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!
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 :)
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Once you get your card, I strongly recommend setting up the Money Network mobile app. It makes managing your unemployment funds much easier. You can check your balance, see payment history, and even set up alerts when new payments are deposited. Also important - you can switch to direct deposit for future payments once you have card access, which is much faster than waiting for the card to be reloaded every certification period.
That's great advice, thanks! I'll definitely set up the app and switch to direct deposit as soon as possible. Really appreciate everyone's help here!
Just wanted to add another perspective here - I'm currently going through the same thing! My payment was approved 5 days ago and still no card. Reading through all these responses is really helpful though. I called that Money Network number someone mentioned (866-320-8699) and it did confirm my card was mailed 3 days ago, so at least I know it's coming. For anyone else in this situation, that automated line is definitely worth calling just for peace of mind. Hang in there Freya, sounds like we're both in the waiting game together!
Thanks for sharing your experience! It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this right now. I actually called that number earlier today after seeing it mentioned here and got the same confirmation that my card was mailed. Still nerve-wracking waiting for it, but at least we know they're on the way! Hopefully we both get our cards soon - this whole process is so stressful when you're already dealing with being unemployed.
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Hey Emma! I was in a similar situation a few months back and totally get the anxiety about messing something up after already certifying. The good news is that updating your email won't affect your benefits at all - it's just a contact info change. I ended up calling the main EDD line (1-800-300-5616) around 8:05 AM on a Wednesday and got through in about an hour. The rep was really understanding and made the change super quickly. Just have your claim number, SSN, old email, and new email ready to go. Also, don't worry if you see some emails still going to your old address for a day or two - it takes a bit for everything to update in their system. You've got this! 💪
Thank you so much for the reassurance about it not affecting my benefits! That was honestly my biggest worry. The Wednesday timing suggestion is really helpful too - seems like mid-week really is the sweet spot. I'm feeling way more confident about tackling this now with everyone's advice. Going to set my alarm for 8:05 AM and give it a shot! 🌅☎️
Emma, I totally feel you on this! I made the same mistake with my EDD account and was freaking out about it too. From all the advice here, it sounds like the early morning call strategy is definitely the way to go. I'm planning to try calling tomorrow around 8:02 AM (love that tip about not calling exactly at 8:00!). We should probably start a support group for people dealing with EDD phone hell 😅 At least we know we're not alone in this struggle! Let us know how it goes when you call - rooting for you! 🤞
Yes! An EDD phone support group sounds amazing - we could call it "Hold Music Anonymous" 😂 I'm definitely trying the 8:02 AM strategy tomorrow too. It's weirdly comforting to know so many people have been through this exact same thing and made it out alive! Thanks for the encouragement - I'll definitely update everyone once I get through. We're all gonna survive this bureaucratic nightmare! 💪
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Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation about 6 months ago. I was working part-time at a retail store while keeping my EDD claim open from my previous office job. My manager got the same letter and was convinced it meant the store would have to pay my unemployment benefits somehow. I ended up printing out some information from the EDD website about how the system works and showed her that only the "base period employer" (my old job) gets charged for benefits. The letter she received was just asking her to verify my employment status and wages - basically confirming I was being honest about my earnings when I certified. It took about a week for her to calm down about it, but once she understood the process, she was actually supportive of me keeping the claim active as a safety net. The whole thing resolved smoothly and didn't affect my job at all. Your boss will probably feel much better once she understands what's actually happening!
That's really encouraging to hear! It sounds like your manager had the exact same reaction as my boss. I like the idea of printing out official EDD information to show her - having something in writing from the actual agency would probably be more convincing than just me explaining it. Did you find any specific pages on the EDD website that were particularly helpful for explaining this to your manager?
