California Unemployment
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If you put your 2 weeks' notice and they fire you can you get unemployment in California?
So I gave my employer my two weeks' notice last Monday and they turned around and let me go on Wednesday — basically said don't come back for the remaining time. Now I'm scrambling trying to figure out where I stand with California EDD. I wasn't planning to file for unemployment since I was the one quitting, but the fact that they cut me short changes things, right? I reported my last day as Wednesday on the application but I'm honestly not sure if EDD is going to look at this like I quit or like I got fired. My industry is healthcare admin and I had another job lined up that doesn't start until mid-January, so I need something to cover the gap. Has anyone been through this exact situation?
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How can you be eligible for unemployment in California EDD?
Lost my job at a logistics company last month after they eliminated my entire department. I've never filed for unemployment before and honestly have no idea where to start or whether I even qualify. I keep reading different things online and I'm getting really confused. Like, does it matter that I was laid off vs if someone got fired? What about how long I worked there — I was only at this company for about 14 months. And my hours varied a lot, some weeks I was barely getting 20 hours. Does any of that affect whether I can get benefits? I applied through myEDD last week but I genuinely don't know if I did it right or if I'm even going to be eligible. Really hoping someone who's been through this can explain how this whole thing works.
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Two weeks after my layoff I got a letter from EDD about a phone interview being scheduled, even though I was clearly laid off. I panicked and thought it meant my claim was about to be denied.
The DE 4800 said the questions would be about my reason for separation, so I prepared by writing down exactly what happened — department eliminated, all roles affected, effective date. The interviewer called right at the scheduled time and it was a pretty short conversation.
Preparing notes ahead of the interview is smart. Having specific dates and details ready makes it easier to stay clear and not get rattled if the questions feel pointed.
Situation update from the original poster — I checked UI Online and the DE 429Z showed up. My weekly benefit amount came out to $387, which feels reasonable given my earnings. CalJOBS registration is done. Now just waiting to certify for the first time. Thanks everyone for all the help on understanding how can you be eligible for unemployment — this thread answered basically every question I had.
Using Claimyr to get through to EDD is something I might still do if anything weird comes up on my claim — just knowing that option exists is reassuring.
The waiting week surprise catches a lot of people off guard. First payment being one week not two is frustrating but at least now you know.
When you get unemployment who pays for it - California EDD explained
So I got laid off from my warehouse job two weeks ago and just filed my claim through myEDD. While I was going through everything I started wondering about something that's been bugging me. My buddy said the money gets taken out of my future paychecks when I go back to work, like a loan basically. But then my sister said no, it comes from taxes we already paid. Neither of us actually knows and I can't find a straight answer anywhere. When you get unemployment who pays for it, like actually? Is it coming out of my own money somehow or is this something the company pays into? I want to understand what I'm actually collecting here before my first certification comes up. Already registered on CalJOBS and posted my resume so I think I'm good on that front, just trying to wrap my head around how the whole funding thing works.
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My benefit year started in March and I want to add something for anyone who is part-time or picks up occasional work while collecting. The earning formula isn't just subtract what you made from your benefit amount - there's a disregard built in. The first $25 or 25 percent of what you earned in a week, whichever is bigger, doesn't count against you. So if your weekly benefit is $340 and you earned $160 doing some shifts, EDD subtracts the amount over the disregard from your benefit, not the full $160. Report everything accurately and let EDD do the math.
Use the Report Wages option in UI Online before certifying if you're unsure how wages will affect a week. It won't fix a week already submitted but it helps you understand the math before you certify.
That's really helpful. I might pick up some temp work and I didn't want to mess up my claim by not knowing how to report it.
Just wrapped up week twelve and wanted to come back to the original funding question one more time because I've seen some people in real life still confused about this. Employers pay a payroll tax specifically for unemployment insurance. It has nothing to do with income taxes, Social Security, or what shows up on your pay stub. The fund is managed at the state level. When you collect UI, you're drawing from money your employers contributed over your working history, not money the state collected from you personally.
Yeah the relationship feels more concrete when you think of it as tied to your actual job history rather than some anonymous government bucket.
And it's worth noting that if you've been working steadily for years and never had a layoff, your employers have been paying into this for all that time. You're not getting something for nothing, your work history is what made the coverage there.
Can part-time employees get unemployment? California EDD rules explained
So I've been working part-time at a warehouse for about 14 months, roughly 25 hours a week, and my hours just got cut down to almost nothing - maybe 6 hours some weeks, zero others. My supervisor says it's slow season but honestly it's been going on for two months now and I don't think it's coming back. A coworker told me part-time workers can't file for unemployment because we 'didn't pay into it enough' - is that actually true? I went to edd.ca.gov and couldn't find a straight answer about whether my situation qualifies. My weekly check from that job was around $340 when I was working full hours. Has anyone here filed for California EDD unemployment while working part-time? Did it actually go through?
