Can't reach California Unemployment? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
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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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I went through the exact same situation in February - got cut from 40 to 22 hours. The EDD website was confusing but I finally figured it out. One tip: after you apply, there's a mandatory one-week waiting period before benefits start. So you won't get paid for the first week you certify for - that threw me off when I first saw my claim summary. Also check out the Work Sharing program if your company has multiple employees in the same boat: https://edd.ca.gov/en/Unemployment/Work_Sharing_Program/
Thank you for that heads-up about the waiting week! That's super helpful to know for budgeting purposes. I'll look into the Work Sharing program too, though I'm not sure if other employees had their hours cut or if it's just me.
Just wanted to add another perspective here - I was in a similar situation last fall when my hours got cut from 35 to 18 per week. The partial UI definitely helped, but I'd also suggest looking into local food banks and utility assistance programs while you're waiting for your claim to process. In my area, 211 (dial 2-1-1) connected me to emergency rent assistance that helped bridge the gap during that first month. Also, if you have any skills like tutoring, pet sitting, or handyman work, consider picking up some gig work - just make sure to report those earnings accurately when you certify. The combination of partial UI plus a few extra gig hours helped me stay afloat until I found a better full-time position. Hang in there - this situation is temporary even though it feels overwhelming right now!
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One more crucial step: Once you've reported the fraud, monitor your credit reports closely for at least a year. The person who stole your identity for EDD fraud may try to use your information for other types of fraud as well. You're entitled to free weekly credit reports through April 2025 at www.annualcreditreport.com from all three major credit bureaus. Set calendar reminders to check them regularly.
I didn't realize we could get weekly reports now - that's really helpful. I'll definitely set up a regular schedule to check them. This whole situation has me paranoid about what other information they might have stolen.
Update: I tried several of the suggestions here this morning. After trying to call EDD directly and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr and actually got through to a real person within 30 minutes! The agent transferred me to their fraud department where I reported everything. They're sending me the Form 2362E to complete, and I also filed the FTC report and froze my credit at all three bureaus. Still need to file the police report tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your help - I feel like I'm finally making progress!
That's awesome that Claimyr worked for you! I'm dealing with a similar situation and was hesitant to try a third-party service, but seeing your success gives me confidence. How long did they say it would take for EDD to actually stop the fraudulent claim once you submitted the Form 2362E? I'm worried about more benefits being paid out in my name while this gets processed.
So glad Claimyr worked for you too! The EDD agent told me they would put an immediate hold on any further benefit payments while they investigate, which should happen within 1-2 business days of submitting the completed Form 2362E. She said the full investigation could take 4-6 weeks, but the important thing is stopping additional fraudulent payments right away. I'd definitely recommend trying Claimyr - I was skeptical about using a third-party service too, but it was totally legitimate and saved me so much frustration. Just make sure you have all your documents ready before calling!
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I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just switched from the Money Network card to direct deposit with US Bank last Friday and my status changed to "paid" on Tuesday morning. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the additional verification process for first-time direct deposits. The Money Network card was terrible but at least it loaded immediately, so this waiting period is making me super anxious especially with bills coming up. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't explain any of this upfront! Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm planning to wait until Monday before I start panicking. Really appreciate @Norman Fraser for documenting the whole timeline and keeping us updated - it's so reassuring to see that it actually worked out after 3 business days. Fingers crossed mine follows the same pattern!
@Zainab Ali I totally understand the anxiety! I just went through the same process last month when I switched from Money Network to direct deposit with Wells Fargo. The first payment took exactly 4 business days after showing paid "status," which had me checking my bank account obsessively. What helped me was setting a specific date to start worrying - sounds like you re'doing the same thing by planning to wait until Monday. The good news is that once this first payment goes through, all the subsequent ones should be much faster and more predictable. This thread really is a lifesaver for understanding what s'actually normal vs what EDD tells us which (is basically nothing! .)Keep us posted on when yours comes through!
@Zainab Ali You re'so right about the anxiety! I switched from Money Network to direct deposit with Credit Union about 6 months ago and went through the exact same stress. The first payment took 5 business days which felt like forever, but every payment since then has been super reliable - usually 1-2 days max after it shows paid. One thing that helped me was downloading my bank s'mobile app notifications so I d'get an alert the moment anything deposited instead of constantly checking. The waiting is definitely the worst part but based on all the experiences shared here, it sounds like you re'right on track for a normal timeline. Monday seems like a reasonable deadline to start following up!
