just be happy ur getting paid lol. my cousin waited 8 weeks for her first payment and had to call like 50 times!

I'm going through something similar right now! Just filed my claim last week after quitting a retail job that turned out to require way more physical labor than advertised. The job posting said "sales associate" but I was expected to unload delivery trucks and move heavy merchandise all day. My knees can't handle that kind of work. I'm still waiting for my eligibility interview but reading your experience gives me hope that EDD will understand the job misrepresentation issue. Did you have any medical documentation about your back problems, or was your explanation about the physical requirements enough? Also keeping my fingers crossed that I don't run into the same earnings calculation confusion you experienced!

I had this issue last year. Turns out my claim wasn't actually eligible for reopening and I had to file a new one. Might be worth double-checking your status.

I've been dealing with the same issue for weeks! What finally worked for me was calling the 1-833-978-2511 number early in the morning (like 8:01 AM sharp when they open). The wait time was still brutal but I eventually got through to someone who was able to manually reopen my claim. They said there's been a bug in their system affecting the online reopen button. Super annoying but at least there's a workaround!

Just following up - were you able to resolve this? I ran into a similar issue again this month and discovered something important: sometimes Money Network holds funds if you haven't been using the card regularly. They consider it a security measure, but it's really annoying. If that's the case, once you get through to them, ask specifically about security holds on your account.

I'm having the exact same problem right now! My payment has been showing "PAID" on UI Online for 8 days but nothing on my MoneyNetwork card. I've called their customer service line probably 15 times and either get disconnected after an hour of waiting or they tell me there's no issue on their end. This is so stressful when you're counting on that money for basic expenses. Has anyone found a specific time of day that works better for getting through to MoneyNetwork? I'm willing to try anything at this point.

As someone who works in banking, I can add some insight into why Money Network's security system is so problematic. These prepaid card systems use very basic fraud detection algorithms that flag anything "unusual" without considering legitimate user behavior patterns. Unlike traditional banks that learn your spending habits over time, Money Network treats every login attempt as potentially suspicious. A few technical tips that might help others: - Their system stores session cookies that can conflict with new login attempts, so always clear your browser data completely (not just history - cookies, cache, everything) - Try logging in during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening) when their servers have less traffic - If you have a VPN, turn it off completely before attempting to access their site - Some people have success using their mobile app instead of the website, or vice versa The 24-hour lockout period isn't just arbitrary - their system needs that time to reset your security profile completely. Attempting to login before then actually extends the lockout period. For anyone setting up direct deposit as an alternative: make sure your bank account shows regular activity for at least 30 days and that the account name exactly matches your EDD profile name. Even small discrepancies can cause rejections.

This is incredibly helpful technical insight! As someone who's been frustrated by Money Network's seemingly random lockouts, it makes so much sense that their fraud detection is based on simple algorithms rather than learning user patterns. The point about session cookies conflicting with new login attempts explains why clearing browser data completely (not just history) has been so effective for people in this thread. Your tip about VPNs is particularly valuable - I never would have thought that could trigger their security system, but it makes perfect sense that they'd flag traffic from VPN IP addresses as suspicious. And the explanation that attempting to login before the 24-hour reset period actually EXTENDS the lockout is crucial information that Money Network's customer service never mentions. For anyone dealing with lockouts, this professional perspective really validates the community solutions we've figured out here. It's not that we're doing anything wrong - it's that their system is fundamentally flawed for handling normal user behavior. Thanks for taking the time to explain the technical side of why these workarounds are necessary!

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - you absolutely did NOT mess up by trying to work! I was in almost the exact same boat last summer. Got laid off from my marketing job, did Instacart for about 2 months to pay bills, then applied for unemployment when those gigs dried up too. The EDD rep actually complimented me for trying to stay employed instead of immediately going on benefits. Your benefit amount will be based on your W-2 wages from the base period, and any gig work you did just gets reported during weekly certification for those specific weeks. One tip that saved me headaches: when you certify for those gig work weeks, round UP to the nearest dollar if you have cents. The system doesn't handle partial dollars well and it can cause payment delays. Also make sure you report earnings for the week you actually worked, not when you got paid - this is SUPER important for gig work since there's often a delay between when you work and when the money hits your account. You should be fine going forward! The hardest part is usually just getting through to talk to someone if you have questions, but it sounds like you're on the right track.

Hey Emma! I'm dealing with a really similar situation right now - got laid off from my tech job in February and did food delivery for about 6 weeks before the orders basically disappeared. Just wanted to add that when I called EDD last week, they told me something that might help you: you can actually request to backdate your claim to your original layoff date since you had "good cause" for the delay (trying to find work/support yourself). The rep explained that doing gig work after a layoff actually shows you were "able and available" for work, which is one of the requirements they look for. So don't feel bad about working - it might actually strengthen your case! One thing I learned the hard way: make sure you have your 1099 forms or earnings statements from the gig apps ready. They might ask for them during the application process or later when you certify. I had to scramble to get my DoorDash tax documents because I hadn't downloaded them before my account got deactivated. Really hope your application goes smoothly! This whole process is stressful enough without having to worry about whether you did something wrong by trying to work.