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The 'slow season' explanation from your supervisor doesn't change how EDD treats the situation. Whether the employer plans to bring hours back eventually or not, right now you're earning significantly less through the employer's decision. That's what matters for filing. If hours come back fully, you'd stop certifying or your benefit amount would adjust based on what you're earning. If the job ends entirely, you'd report that when it happens.
Yes - partial wages get reported and the benefit amount adjusts down based on the earnings formula. You wouldn't necessarily lose the whole benefit just because some hours came back, as long as you're not working full-time.
the report wages screen in UI Online lets you log earnings before certifying to see how the formula affects your payment that week. useful for planning when you have variable hours week to week
Went through almost this identical situation a couple years ago at a distribution center - 28 hours slashed to nothing, didn't file for weeks because I thought part-time disqualified me. By the time I finally applied I'd missed months of potential benefits. Filed, qualified based on my base period wages, got $215 a week. Not life-changing but covered my car payment while I hunted for something full-time. The lesson I took from it: file first, ask questions later. EDD will tell you if you don't qualify, but you won't know until you try.
Come back and tell us your weekly benefit amount when the DE 429Z arrives - would be good for others in similar situations to see a real number from a part-time warehouse claim
Filing the same day hours drop is better than waiting even a week. That start date really does matter.
Can you receive workers comp and unemployment at the same time in California EDD?
So I got hurt at work back in September and filed a workers comp claim right away. My employer ended up laying me off two weeks later while I was still out recovering. Now I'm sitting here with both a workers comp case open AND trying to figure out if I can even file for unemployment through California EDD. My doctor says I might be cleared for light duty in a few weeks but right now I'm getting workers comp payments and I genuinely have no idea if I'm allowed to also collect UI benefits at the same time. I don't want to do anything wrong and end up with an overpayment situation on my hands. Has anyone actually dealt with both of these at once? Do I even qualify for unemployment if I'm on workers comp right now?
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About to certify for the fifth time since my layoff and I still get nervous about the workers comp income question every single time. My physical therapist told me I earned a certain amount from a settlement and I'm not sure if that counts the same way as ongoing temp disability payments. The settlement number is different from the weekly workers comp checks I'd been getting.
That's what I figured — better to ask first than certify and find out I did it wrong. I'll message them today.
Asking before certifying is always the safer move when you're genuinely unsure. An overpayment situation is way more stressful than waiting a day for an answer.
December layoff starting to look likely at my job and I've been reading everything I can find about UI and workers comp overlaps because I had a knee injury in October and my workers comp case isn't closed yet. Finding this thread has been more useful than anything else I've read. The specific thing I needed to know was whether filing UI while the comp case is open would cause problems with either claim.
Employers can respond to a UI claim but they can't use it to attack a separate workers comp case — those are entirely different processes with different rules. Don't let the overlap scare you away from filing if you're eligible.
EDD also uses Claimyr if you end up needing to reach them once you file — having that as a backup if the phone line is impossible helps a lot when you're juggling two open cases at the same time.
Justin Evans
Something that helped me feel less panicked during the pending period: checking UI Online daily. The Payments tab and Claim History update on their own, and the EDD Tele-Cert line at 1-866-333-4606 also has payment info available around the clock. So you're not stuck waiting for a letter — you can check in anytime without having to get through to a live agent.
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Justin Evans
The waiting is the hardest part but obsessively checking every hour won't make it move faster — once a day in the morning is usually when updates post.
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Aaron Lee
I set a reminder on my phone for my certification dates so I never miss one — missing a certification can delay things even more and that's the last thing you want when weeks are already pending
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Emily Parker
One more thing worth knowing — if EDD decides against you and mails a Notice of Determination, keep certifying even while you're going through the appeal process. Appealing with the DE 1000M is your right, and an administrative law judge at the CUIAB will hear your case. But if you stop certifying and win the appeal, EDD can only pay back weeks you actually certified for. People lose money they won on appeal because they assumed certifying didn't matter once the denial came.
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Madison Allen
and make sure you count the 30 days from the mailing date on the Notice of Determination, not from when you actually receive it in the mail — that date is what EDD uses
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Chloe Mitchell
Using Claimyr to reach EDD while my appeal was pending helped me confirm which weeks were still certified and accounted for — the agent told me exactly which periods were in the system so I knew nothing had fallen through the cracks.
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