California Unemployment

Can't reach California Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.

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Using Claimyr will:

  • Connect you to a human agent at the EDD
  • Skip the long phone menu
  • Call the correct department
  • Redial until on hold
  • Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
  • Give you free callbacks if the EDD drops your call

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!


Really made a difference

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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Ask the community...

  • DO post questions about your issues.
  • DO answer questions and support each other.
  • DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
  • DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)

I went through this exact situation last year! My EDD card got lost in the mail and I never even saw it. I called Money Network at 1-866-692-9374 and they were actually really helpful - way better than trying to reach EDD directly. They sent me a replacement card for free (first replacement is always free) and all my benefits were still there waiting for me. The whole process took about 10 days from when I called to when I got the new card. Just make sure your son has his SSN and can answer some identity verification questions when he calls. The money definitely doesn't disappear just because the original card wasn't activated!

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That's exactly what we needed to hear! It's so reassuring to know that others have been through this same situation and it worked out fine. 10 days sounds very reasonable, and knowing the first replacement is free definitely helps. I'm going to have my son call that number first thing Monday morning. Thank you for sharing your experience - it really puts my mind at ease!

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I work for a nonprofit that helps people navigate EDD issues, and this is actually a pretty common problem! The good news is your son's benefits are definitely still safe. Here's what I recommend: Call Money Network at 1-866-692-9374 (they're open 24/7) and report the card as lost/never received. They'll ask for his SSN and some verification info. The replacement is free and takes 7-10 business days. Pro tip: Once he gets the new card, I'd strongly suggest switching to direct deposit immediately through his EDD online account or by calling Money Network. The cards have fees for ATM withdrawals and other transactions that can really add up. Direct deposit is free and much more secure. Also make sure he's been keeping up with his biweekly certifications - that's the most important part for keeping his claim active!

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This is incredibly helpful - thank you so much for the detailed guidance! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who works with these issues professionally. I'll make sure my son calls that number first thing in the morning and has all his info ready. The 24/7 availability is great to know. And yes, he has been keeping up with his certifications every two weeks, so that's one less thing to worry about. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise - it means a lot to stressed-out parents like me!

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I just went through this exact situation 6 months ago when my fintech startup laid off half the company. HR told us the same thing - "wait until WARN payments end" - but I'm so glad I ignored that advice and filed immediately. Here's what actually happened: I filed my claim the day after getting my termination notice, even though I was getting WARN Act pay for 60 days. During those 60 days, I certified every two weeks and reported the WARN payments as "other income." EDD didn't pay me anything during that period (as expected), but my claim was fully processed and approved. The moment my WARN payments ended, my unemployment benefits kicked in automatically - no gap, no additional waiting period. My coworkers who listened to HR and waited to file? They had to wait an additional 4-6 weeks after their WARN pay ended to get their first unemployment check. Some are still dealing with processing delays even now. The key things I learned: 1) Your claim effective date matters for benefit calculations, 2) Processing time doesn't magically disappear just because you wait, and 3) EDD's system is actually designed to handle WARN Act situations - it's not as complicated as HR makes it seem. File now and thank yourself later when you have seamless income transition!

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This is exactly the kind of real-world experience I was hoping to hear about! It's so reassuring to know that someone actually went through this process recently and had success filing immediately. The fact that your benefits kicked in automatically when your WARN payments ended is huge - that seamless transition is exactly what I'm trying to avoid missing out on. I'm definitely convinced now that filing right away is the smart move. It sounds like EDD's system handles this situation pretty smoothly once you know how to navigate it properly. Thanks for sharing the specifics about how the certification process worked during your WARN period - that helps me understand what to expect when I'm reporting those payments every two weeks. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Stories like yours are way more valuable than whatever generic advice HR is giving us!

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I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - my consulting firm is shutting down and we just got our WARN Act notices last week. Like everyone else here, HR told us to wait until the 60-day payment period ends before filing for unemployment. But after reading through all these responses, I'm convinced that's terrible advice! What really opened my eyes was learning that HR departments give this guidance to protect their UI tax rates, not to help employees. That explains why they were so insistent about it during our meeting. I had a gut feeling something was off when they kept emphasizing how "important" it was to wait. I'm planning to file my claim tomorrow morning. The thought of having a 6-8 week gap between my WARN payments ending and getting my first unemployment check is terrifying, especially with rent and other bills to worry about. It sounds like filing now will let me transition seamlessly from WARN pay to unemployment benefits without any interruption in income. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you've potentially saved me from making a really costly mistake. It's frustrating that we have to come to online communities to get accurate information instead of being able to trust our own employers, but I'm grateful this discussion exists!

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To all those having trouble reaching a human at California Unemployment. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/Ize0EkN4HDI

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From my experience calling EDD, their lunch break seems to vary by department and individual representatives. I've noticed the phones are harder to get through around 12-1pm, but I've also had success calling during that time when others were available. The automated system runs 24/7, but for live representatives, I'd suggest calling early morning (8-9am) or mid-afternoon (2-4pm) for better chances of reaching someone without hitting lunch breaks.

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Thanks for sharing your experience with calling EDD! That's really helpful timing advice. I've been struggling to get through for weeks now. Do you have any other tips for getting past the busy signals? I keep getting the "all circuits are busy" message even when I call right at 8am. Also wondering if certain days of the week are better than others for calling?

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I just went through this exact situation last week! I was terrified to use the callback feature after reading horror stories online, but I'm so glad I did. Called the SDI line around 11am on a Wednesday, was told the wait was 90+ minutes, opted for callback instead. They called me back exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes later. The rep was amazing - helped me understand my benefit calculation and even caught an error in my claim that would have delayed my payments. My advice: definitely use it if you're calling mid-week and it's before 3pm. Make sure your phone is charged and nearby! The SDI callback system really does seem more reliable than the regular unemployment one.

