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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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I'm in the same boat, OP. Filed 3 weeks ago, still showing $0. This whole process is so frustrating. Let us know if you make any progress!
Will do! Fingers crossed we both get this sorted out soon. 🤞
I went through this exact same situation last year! Turns out EDD was using the wrong quarters for my base period calculation. What helped me was gathering all my pay stubs and W-2s from the most recent quarters before I filed, then submitting a request for them to recalculate using the alternate base period. It took about 4-6 weeks, but they eventually corrected it and I got backpay for all the weeks I should have been receiving benefits. Don't let them discourage you - if you earned good money recently, you're likely entitled to benefits. Document everything and keep following up!
@KhalilStar This is exactly what I needed to hear! I was starting to panic thinking I'd never get this resolved. Quick question - when you submitted your pay stubs and W-2s, did you include a cover letter explaining the situation or just upload the documents? And did they send you any confirmation that they received your alternate base period request? I want to make sure I do this right the first time!
@KhalilStar Thank you so much for sharing your success story! This gives me hope that there's actually a way through this mess. A few questions if you don't mind - when you submitted your pay stubs and W-2s, did you upload them through the UI Online portal or did you have to mail them? And when they finally corrected everything, did the backpay show up automatically or did you have to request it separately? I'm worried about missing any steps in this process since EDD seems to make everything as complicated as possible. Also, during those 4-6 weeks, how often did you follow up with them to make sure your case wasn't getting buried?
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As someone who works in government benefits administration (not EDD but similar state agency), I can confirm that paper processing is always the slowest option across all unemployment systems. The 13-day timeline you experienced is actually quite reasonable - I've seen paper certifications take 3-4 weeks during peak periods. A few additional tips for anyone who might end up in this situation: 1) Always date your paper forms clearly and legibly - unclear dates can cause processing delays, 2) Use black ink only (blue ink sometimes doesn't scan well in their systems), and 3) If you're ever unsure whether your form was received, you can request a "proof of mailing" receipt at the post office for regular mail, or upgrade to certified mail like others mentioned. The good news is that once EDD processes your certification, the payment timeline for checks is pretty consistent at 3-5 business days. Your check should definitely arrive before your next certification period begins.
This is really insightful information from someone with actual experience in the system! The tips about black ink and clear dates are things I never would have thought of but make total sense for automated processing. I'm curious - in your experience, do you see similar delays with other state benefit programs when people submit paper forms, or is EDD particularly slow compared to other agencies?
@QuantumQuasar That's a great question! From what I've seen working with various state agencies, EDD is actually pretty typical in terms of paper processing times - maybe even slightly faster than some. The real issue is that California's unemployment volume is just massive compared to other states, which creates bottlenecks. Other benefit programs like SNAP or Medicaid often have similar 10-15 day paper processing times, but they don't get the same attention because people aren't as desperate for those payments to arrive quickly. Unemployment benefits are often someone's only income source, so every day feels critical. The agencies that tend to be faster are usually the smaller state programs with lower volume, like disability services or worker's comp, where they might process paper forms in 5-7 days. But honestly, most government agencies are pushing people toward electronic submissions for a reason - it's just so much more efficient for everyone involved.
This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually in a similar situation right now - mailed my certification 8 days ago and still waiting. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel better about the timeline. One thing I wanted to add for anyone else dealing with this: if you're really strapped for cash while waiting, some local food banks and community organizations have emergency assistance programs that can help with rent or utilities. I found out about this through 211 (you can dial 2-1-1 or visit 211.org) and they connected me with a local nonprofit that helped cover part of my rent while I waited for my EDD payment to process. Also, @Paige Cantoni I'm glad your payment finally went through! Gives me hope that mine will process soon too. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and tips - this community is amazing for practical advice.
@Aileen Rodriguez That s'such valuable information about 211 and emergency assistance programs! I had no idea those resources existed. It s'really smart to have backup support while waiting for EDD payments to process - the stress of not knowing when money will arrive is bad enough without worrying about rent and utilities too. Hope your certification processes soon! Based on what everyone s'shared here, you should see movement in the next few days since you re'already at day 8.
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Hey, I found a way to actually get someone on the phone. I used this site's (claimyr.com) calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, waits for a live agent to pick up, then sends the call to my phone. It does cost $20, but it works. Here's the link: https://claimyr.com
$20 to skip the hold time? Sign me up! 🏃♂️💨 EDD owes me way more than that for all the stress they've caused lol
While it's great there's a service like Claimyr, always ensure you're comfortable with third-party services handling sensitive information.
