I had my DE 4800 interview about 3 weeks ago when my hours got cut at a hotel from 40 to 20 hours per week. Everyone here has already given you amazing advice, but I wanted to add one thing that really helped me stay calm during the call: The interviewer started by explaining exactly what the DE 4800 form is for and why they do these interviews. She said something like "This is just to verify that your reduced hours weren't voluntary and that you meet the eligibility requirements for partial unemployment benefits." Hearing that upfront made me realize it really is just a fact-checking conversation, not an interrogation. My interview took about 19 minutes and covered all the same questions others mentioned. The most important thing was having specific dates ready - they asked for the exact date my hours were reduced, not just "last month" or "a few weeks ago." One small tip: if you get nervous and forget something during the call, it's totally fine to say "Can I double-check that date for you?" They're patient and understand people get anxious. I had to look up my manager's exact title mid-interview and the interviewer was completely understanding about it. Your situation with the restaurant restructuring sounds very straightforward - employer decision, not your choice, legitimate business reason. You should be good to go! The fact that you're preparing this thoroughly shows you'll handle it just fine.

I went through a DE 4800 interview about 5 weeks ago when my hours at a movie theater got cut from 35 to 16 hours due to slow ticket sales. Just wanted to share my experience since everyone's advice here is spot on! **What really helped me:** - I created a simple timeline document with bullet points: hire date, normal hours period, exact date of reduction, current status - Had my assistant manager's name and phone number written down - Kept the group text where they announced the hour cuts pulled up on my phone - Made a list of my job search efforts (applied to 3 other theaters, signed up for Indeed alerts, asked friends about openings) **The actual call:** - They called 10 minutes early (!) so definitely be ready before your scheduled time - Lasted about 14 minutes - very professional and straightforward - The interviewer was actually really understanding about the entertainment industry struggles right now - Asked standard questions: when did hours get cut, who decided, was it your choice, are you available for full-time, what are you doing to find more work Got approved 3 business days later! Since your employer made the decision to cut hours for business reasons, you should be in great shape. The restaurant industry cuts are super common right now so they'll totally understand your situation. Just have your facts organized and stay calm - you've got this! Let us know how it goes on Thursday! 🤞

I'm a tax professional who works with a lot of EDD clients, and I want to add some additional context that might help everyone here. The confusion around gross vs net reporting often stems from the fact that EDD's online system and phone representatives don't always give consistent guidance, which is incredibly frustrating. Here's what I tell my clients: For sole proprietors and single-member LLCs (taxed as sole proprietors), you should report NET income after legitimate business expenses. However, the key word is "legitimate" - EDD may scrutinize expenses that seem personal in nature or unreasonable for your type of business. I also strongly recommend getting everything in writing when you speak with EDD reps. Email them after your call summarizing what they told you and ask for written confirmation. This creates a paper trail that can protect you if there's a dispute later. One more critical point: if you're claiming unemployment while starting a business, consider consulting with a tax professional early on. The intersection of unemployment benefits, self-employment tax, and business deductions can get complex quickly, and it's much cheaper to get advice upfront than to deal with audit issues later. Many of us offer initial consultations specifically for people in this situation.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago when I started my marketing consultancy while collecting UI benefits. The anxiety about getting it wrong is real, but here's what worked for me: 1. I set up a dedicated business checking account immediately to keep everything separate 2. Used a simple Google Sheet to track DAILY: hours worked, tasks performed, income received, and expenses paid 3. Always reported NET income (revenue minus expenses) on my bi-weekly certifications 4. Was super careful about the 32-hour rule - I actually set a phone alarm for Sundays to calculate my weekly hours The game-changer was treating my business hours like a part-time job with set "shifts." I worked Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 9-5 on client work and business development, then dedicated Monday/Friday to job searching. This kept me under 32 hours most weeks and made it easier to track everything. One thing I learned the hard way: even unpaid activities count as work hours! Time spent on networking calls, updating your website, or creating proposals all count toward that 32-hour limit. I initially wasn't tracking these "non-billable" hours and was probably going over the limit without realizing it. The good news is that once you establish a good tracking system, it becomes routine. Just be obsessively detailed with your records - it's way better to over-document than under-document if EDD ever comes knocking.