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This is so reassuring to hear! I'm new to dealing with SDI and was really worried about using the callback system after seeing mixed reviews online. Your experience sounds almost identical to what I'm facing - I need to call about my benefit calculation and I've been dreading sitting on hold for hours. Did they give you any estimate of callback time when you first requested it, or did you just have to wait and see? I'm planning to call tomorrow (Friday) morning but now I'm wondering if I should wait until Monday based on what others have said about Friday callbacks being less reliable.

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@Ravi Malhotra I d'definitely recommend waiting until Monday or Tuesday instead of calling Friday morning! Based on what Grace mentioned earlier she (works as an SDI claims specialist ,)they start dropping callbacks after 2pm on Fridays since they won t'process them over the weekend. When I called on Wednesday, they gave me a rough estimate of 1-3 "hours for" the callback, which turned out to be pretty accurate. Monday mornings can be swamped though, so maybe aim for Tuesday if you can wait. The peace of mind of not sitting on hold for hours is totally worth it - just make sure your phone accepts unknown numbers and keep it nearby!

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I'm actually dealing with SDI right now too and this thread has been super helpful! I've been avoiding the callback system because I thought it was just another EDD disaster waiting to happen, but seeing all these recent success stories is making me reconsider. My question is about documentation they're requesting for my claim - has anyone had luck getting help with that through the callback system, or do they only handle benefit calculation issues? I'm worried about my claim getting delayed if I don't get the right documents submitted soon. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone!

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@Marcus Marsh The callback system definitely works for documentation questions too! I actually had a similar issue where they were asking for additional medical records for my SDI claim. When I got my callback, the rep was able to walk me through exactly what documents they needed, the proper way to submit them, and even gave me a direct fax number that goes straight to their processing team instead of the general EDD fax that can get lost. She also put notes in my file about what we discussed so there wouldn t'be any confusion later. I d'say documentation questions might actually be easier for them to handle over the phone than benefit calculations since they can look at your file in real-time and tell you exactly what s'missing. Just have your claim number ready and any documents you ve'already submitted so they can see what s'in your file versus what s'still needed.

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This is such an incredible success story! Congratulations on winning your appeal and getting your payments released so quickly! 🎉 As someone who just discovered this community while dealing with my own EDD nightmare, reading through your entire journey from the initial hearing to getting paid has been incredibly informative and inspiring. Your case with the 60% hour reduction being classified as "voluntary quit" is exactly the kind of wrongful denial that seems to plague EDD's system. The fact that you meticulously documented everything and the judge saw right through EDD's weak arguments gives me so much hope for others facing similar situations. What really stands out to me is how proactive you were about calling EDD immediately after getting your favorable decision. It's ridiculous that their system doesn't automatically process appeal victories, but your experience shows that being persistent really pays off. Getting through on your third try and having the rep manually release your payments within hours is exactly the kind of outcome everyone here is hoping for. Thank you for taking the time to update this thread throughout your entire process - from the initial anxiety about waiting for the decision, to celebrating the victory, to successfully getting your payments released. Your timeline of 7 business days for the decision and next-day payment release after calling provides such valuable insight for others navigating this broken system. Stories like yours make this community so valuable for people fighting these wrongful denials!

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Thank you so much! It really has been such a rollercoaster of emotions these past few weeks. I'm still kind of in disbelief that it's actually over and the money is coming. You're absolutely right about being proactive - I think if I had just waited for EDD's system to automatically update, I'd probably still be sitting here checking my account every day! The rep I spoke with even mentioned that appeal decisions sometimes get "stuck" in their system and need manual intervention. It's crazy that we have to chase them down for money we're legally entitled to, but at least now I know the process works if you stay on top of it. Best of luck with your own case - this community really is amazing for support and practical advice. Don't give up fighting whatever wrongful denial you're dealing with!

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Wow, what an incredible journey to follow from start to finish! As someone completely new to this community (just joined after getting my own EDD denial), your story gives me so much hope and practical guidance. The fact that you went from anxiously waiting for your decision to actually getting paid in just over a week is amazing. Your case really highlights how broken EDD's initial review process is - a 60% reduction in hours being called "voluntary quit" is absolutely ridiculous. Of course you had to find other work! It's so encouraging that the judge saw right through their weak arguments and that the EDD rep couldn't even properly defend their position. The timeline you've shared has been invaluable - 7 business days for the decision, then getting payments released the very next day after calling EDD directly. I'm definitely taking notes on calling right at 8 AM and having all the case numbers ready. It's frustrating that we have to chase them down for money we're legally entitled to, but your proactive approach clearly worked. Thank you for being so generous with updates throughout this whole process. Reading about your victory gives everyone here fighting similar wrongful denials the motivation to keep pushing forward. Congratulations again on getting through this nightmare - you absolutely deserved this win! 🎉

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This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm brand new here after getting completely blindsided by my own EDD denial last week. Reading your entire journey from that initial anxiety about waiting for the decision to actually celebrating getting your payments released has given me such a clear roadmap of what to expect. The 7-day timeline for the decision and then getting payments the very next day after calling shows that persistence really does pay off. It's insane that EDD's system doesn't automatically process favorable appeals - like, isn't that the whole point of winning?? But knowing that calling them directly at 8 AM with your case number ready can get things moving immediately is gold. Your 60% hour reduction situation being called "voluntary quit" is exactly the kind of nonsense so many of us are dealing with. Thanks for sharing every step of this process - it's going to help so many people! 🙏

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