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My boss at the restaurant where I work part-time got an EDD notice last week and immediately called me into the office thinking she was going to get charged for my benefits. I had to explain that I'm still on claim from my previous job at a marketing company, not from her restaurant. What really helped was showing her the exact wording on the EDD form - it clearly states they're just verifying current employment information, not assigning any charges to her business. I also pointed out that the benefits are based on wages from my "base period" which was entirely from my old job, so her business has zero financial liability. The key thing I learned is that a lot of small business owners have never dealt with this before and automatically assume any government notice means they owe money or did something wrong. Once I walked her through how the system actually works, she was totally fine with it. Now she even asks how my job search is going! Keep being transparent about your earnings when you certify - that's the most important part. Your boss will calm down once she understands the process.
This is so helpful to hear from someone currently going through it! I love how you handled it by walking your boss through the actual form language - that's such a practical approach. It's reassuring that your boss went from being worried to actually being supportive of your situation. I think showing the specific wording about "verifying current employment information" rather than assigning charges would really help my boss understand too. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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I just went through this exact situation 3 months ago with a $14k settlement from a rear-end collision. Here's my step-by-step experience that might help: 1. Called EDD BEFORE depositing the check (this was crucial) 2. Asked specifically for a tier 2 representative who handles income determinations 3. Had my settlement agreement and lawyer's breakdown ready 4. Clearly stated it was for "personal injury - medical expenses and pain/suffering only, no lost wages" 5. The rep put detailed notes in my file and gave me a confirmation number When I certified that week, I reported it as "other income" with the note "PERSONAL INJURY SETTLEMENT - CONFIRMED WITH REP [confirmation number]" Result: Zero reduction in my weekly benefits. The rep explained that CA specifically excludes personal injury settlements from UI income calculations because they're compensatory damages, not earnings. The key is being proactive and getting proper documentation. Don't stress too much - if it's truly for medical/injury damages (which yours sounds like it is), you should be fine. Just make sure to call them first and get everything properly noted in your file!
This is exactly the kind of detailed walkthrough I was hoping to find! Having that confirmation number to reference when certifying is such a smart move - it shows EDD that you already cleared everything with them properly. I'm definitely going to follow your exact process when I call tomorrow. Question: when you asked for a tier 2 rep, did you have to wait on hold for a long time, or were they able to transfer you pretty quickly? I'm trying to plan when to make the call so I have enough time to get through to the right person.
I'm in a very similar boat - just received word that my $16,800 personal injury settlement from a workplace accident (not workers' comp, just regular slip and fall on premises) will be coming through in about 2 weeks. I've been losing sleep over whether this will mess up my UI benefits since I'm maxed out at $450/week and literally cannot afford any reduction. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief! The consistent message seems to be that personal injury settlements for medical bills and pain/suffering should NOT affect UI benefits, but the key is getting ahead of it with proper documentation. I'm planning to call EDD this week before the settlement arrives and follow the excellent step-by-step advice shared here: ask for tier 2 rep, have all settlement docs ready, emphasize it's medical/pain damages only, get everything documented with a confirmation number, then reference that when certifying. Has anyone dealt with EDD questioning the timing between when the accident happened versus when you received the settlement? My accident was 14 months ago but the settlement is just coming through now due to lengthy negotiations. Wondering if that timing gap raises any red flags with them or if it's pretty normal for these cases. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this community has been incredibly helpful for navigating this stressful situation!
Tom Maxon
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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Talia Klein
I feel your pain! The EDD times are absolutely brutal. I had a similar experience last month - waited 2.5 hours just to be transferred to another department with another long hold. My advice: don't hang up no matter how tempting it is. Once you're in the queue for a tier 2 agent, you're actually making progress. Keep your phone charged, put it on speaker, and try to do other things while you wait. The tier 2 agents are usually more knowledgeable and can actually resolve issues unlike the first level reps. Hang in there!
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Yuki Sato
•This is so helpful, thank you! I'm actually still on right now - it's been about 3 hours total since I first called. Your advice about keeping the phone charged is spot on, mine died earlier and I had to scramble to find a charger while staying on the line. It's reassuring to hear that tier 2 agents are more helpful. Did you end up getting your issue resolved when you finally got through to them?
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