I went through the exact same situation a few months ago! Here's what worked for me: Call EDD at 8am sharp when they open - set multiple alarms and be ready to dial. When you get through, ask to speak with a "claims specialist" specifically about canceling your UI claim for a disability filing. They have a specific process for this. Make sure to mention that you filed disability within a week of your UI claim - this shows you weren't trying to double-dip. Get the rep's name and a reference number for the cancellation. Also, send a follow-up email through your EDD account summarizing the call. The whole thing took about 2 weeks to fully process for me. Hang in there! 💪
This is incredibly helpful, thank you for sharing your experience! The 8am sharp tip is gold - I've been calling randomly throughout the day with no luck. Did you have to provide any specific documentation when you talked to the claims specialist, or was it mostly just explaining the situation verbally?
This is super detailed advice! @Dominic Green I m'curious - when you mentioned the 2-week processing time, did you have to do anything else during that period or was it just waiting? Also, did your disability claim go through smoothly after the UI cancellation was processed? I m'worried about potential delays affecting my disability benefits.
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This is exactly what I needed to see! I'm in the same boat - certified Sunday and was getting worried when nothing showed up today. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences with holiday delays. Now I know to expect this every time there's a federal holiday. Going to set up those calendar reminders like Victoria suggested so I can plan better for next time. Thanks for posting this question and for the update that your payment came through!
This whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm also pretty new to the EDD system and had no clue that holidays could mess with payment timing. I was literally refreshing my bank account every hour yesterday thinking something went wrong with my certification. The calendar reminder idea is genius - definitely doing that tonight so I don't panic like this again. It's so helpful having a community where people actually share real experiences instead of just the confusing official EDD website info.
This thread is so reassuring! I'm in my second month of unemployment and certified Sunday as usual, but when my payment didn't show up yesterday I started spiraling thinking I did something wrong. I even checked my certification like 5 times to make sure I answered everything correctly. It never occurred to me that Presidents Day would affect EDD payments - I guess I thought government systems would be separate from regular banking holidays somehow? Really glad I found this discussion before I spent all day trying to call EDD. Definitely adding those federal holidays to my calendar now so I can budget better around these delays!
I totally get the spiraling feeling! I'm also relatively new to this and had the exact same reaction when my payment didn't show up yesterday. I must have logged into the EDD portal about 10 times convinced I messed something up on my certification. It's crazy how they don't really explain anywhere on their website that federal holidays can delay payments - seems like pretty important info to include! At least now we all know for future holidays. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, makes me feel way less alone in navigating this confusing system.
Melissa Lin
Just to follow up on my earlier comment - when I had my eligibility interview, EDD was mainly concerned with these questions: 1. Did I make a good faith effort to succeed at the job? 2. Did I communicate my difficulties to my supervisor? 3. Did I request additional training or support? 4. Was I given reasonable time to improve? 5. Was I hired under conditions different than what was described? They definitely didn't just take my word for it - they contacted my employer too. The determination really came down to whether I made a genuine effort versus just quitting because I didn't like it. The interviewer was actually quite understanding once I explained my situation.
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Romeo Quest
•did they make u pay back any benefits while they were deciding?? thats wat happened to my friend and it took him FOREVER to get that money back even tho he won his appeal
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Scarlett Forster
I'm dealing with a similar dilemma right now! I've been on UI for about 8 weeks after my data entry job ended, and I have an interview next week for a forklift operator position - something I've never done before. Like you, I'm torn between not wanting to pass up opportunities and being terrified of losing my benefits if I can't handle it. From reading everyone's responses, it sounds like the key is really documenting everything and making a genuine effort. I'm planning to be completely upfront in my interview about my lack of experience and ask lots of questions about their training program. If they're willing to hire me knowing I'm a complete beginner, at least that shows I was transparent. One thing I'm also considering is reaching out to some temp agencies that specialize in warehouse/manufacturing work. They sometimes have shorter-term assignments that could let you test the waters in different types of work without the same commitment level. Just a thought! Keep us posted on how your interview goes - I think a lot of us are in similar boats right now.
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Yuki Tanaka
•That's such a great idea about temp agencies! I hadn't thought of that approach but it makes total sense - you could get a feel for different types of work without the same long-term commitment pressure. Plus if it doesn't work out through a temp agency, it might be easier to explain to EDD that it was just a short-term assignment that ended rather than a job you quit. Good luck with your forklift interview! It sounds like we're both in similar situations of trying to balance being open to new opportunities while protecting our benefits. I'll definitely update everyone after my CNC operator interview - fingers crossed for both of us! 🤞
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