Can't reach California Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
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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- 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 :)
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I still think this whole system is ridiculous. How can they expect people to pay back thousands of dollars when they're UNEMPLOYED? That money is already spent on SURVIVING. And then they threaten collections and tax refund interception if you can't pay it all back immediately. My advice? Keep any documentation about what exactly your settlement was for. If part of it was for emotional distress or punitive damages, that shouldn't count as "wages" that offset unemployment. Fight it if they try to claim your entire settlement was for lost wages!
This is actually good advice. I've seen several cases where people successfully reduced their overpayment amounts by providing documentation showing that portions of their settlements were for non-wage compensation. EDD typically only cares about the part that replaces wages you would have earned during the same period you collected benefits.
one more thing... make sure u stop certifying for any weeks that ur settlement covers if its backpay for specific dates. like if settlement covers april-june dont certify for those weeks if u havent already
but if they already certified for those weeks isnt it too late?? i think thats the whole problem theyre having
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Another important thing to remember is to keep certifying for benefits every two weeks, even if one payment is pending. Missing a certification can create more problems with your claim. And make sure all your work search activities are properly documented for each week you certify.
Yes, I've got reminders set for every other Sunday! And I've been keeping detailed notes of all my job applications and interviews. Not making that mistake again - that documentation issue is what caused my disqualification the first time around.
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Just checking back - were you able to send that secure message? Any updates?
Yes! I sent a detailed message yesterday explaining everything including the part-time work I reported. Fingers crossed they respond soon. I also looked into that Claimyr service someone mentioned - might try that if I don't hear back by Monday. I'll definitely update when something changes!
UPDATE: It worked!!! I used Claimyr this morning and got connected to an EDD rep after only waiting about 10 minutes! The agent confirmed what some of you suggested - reporting those part-time hours triggered an eligibility review but there was a system error that didn't notify me or schedule the interview. She cleared the flag on my account and I'm now able to certify online again! She also processed my pending certifications from the paper forms I'd sent in. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!
OMG thank you for posting this update!!! I'm going to try Claimyr right now. So sick of this broken system!
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did u check ur spam folder? sometimes edd emails go there
Good suggestion! Just checked and nothing there except the certification reminder email. No approval or other notifications.
Just wanted to follow up and see if you certified and if there's been any update on your claim status? It's been about a week since your original post.
Yes! I certified as everyone suggested, and actually got some movement on my claim yesterday. My UI Online account now shows a claim balance and weekly benefit amount. Still haven't received any payments, but at least I know my claim was approved! Thanks everyone for the advice - certifying while waiting was definitely the right move.
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The technical distinction here is important: 1. Withdrawing cash from your brokerage account that's just returning your original investment = NOT reportable income 2. Capital gains realized when selling stocks/investments = Reportable income 3. Dividends or interest paid to your account = Reportable income The EDD isn't concerned with you accessing your own money, only new income earned during your certification period. Report any gains on your sales, but not the entire withdrawal amount.
so confusing their forms dont even ask about this specifically!! why make it so complicated???
You're right - their forms could be much clearer. The certification question about income is asking about any form of income, even if it doesn't fit neatly into their categories. Capital gains technically fall under "any income" even if there's no specific checkbox for it.
Dont forget that when you file taxes next year, the EDD can cross reference with IRS and see if you had income you didnt report while on unemployment. Better safe than sorry!
That's a great point. I'm definitely going to report the gains. Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I think I have a much clearer understanding now.
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btw make sure ur answering all the certification questions right... if u make a mistake they delay payment
I triple-checked everything before submitting. I answered 'yes' to looking for work and listed my job search activities. I didn't report any income since I'm completely unemployed right now.
Just wanted to follow up - it's now Friday. Has your payment status changed? If it's still pending and you need immediate assistance, calling EDD directly is your best option. The technical support line (833-978-2511) often has shorter wait times than the regular line and they can transfer you to a claim specialist if needed. If your payment doesn't process by Monday, it might indicate there's an underlying issue with your claim that needs addressing.
Great news! It just switched to paid this morning and says the money should hit my account by tomorrow. Looks like it was just the normal processing time for a first payment like many of you mentioned. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance!
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I just want to add something important - make sure you answer the questionnaire completely and by the deadline. If you miss the deadline, your claim could be automatically denied and then you'd have to appeal. Also, be consistent with the information you provided in your initial application. If you said you were laid off due to company downsizing on your application, stick with that explanation in the questionnaire.
