I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! Just wanted to add something I learned from my tax preparer that might help - if you use accounting software like QuickBooks Self-Employed or even just a basic spreadsheet to track your 1099 income going forward, it makes the quarterly breakdown SO much easier for future claims. I wish I had started doing this earlier because trying to reconstruct quarterly earnings from bank statements and random invoices was a nightmare. For this current claim, I ended up calling my biggest 1099 clients to ask when they paid me last year since some of my records were incomplete. Also, heads up that if you have multiple 1099 clients, you might need to enter each one separately in the EDD system depending on how it prompts you. I had three different clients and the system treated each as a separate "employer" which was confusing but ultimately worked out fine. One more thing - make sure to save a PDF copy of your completed application before submitting it. The EDD system timed out on me twice while I was entering all the 1099 details and I had to start over. Super frustrating when you're trying to get all those quarterly amounts entered correctly! Hope this helps and good luck to everyone navigating this process. The mixed income thing definitely makes it more complicated but it's totally doable with the right preparation.

This is such a timely thread for me! I'm in the exact same boat - lost my main W-2 job two weeks ago but have been doing some freelance writing on the side for about a year. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful, especially about the quarterly breakdown approach. I wanted to add one thing I discovered while preparing my application - if you use payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo for Business, or Stripe for your freelance work, they usually have built-in reporting features that can show you earnings by date range. I was able to pull quarterly reports directly from PayPal which saved me hours of digging through bank statements. Just go to the "Reports" section and you can filter by custom date ranges for each quarter. Also, for anyone worried about the phone interview process - I actually just had mine yesterday and it was way less intimidating than I expected. The rep was really understanding about mixed income situations and mainly just wanted to verify that I had legitimate 1099 work and that my W-2 job loss was involuntary. The whole call took maybe 15 minutes and she approved my claim on the spot. One tip: have your actual 1099 forms handy during the call, not just your tax return. She asked me to read off the specific amounts from two of my 1099s to cross-reference with what I had entered in the system. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - this community knowledge is so much more practical than trying to navigate EDD's confusing website alone!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now and your post gives me hope that I'm not alone in this fight. BofA denied my EDD fraud claim even though I had clear evidence of identity theft, including a police report and FTC affidavit just like you. What really resonates with me is how they give different excuses every time you call - it's like they're just throwing out random reasons hoping you'll give up. In my case, they first said the transactions looked "normal" (despite me never activating the card), then claimed I waited too long to report it, then said my documentation was insufficient. I'm taking notes on all the advice in this thread, especially about the CFPB complaint and citing Regulation E. The point about requesting their investigation results is brilliant - I never knew we had that right. Have you made any progress since filing your initial claims? I'm curious if the appeal process has moved forward at all or if you're still stuck in the same loop with their customer service. Stay strong - from everything I'm reading here, it sounds like persistence really does pay off with these cases, even though BofA makes it as difficult as possible.

This whole situation is absolutely infuriating and unfortunately way too common. I've been helping people navigate EDD/BofA fraud issues for the past two years, and your case hits all the classic red flags of their broken system. Here's what's really important that I haven't seen mentioned yet: BofA has an internal escalation process called a "second level review" that most reps won't tell you about. When you file your CFPB complaint (which you absolutely should), also demand a second level review of all denied claims. Use those exact words. Also, since you never received the cards, this technically falls under "card not received" fraud, which has different protections than regular unauthorized transaction fraud. BofA should have issued you replacement cards immediately when you first contacted them about never receiving the originals, regardless of when the fraud occurred. One more critical point: California has additional consumer protections beyond federal regulations. Contact the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in addition to the CFPB. They've been cracking down on BofA's EDD practices specifically. Don't let them gaslight you about time limits - the clock doesn't start ticking until you had reasonable opportunity to discover the fraud, which clearly wasn't possible for cards you never received. Keep fighting!

This thread is exactly what I needed to find! I certified yesterday morning and have been refreshing my account every hour like a maniac. It's my second time on unemployment (first was back in 2018) and I forgot how nerve-wracking the waiting period is, especially when you're cutting it close with bills. Really appreciate everyone sharing their real timelines instead of the vague "allow 2-3 business days" that EDD gives you. The federal holiday info was particularly helpful - I had no idea that would add extra delay. Fingers crossed mine hits tomorrow or Friday!

Just wanted to share my recent experience for anyone still following this thread. I certified this past Sunday at around 11am and my status changed to "paid" within a few hours. Since there were no holidays this week, my direct deposit hit Tuesday night around 10:30pm - so about 60 hours total from certification to money in account. For those asking about Bank of America specifically, they seem to process EDD deposits pretty quickly compared to some other banks I've used. One tip that helped me manage the stress: I set up account alerts so I get a text when any deposit hits, rather than constantly checking my balance. Makes the whole process way less anxiety-inducing!

UPDATE: My card arrived today! Exactly 7 business days after my payment was issued. Already activated it and the funds are there. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

Congrats on getting your card! That gives me hope - I'm on day 6 right now waiting for mine. Quick question: did you have to sign for the card when it arrived or did it just show up in your regular mail? I'm worried about missing the delivery if I'm not home.

This is so reassuring to read! I just received my RESEA letter yesterday and have been anxiously checking my email every few hours waiting for the Zoom link. Knowing it comes exactly 2 weeks before makes me feel so much better - I was worried something was wrong with my case since there were no meeting details in the initial letter. I'll definitely check my spam folder when the time comes. Thanks for sharing your experience and helping reduce the stress for the rest of us going through this process!

This whole thread has been so helpful! I'm new to receiving unemployment benefits and got my RESEA letter last week. I was completely confused about what it even was - the letter just said "mandatory reemployment workshop" with a date but no other details. Reading everyone's experiences here has made me feel way more prepared. I'm definitely going to set up email alerts for anything from @edd.ca.gov and make sure to check spam folders. Quick question though - for those who've completed it, about how many other people were in your workshop? I'm a bit nervous about the group setting but it sounds like the breakout rooms and resume feedback are really valuable. Thanks for creating such a supportive space to share info!