I'm in a similar boat - my company just announced they're closing in 6 weeks and I'm trying to wrap my head around all this too. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like the main takeaway is to file immediately after your last day regardless of severance, but be prepared to report every severance payment which will likely zero out your benefits temporarily. One thing I'm still confused about - if we're getting severance paid out over multiple weeks, do we need to keep certifying every two weeks even though we know we won't get any UI benefits during that time? It seems like the answer is yes based on what everyone's saying, but I want to make sure I don't accidentally mess up my claim by not certifying during the severance period. Also, has anyone dealt with a situation where the company hasn't finalized the severance details yet? They keep saying "we'll let you know" but time is running out and I need to plan my finances. Should I be pushing HR harder for specifics?

I just went through this exact scenario when my retail job ended due to store closure in December. Here's what worked for me: File your UI claim the day after your last work day - don't wait! Your benefit year starts when you file, not when you receive payments. During the weeks you receive severance, you'll report it as "other income" and select "severance pay" from the dropdown during certification. This will likely result in $0 UI benefits for those weeks, but your claim stays active. The tricky part is the certification questions - they don't explicitly say "severance" so look for "Did you receive any other type of income?" and be sure to report only the amount you received during that specific 2-week certification period, not your total severance. Keep certifying every two weeks even when getting $0 benefits! I cannot stress this enough - skipping certifications can permanently mess up your claim. Once your severance payments end, your full UI benefits should automatically resume. Start documenting everything NOW: get your severance agreement in writing, keep records of payment amounts/dates, and clarify with HR whether it's true severance or "pay in lieu of notice" as this affects EDD processing. One last tip: continue your job search activities even during severance weeks. EDD still requires this and I've seen people get disqualified for not maintaining job search records during their severance period. The whole process was smoother than I expected once I understood the system. Good luck!

Awesome that it worked out for you! This is super helpful info for other first-time claimants. The 3 business day timeline from 'paid' status to actual deposit seems to be pretty standard for most banks with direct deposit. Definitely bookmark this process for your future certifications - it gets way less stressful once you know what to expect!

This thread is so reassuring! I'm in almost the exact same situation - just finished my waiting period and seeing 'paid' status for the first time. Really glad to see the update that your money came through in 3 business days. I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong with my claim. Going to bookmark this post for reference during my next certification cycle. Thanks for sharing your experience!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through as someone in the exact same situation! I just graduated last Friday and my campus job at the student success center ended because it was restricted to enrolled students only. Reading through all these detailed experiences and success stories has completely changed my perspective from "I probably won't qualify" to "I need to apply ASAP." My situation mirrors so many others here: worked there for 1.5 years, about 15-20 hours during school and 25-30 during breaks, roughly 65% university-funded and 35% work-study. I have CA SDI deductions on all my pay stubs and my termination letter says "position ended due to completion of academic program" - which based on everyone's advice seems like perfect language. The consistency of advice throughout this thread is so helpful: - Frame it as "position ended" not "had to leave because graduated" - Emphasize you're actively seeking immediate employment - Apply even if unsure about eligibility - worst case is denial - Keep detailed job search records - Continue certifying even during appeals if needed Special thanks to @Emma Wilson, @Noah Lee, @Alejandro Castro and others who shared their successful outcomes - hearing that people with similar situations actually got approved (even if just for the university-funded portion) makes this feel achievable rather than hopeless. Planning to apply online tomorrow morning and will definitely update this thread with my experience. This community support has been amazing and I hope my results can help other graduating students too!