Just wanted to add something that helped me recently - if you're getting the "we're experiencing higher than normal call volume" message and getting automatically disconnected, try calling from a different phone number or using a Google Voice number. I noticed that EDD's system sometimes seems to recognize numbers that have called multiple times and boots them faster. Switched to my partner's phone and got through on the 3rd try after being blocked all morning on my regular number. Could be coincidence but worth a shot if you're hitting a wall! Also seconding everyone about having ALL your docs ready - they asked for way more verification than I expected even for a simple pending claim question.

This thread is absolutely gold! I've been struggling with a pending claim for over a month and had completely given up after reading outdated info about the noon cutoff. Reading through all these success stories and strategies has totally changed my approach. I'm definitely going to try the claim status line (1-866-333-4606) during that 1-2pm window that several people mentioned, and I'm going to have EVERYTHING ready - SSN, account number, employment history, job search records, the works. The tip about using a different phone number is genius too. I've probably called 40+ times from my cell this week and keep getting the instant disconnect. Going to try my landline tomorrow. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their experiences - you've given me actual hope that I can get this resolved! 🙏

Try accessing the site very early morning like 5am. Thats when it worked for me. Less traffic on their servers then.

Success! Just wanted to update everyone. I ended up using Claimyr to reach an EDD rep this morning (took about 35 mins but WAY better than calling myself all day). The agent explained this is a known issue with their latest system update. They fixed my language preference on their end and reset my account access. I'm now able to log in normally and just completed my certification! For anyone else having this problem, here's what they told me: When the update rolled out, some accounts got stuck in a weird state where the language preference wasn't properly set but the system still tries to force you to select one. The fix has to be done on their end. Thanks everyone for your help!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's absolutely maddening when you need legitimate benefits but can't even access the system! I actually work for a nonprofit that helps people navigate government benefits, and unfortunately EDD identity theft has become epidemic-level common since 2020. A few things that might help based on what I've seen work for our clients: 1. When you file that police report, ask for multiple copies - EDD often "loses" documentation and you'll need to resubmit 2. If you have any old tax returns or W-2s showing your partner's legitimate employment history, bring those to prove he wasn't collecting benefits elsewhere during those years 3. The San Bernardino office actually has a "fraud intake specialist" who works Tuesday-Thursday mornings - if you can get there on one of those days, you're more likely to get someone who really knows the fraud resolution process 4. Keep a detailed log of every call, every person you speak with, and their employee ID numbers if possible - this documentation becomes crucial if the case drags on The fact that the system can't verify his identity is actually a good sign for proving fraud - it means the scammer likely provided fake details that don't match official records. EDD knows this is a red flag for fraudulent accounts. Hang in there - this is fixable, just frustrating to get through the bureaucracy!

I'm really sorry you're going through this stressful situation! As someone who just went through a very similar EDD identity theft case a few months ago, I wanted to share what ultimately worked for me. The combination of going in person AND having the right documentation made all the difference. Here's my specific experience: 1. I went to the San Bernardino office on Hospitality Lane around 7:15 AM on a Tuesday (based on the fraud intake specialist schedule mentioned above) and was seen by 10 AM 2. Brought a "fraud affidavit" that I downloaded and notarized beforehand from EDD's website - this seemed to speed things up significantly 3. Had my partner call that SDI investigator number (909) 383-4680 the same day I was there in person - apparently having both channels working simultaneously helped flag it as urgent 4. The key phrase that got results: I told them I needed to "request a complete SSN purge and system reset due to fraudulent account creation" - this seemed to trigger the right process The whole thing was resolved in about 10 business days, which was way faster than I expected based on horror stories I'd heard. The fraud specialist was actually really knowledgeable and walked me through exactly what had happened (someone had filed a fake PUA claim in 2021 using my info that got rejected, but it left my email/SSN locked in their system). Don't lose hope - this is definitely solvable! The fact that you have all this great advice from the community here puts you way ahead of where I was when I started this process.