Good point! I'm definitely going to submit it today, well ahead of the deadline. And I'll make sure my answers match what I said in my initial application about being laid off due to downsizing.
My friend just went through this whole process and she got an eligibility interview scheduled even though her employer wasn't contesting. She was freaking out for no reason because when the interview time came, the EDD person just asked like 2 questions and approved her. They just have to follow their procedures even when it's obviously a legit claim.
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Just to be CRYSTAL CLEAR: if you keep certifying while disqualified and your appeal FAILS, you WILL have to pay back EVERY PENNY they paid you after the disqualification date! EDD loves to set these traps - they let you certify knowing full well they'll hit you with an overpayment notice later. Then they add penalties and interest. The system is DESIGNED to screw claimants! Been there, done that, got the garnished wages to prove it. 🤬
While it's true that unsuccessful appeals can result in overpayment notices, continuing to certify is still the recommended approach. If you don't certify during the appeal period and later win your appeal, you won't be able to retroactively certify for those weeks. The key is ensuring your appeal is well-prepared with proper documentation to address the specific reason for disqualification.
UPDATE: I managed to get through to EDD this morning! The rep explained that I was disqualified because on my certification for the week ending 5/24, I checked YES to the question "Was there any reason you could not accept full-time work each workday?" because of that doctor appointment. She said I should have marked NO since a single appointment doesn't make me unavailable for the whole week. I filed my appeal online and included a letter explaining the misunderstanding. The rep said to keep certifying while the appeal is pending. Thank you all for your help! Now just waiting for the appeal process...
That's great news! For your appeal, make sure to clearly explain that you misunderstood the question and that a single doctor's appointment didn't affect your overall availability for work that week. If possible, include documentation showing you were actively looking for work during that period. Your chances of winning this type of appeal are actually quite good since it was clearly a misunderstanding about how to answer the certification questions.
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Omg I'm so sorry about your brother. Please don't be hard on yourself about the timing - grief is a journey that doesn't follow deadlines. I lost my mom in 2021 and literally couldn't look at anything financial for almost a year. EDD mistakes were RAMPANT during 2020. Half my coworkers had issues with their 1099Gs. One thing that worked for me was sending a written request (certified mail) to both EDD and BOA demanding my records under the California Consumer Privacy Act. Companies have to respond to these requests. I specifically asked for "all payment records and transaction histories associated with my EDD claim and BOA debit card for tax year 2020." Both sent me complete records within 30 days.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my brother. It means a lot. Some days are still really hard. The California Consumer Privacy Act request is a brilliant idea! I didn't even think of that angle. I'm going to try the other suggestions first since they might be faster, but if those don't work out, I'll definitely try the CCPA approach. It's good to have multiple options. Thanks for understanding about the timeline too - it helps to know I'm not alone in struggling with administrative tasks during grief.
Bank of America is the absolute WORST for handling the EDD cards!!! when my claim ended they just shut down my account with NO WARNING and I couldn't see any of my old transactions. I had to call them like 7 times and finally got someone who told me I could request paper statements by mail but it would cost $5 per month I wanted. such a ripoff but I needed them for my taxes
Just an important clarification - Bank of America shouldn't be charging $5 per statement for EDD debit card accounts. Under their agreement with the State of California, they're required to provide at least one free statement copy per request for closed accounts. If they tried to charge you, you should dispute that and reference the California EDD Debit Card Account Agreement which specifies the free statement policy. Many customer service reps aren't properly trained on the EDD-specific policies.
Ravi Choudhury
also another thing nobody mentioned yet is that u still have to do the work search requirements even with a part time job unless ur part time job is gonna turn into full time soon. so keep doing whatever work search activities ur doing now
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Emma Davis
•Oh I didn't even think about that, thanks for the reminder! I'll definitely keep applying for full-time positions.
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Omar Farouk
I've been working part-time (15-18 hours) for the past 3 months while on UI. The partial benefit calculation works exactly as others described. Just make sure you're very precise about reporting. I take screenshots of my hours worked each day and save them in a folder on my phone so I can refer to them when certifying. One thing that might help - when you certify, you'll get a summary screen showing what you reported. Take a screenshot of that too in case there are ever any questions about what you reported vs. what EDD recorded in their system.
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