I'm new to this community but dealing with almost the identical situation! My employer is based in Phoenix but I've been working remotely from my home in Fresno for the past year and a half. Just got laid off last week and filed with CA EDD, but after reading this entire thread I'm now expecting to get the same denial you all received. It's honestly infuriating to learn that this is such a widespread problem - how are so many companies just ignoring their basic tax obligations and leaving us scrambling when we lose our jobs? The fact that there are dozens of people in this one thread alone dealing with this exact same issue shows how broken the system is for remote workers. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice! I'm going to proactively gather all my documentation (remote work agreement, CA address on paystubs, lease, utility bills) and get ready to file that DE 1000M appeal form if needed. Reading everyone's success stories is giving me hope that there's light at the end of this bureaucratic tunnel. One question - for those who successfully appealed, did you include a cover letter explaining your situation with the DE 1000M form, or just let the form and documentation speak for itself? I want to make sure I present the strongest case possible right from the start.

Welcome to this frustrating but unfortunately common situation, Paolo! I'm also new to this community but have been following this thread closely since I'm dealing with something very similar. Your proactive approach of gathering documentation upfront is really smart. Regarding your question about including a cover letter with the DE 1000M form - from what I've gathered reading through everyone's experiences, it seems like a brief explanatory letter can be helpful to provide context for the judge reviewing your case. Keep it concise and factual: explain that you physically performed all work in California despite your employer being headquartered elsewhere, and reference the specific documentation you're including as evidence. The key points to emphasize would be: 1) You were a California resident performing work in California, 2) Your employer failed to register and pay UI taxes in California as required by law, and 3) You have clear documentation proving your work location. Let the evidence do most of the talking, but a short cover letter can help tie it all together. It's really disheartening to see how many remote workers are getting caught in this mess due to employer compliance failures. At least we have this supportive community to help navigate the bureaucratic maze! Good luck with your case - based on all the success stories here, you should be in good shape.

I just went through this same exact situation last month! Got the address verification letter about 3 weeks after my benefit year ended and I was totally convinced it was a scam at first. The timing felt so random and suspicious. But after doing some research and talking to others who'd been through it, I learned this is EDD's new normal process - they're doing way more post-payment audits now as part of their fraud prevention efforts that started ramping up in 2023. The dead giveaway that yours is legitimate is that it only asked for address proof, not sensitive info like SSN or banking details that scammers typically want. I submitted a utility bill through their official portal and never heard back, which I later found out means everything was approved. You definitely did the right thing responding quickly with your bank statement - that's perfect documentation for address verification. Don't stress about not getting a confirmation; EDD's system is terrible at communication but silence usually means you're good to go!

This is such a common concern now! I went through something very similar about 5 months ago - got an address verification request about 3 weeks after my claim ended and I was completely done with benefits. Like you, I was super paranoid it was a scam because the timing seemed so weird. But after calling EDD directly (took forever to get through) they confirmed it was part of their new post-payment audit system that they started implementing more heavily in 2023. The representative explained that these verifications are completely separate from the initial ID.me process and can happen months after your claim closes. I ended up submitting a recent credit card statement and never heard back, which I learned means everything was processed successfully. You definitely made the right call responding quickly with proper documentation - a bank statement is perfect for this type of verification. The whole process is really poorly explained by EDD but it's become their standard operating procedure now unfortunately.

UPDATE: Just checked my UI Online account and my status changed from "pending" to "paid" this morning! Hopefully that means I'll have the money by tomorrow or Wednesday. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

Great to see your status changed to "paid" so quickly! That's usually a good sign you'll see the funds by Tuesday/Wednesday. Just wanted to add - since you mentioned inconsistent timing between your first two payments, it's worth noting that the first payment in any benefit year often takes longer due to additional verification steps. Once you're in the regular certification cycle, timing tends to be more predictable. Also, if you do decide to switch to the Money Network card for faster processing, you can change your payment method in your UI Online account under "Profile" > "Payment Information." The card usually arrives within 7-10 business days after requesting it.

Just a heads up - I had this exact same issue and it turned out my license number was somehow duplicated in their system during a recent address change. The DMV rep told me this has been happening more frequently lately due to system updates they've been doing. When you call, specifically mention that you suspect a "duplicate license number assignment" - apparently using that exact phrase gets you transferred to a specialized team that deals with these technical glitches. Also, if you've moved or updated any info with the DMV in the past 6 months, definitely mention that too as it seems to be a common trigger for this bug. Hope this helps narrow down what might have caused it for you!

I went through this exact same thing last year and it was such a headache! In my case, it turned out that when I got married and changed my name, somehow the system created a duplicate account instead of updating my existing one. The DMV rep had to manually merge the accounts, which took about 45 minutes on the phone but they got it sorted out. One thing that really helped was having my old license number handy when I called - they could see both accounts and figure out what went wrong. Also, don't be afraid to ask them to escalate if the first person you talk to seems confused about the issue. Some reps are more familiar with these account conflicts than others. Definitely keep trying to call though - I know the wait times are brutal but it's really the fastest way to get it resolved. Good luck! 🤞

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually going through the exact same situation right now - completed my online eligibility questionnaire last Friday but my phone interview is still showing as scheduled for next Tuesday. I called EDD and got the exact same response about the interview "auto-canceling" once the online questionnaire processes through their system. After reading everyone's experiences here, it's clear that EDD reps are consistently providing incorrect information about how their systems work. It seems like the online questionnaire and phone interview are completely separate processes that don't communicate with each other, despite what customer service tells us. I'm definitely going to take everyone's advice and be prepared for my phone interview next week. Already took screenshots of my completed questionnaire as proof, and I'll have all my documentation ready. Based on what others have shared, it sounds like the call should be much shorter since I've already provided the information online - they'll just be verifying details rather than collecting everything from scratch. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences! This community discussion has been way more reliable than anything I could get from EDD directly. It's frustrating that so many of us have gotten the same wrong information from their reps, but at least we can help each other navigate these confusing processes.

I just went through this exact scenario last month and can confirm what everyone else is saying - the phone interview will NOT automatically cancel after completing the online questionnaire, despite what EDD reps keep telling people. Here's what happened in my case: I completed the online eligibility questionnaire immediately after receiving the email notification, but my phone interview remained scheduled. When I called to ask about it, the rep gave me the same line about "letting the system process" and that it would "disappear from my account." Well, it never disappeared. I ended up doing both - the online questionnaire AND the phone interview. During the call, the interviewer actually pulled up my online responses and said "I can see you've already answered these questions online, so I just need to verify a few key details with you directly." The whole interview took about 7 minutes instead of the full 30 minutes they had originally scheduled. My situation was also related to work availability (I had to temporarily limit my job search hours due to childcare issues), and the interviewer was very understanding about the process confusion. She even mentioned that a lot of people call asking about the same thing. Bottom line: Don't trust what the customer service reps tell you about the system auto-canceling anything. EDD's different systems don't communicate with each other reliably. Be available for your phone interview, have your documentation ready, and treat it as a completely separate requirement from the online questionnaire. The good news is that having done the online part first definitely makes the phone call much shorter and easier!