me most is how every single person who has actually navigated this situation is giving you the exact same advice, backed up with real numbers and specific examples. When Jacob mentions losing $800 by waiting, when Jake explains the partial benefits calculation with the $25 earnings disregard, when James describes how straightforward the severance reporting actually is during certification - these aren't theoretical responses, these are people who lived through your exact situation. The pattern is crystal clear: the EDD system is specifically designed to handle concurrent income like severance payments. You report it during your bi-weekly certifications, they calculate any adjustments, and you still receive partial benefits in most cases. More importantly, you're getting your claim established in the system and burning through that one-week waiting period. I'm also taking notes on all the practical tips shared here - having employment history ready, understanding base period calculations, knowing about resources like Claimyr if you need help reaching EDD. This community is an absolute goldmine of real-world knowledge. Don't second-guess all this consistent, experience-based advice from people who've been exactly where you are. File today!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by the wealth of practical advice Santiago is receiving here! Reading through everyone's experiences has been such an eye-opener about how the EDD system actually works with severance pay. The consistency of the advice is really striking - literally every person who has been through this exact situation is saying the same thing: file immediately, don't wait. The real-world examples shared here, like Jacob's $800 loss and Jake's detailed explanation of partial benefits calculations, provide such concrete evidence of why timing matters. What I find most valuable is how people have explained that the EDD system is actually designed for situations like this. The bi-weekly certification process specifically asks about other income, including severance, and then automatically calculates any benefit adjustments. It's not some workaround - it's how the system is supposed to function. Santiago, you're incredibly fortunate to have found this community before making your decision. The unanimous advice from experienced members, backed up with specific dollar amounts and detailed explanations, should give you complete confidence to file today. Don't leave money on the table by waiting - get your claim established in the system now!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My sister filed her claim weeks ago, has her award letter with the CAN#, even got her first payment, but absolutely cannot register for UI Online. Every time she enters her information it says "does not match our records" which is insane since she obviously filed successfully. What's even more frustrating is that she needs to update her address and can't do it without online access. I've tried calling with her multiple times but we just get stuck in the automated system that doesn't recognize her info. This thread is a goldmine of solutions - going to try the password recovery trick first, then the 2am registration attempt, and if those don't work we'll use the 1-2-4 phone menu sequence at 8am sharp. It's ridiculous that EDD makes this so complicated, but I'm grateful for everyone sharing their workarounds. Will definitely update if we find success!

This is such a comprehensive thread with so many helpful solutions! I'm currently helping my neighbor with this exact same issue - he has his CAN# from the award letter but can't register for UI Online. The system keeps saying his information doesn't match even though he clearly filed successfully and received payments. We've been going in circles for days trying to reach someone at EDD. I'm going to have him try the strategies mentioned here in order: first the password recovery trick, then attempting registration at 2am when servers are less loaded, making sure to use his exact Social Security card name formatting, and if those don't work, calling the technical support line at 1-833-978-2511 using the 1-2-4 menu sequence right at 8am and pressing # when prompted for SSN. It's incredible that we need all these workarounds for such a basic function, but I'm so grateful everyone has shared what actually works! Will definitely report back with results.

I went through this same headache a few weeks ago! One thing that really helped me was checking my old calendar entries - I used to jot down payment amounts when they came in so I could plan my budget. Also, if you've ever applied for any financial assistance programs (like food stamps, rental assistance, etc.), you might have saved documentation that includes your EDD payment amounts as proof of income. I found mine in an old application I submitted to my city's rental assistance program. Another random place to check - if you use any expense tracking apps or even just your phone's notes app, you might have recorded the amount when budgeting. It's worth doing a quick search through all your apps for "EDD" or the dollar amount if you have a rough idea. The password reset system is absolutely broken, but don't lose hope! 🙏

I just went through this exact same situation! Here's another place to check that saved me - if you have any old job search or unemployment tracking spreadsheets on your computer, you might have logged payment amounts there. I keep a simple Excel sheet to track my job applications and benefits, and I had noted down several payment amounts for reference. Also check your browser's download folder - sometimes we download payment confirmations or benefit summaries as PDFs and forget about them. Another tip: if you've ever had to provide income verification for anything recent (credit applications, insurance, etc.), you might have saved EDD screenshots or documents in a dedicated folder. I found mine in a "Documents for Apartment Application" folder I had completely forgotten about! The whole system is frustrating but there are so many random places this info could be hiding. Keep digging! 🔍