I'm currently in this exact situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just graduated this past weekend and my campus job at the tutoring center ended because it was only available to enrolled students. I've been so anxious about whether I'd qualify for unemployment benefits, but reading through everyone's experiences - especially the success stories from Emma, Noah, Alejandro, and others - has given me the confidence to actually apply. My situation: worked there for 2 years, about 18-20 hours during school terms and 35+ hours during breaks. About 70% university-funded and 30% work-study. I have CA SDI deductions on all my pay stubs and my separation notice says "employment terminated upon degree completion" - which sounds like the kind of language that has worked well for others here. The consistent advice throughout this thread about framing it as an involuntary separation ("position ended") rather than a voluntary quit ("had to leave because I graduated") seems crucial. I'm also documenting all my job search activities and am genuinely available for immediate full-time work while I look for positions in my field. Planning to apply online this week. Even if I get initially denied, the appeal success stories here show it's definitely worth pursuing. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should honestly be a pinned resource for graduating students navigating this process! I'll update with my results to hopefully help others in similar situations.

I'm in a really similar situation! Just started a part-time job at 20-25 hours after being unemployed for 3 months. Was super nervous about reporting it but everyone here is right - you absolutely can still get partial benefits. From what I've learned so far: - The hardest part is just making sure you report everything accurately - Keep your pay stubs and maybe take photos of what you enter each week - The EDD website actually has a partial benefit calculator if you want to estimate what you might get - Don't be surprised if your first partial payment takes a day or two longer to process The partial benefits really do help bridge the gap while you're looking for full-time work. Even if it's not a huge amount, every bit helps when you're trying to cover bills that were based on full-time income. One thing that helped me was setting up a simple note in my phone to track my weekly hours and gross pay as I go, so I don't have to scramble to remember everything when it's time to certify. You're being smart by asking questions upfront rather than guessing. That shows you're taking it seriously and want to do it right!

Hey Justin! I was in almost the exact same boat about 6 months ago - got laid off from a full-time job and ended up with part-time retail work at around 24 hours per week. You absolutely can still certify and receive partial benefits! Here's what worked for me: - Always report your GROSS earnings (before taxes) for the actual week you worked, not when you get paid - EDD uses the formula others mentioned: they ignore the first $25 or 25% of your WBA (whichever is higher), then deduct the rest dollar-for-dollar - With your $450 WBA, you can earn up to about $112 and still get your full benefit, then it starts reducing from there - Keep detailed records of everything - I used a simple notebook to track hours worked, gross pay, and what I reported each week The key is being 100% accurate with your reporting. I never had any issues during my 4 months of partial benefits, and it really helped bridge the gap financially while I kept looking for full-time work. Don't stress too much about the math - EDD's system calculates it automatically once you enter your hours and gross pay correctly. Just focus on being honest and precise with your reporting, and you'll be fine!

I've been lurking on this thread and finally decided to join because you all have been SO helpful with troubleshooting this E314 nightmare! I just wanted to share what ended up working for me after trying almost everything mentioned here. The winning combination was: Firefox in private browsing mode, VPN completely off, manually typing everything (no copy-paste), removing all dashes/spaces from SSN and phone number, and submitting at 6 AM sharp. But here's the kicker - I also had to turn off my antivirus real-time protection temporarily because it was apparently blocking some of the form submissions! Once I disabled it for just long enough to submit, everything went through perfectly. Just remember to turn your antivirus back on afterward! It's honestly insane that we need to become cybersecurity experts just to file unemployment claims, but this community has been a lifesaver. Thank you all for sharing your solutions - we really are stronger together! 💪✨

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my experience since I FINALLY got past the dreaded E314 error after reading through all these amazing suggestions. What worked for me was actually a combination of several tips from this thread - I used Safari (hadn't tried that one yet), turned off my VPN like @Nia Harris suggested, manually typed everything without any formatting, and submitted at 5:30 AM. The key thing that I think made the difference was also clearing my cookies specifically for the EDD website (not just general cache clearing). You can do this by going to your browser settings and searching for the EDD site specifically to delete just those cookies. It's ridiculous that we have to become tech wizards just to access basic services, but this community has been absolutely incredible! Thank you all for sharing your solutions - without this thread I would have given up weeks ago. For anyone still struggling, don't lose hope! Try different combinations of these fixes and keep that early morning timing. We've got this! 💪🌅