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in almost the exact same situation - just started a part-time job at a clothing store (22 hours/week) while collecting EDD benefits and was completely stressing about how to handle it properly. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has been incredibly helpful. I love all the practical tips about tracking systems, the mobile app, and creating photo albums for documentation. It's such a relief to understand that this is a completely normal situation that EDD handles all the time. One question I have after reading everything - has anyone dealt with inconsistent schedules? My store warned me that my hours might vary between 15-25 hours per week depending on business needs. Should I expect any issues with EDD if my reported earnings fluctuate quite a bit from week to week, or does the system handle that variation smoothly as long as I'm reporting accurately? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for helping newcomers navigate these situations!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been doing partial unemployment with retail work for over a year now! Your 20 hours/week situation is absolutely perfect for this program. A few things that made my life so much easier: - I use a simple calendar app where I just jot down "worked 4hrs - $58 gross" each day I work. Takes 10 seconds but saves me from scrambling during certification - Don't stress about the math! I used to sit there with a calculator trying to figure out what I'd get, but EDD's system does it automatically and shows you the breakdown - Your retail job probably has pretty predictable pay periods, which actually makes the reporting easier than jobs with weird schedules The biggest mindset shift for me was realizing that some weeks getting $0 from EDD because I worked more hours is actually a GOOD thing - it means I'm earning more that week! And like everyone said, your claim stays active for those lighter weeks. I've never had a single issue with EDD over partial benefits reporting in 14+ months of doing this. As long as you're honest about your earnings when you certify, the system works exactly as designed. You're going to do great!

This thread has been incredibly helpful as someone who's new to the unemployment system! Reading everyone's experiences with Money Network lockouts is honestly terrifying - the idea that buying groceries could lock you out of your benefits for 24 hours seems completely insane for people who are already dealing with financial stress. I'm still waiting for my claim to be approved, but based on all the advice here I'm definitely going to: 1. Set up that auto-transfer direct deposit IMMEDIATELY when my first payment hits 2. Save the Money Network customer service number in my phone 3. Keep documentation ready (screenshots, bills, etc.) in case I ever need to call for an emergency override 4. Treat the physical card like it doesn't exist once direct deposit is set up The fact that @Camila Castillo had to call multiple times and be super persistent just to access their own money is ridiculous. And @Brianna Muhammad getting hit with that $75 late fee because of their "security protocol" is exactly the kind of financial hit people on unemployment can't afford! Thank you to everyone sharing real solutions like the specific phrasing to use when calling ("financial hardship override", "emergency hardship review") and the step-by-step instructions for finding the auto-transfer settings. This community knowledge is way more valuable than anything in EDD's official documentation. You're all helping people avoid serious financial consequences from this broken system!

This whole Money Network situation is absolutely insane! I've been dealing with similar lockout issues for months now. What really gets me is that they treat unemployment benefits like some kind of luxury spending account instead of recognizing that this is literally people's lifeline money. I had my card locked THREE TIMES in one month - once for buying groceries at two different stores (apparently "suspicious"), once for getting gas and then coffee (flagged as "unusual pattern"), and once for checking my balance at an ATM after a declined transaction. Each time was a 24-hour lockout right when I needed access to my funds most. The customer service is a nightmare too. Half the reps don't seem to understand their own policies, and the other half act like they're doing you a huge favor by helping you access YOUR OWN MONEY. I've had reps tell me completely different things about the same issue. Like everyone else here, I finally learned to immediately set up auto-transfer and pretend the physical card doesn't exist. But the fact that we even have to strategize this much just to reliably access unemployment benefits is completely ridiculous. EDD really dropped the ball when they switched to this vendor - the old Bank of America cards had their issues but nothing like this level of dysfunction. @Camila Castillo glad you got your situation resolved! Your persistence definitely shows what it takes to get actual help from these people.