This thread is amazing - I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Switched from Money Network to direct deposit with US Bank on Monday and my status changed to "paid" yesterday morning. I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong since I'm so used to the Money Network card loading instantly (literally the only good thing about that awful card). Reading everyone's experiences here is such a relief - I had no idea about the extra verification process for first-time direct deposits after switching payment methods. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't communicate any of this! They should really put a notice when you switch that says "expect 3-5 business days for your first direct deposit." Based on all the timelines shared here, I'm planning to wait until Friday before I start worrying. Really appreciate @Norman Fraser for documenting everything and providing updates - it's incredibly helpful to see the actual timeline vs just wondering what's normal. Will definitely update once mine hits!
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I went through almost the exact same situation in late 2024! Got hit with penalty weeks for "misreporting" my part-time hours (it was honestly just confusion about how to report tips vs wages) and EDD initially refused to backdate my claim. Here's what finally worked: I had to escalate beyond the regular phone reps. My local legal aid society helped me draft a formal complaint that referenced specific EDD policies about backdating. The key was citing EDD Directive PL 15-01 which outlines when backdating is required for "good cause." Within 2 weeks of submitting that formal complaint through their appeals process, they not only approved my backdate request but also reduced my penalty from 12 weeks to 6 weeks after reviewing all my documentation. The breakthrough moment was when I got connected to an actual claims specialist (not just a phone rep) who understood that backdating and penalty weeks are completely separate issues that can coexist. Most phone reps seem to think you can't have both, which is totally wrong. Don't give up! The system is confusing and the reps often give incorrect information, but there are people there who know the actual policies. Your assemblywoman's office should definitely push back - EDD does this kind of backdating all the time once you get to the right person.
This is incredibly helpful! I had no idea about EDD Directive PL 15-01 - that's exactly the kind of specific policy reference I need. Did you have to get the legal aid society involved from the beginning, or were you able to reference that directive on your own first? I'm definitely going to look into contacting my local legal aid society if my assemblywoman's office can't make progress. It sounds like having someone who understands the actual policies (rather than what phone reps think the policies are) makes all the difference. Really encouraging to hear that you got both the backdating AND a reduction in penalty weeks. That gives me hope that this nightmare situation can actually be resolved!
I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in week 8 of penalty weeks for what was basically a paperwork error on my part (didn't report a small consulting payment correctly), and EDD initially told me backdating "wasn't possible" with active penalties. After reading everyone's experiences here, I submitted a formal backdate request through UI Online yesterday, making sure to keep it completely separate from my penalty appeal. I referenced EDD Directive PL 15-01 that Kelsey mentioned and cited "good cause" due to confusion about eligibility requirements as a first-time filer. One thing I want to add for anyone else in this situation: I also reached out to my local One-Stop Career Center, and they have an EDD liaison who can sometimes help escalate these cases. The counselor there told me she's seen this exact scenario resolved successfully multiple times in the past few months. CosmicCommander, definitely push your assemblywoman's office to reference the specific policies people have mentioned here - especially the Field Office Manual "BDC 5" guideline and California UI Code Section 1253(c). Having those concrete policy references seems to make a huge difference in getting EDD to take the request seriously. Fingers crossed for both of us! Will update if I hear back on my backdate request.
This is such great additional information! I didn't know about the One-Stop Career Center EDD liaisons - that's another avenue I should definitely explore. It's encouraging to hear that you've submitted your request using all the specific policy references from this thread. The point about keeping the backdate request completely separate from the penalty appeal seems to be the key takeaway from everyone's success stories. I was initially thinking about mentioning both issues together, but clearly that just confuses the system and the reps. Really hoping your backdate request gets approved quickly! Please do update us when you hear back - success stories like these give the rest of us hope and concrete strategies to follow. Good luck with everything!
Kristian Bishop
I just went through this process last month and wanted to share what worked for me! First, definitely get your driver's license updated at the DMV - they'll need to see that your ID matches your new name. Then I submitted everything through the online portal instead of mailing (way faster!). You'll need: 1) Legal document showing name change (marriage cert, divorce decree, etc.) 2) Updated ID with new name 3) Completed change of information form from their website. Make sure to scan everything in high quality and write a brief cover letter explaining what you're requesting. The whole thing took about 3 weeks for me. One heads up - my payments did get paused for about a week during the review, but they backdated everything once approved. Don't stress if that happens! The online system is actually pretty reliable now compared to a few years ago. Good luck! 🍀
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Lilly Curtis
•This is super helpful, thank you! Just to clarify - when you say they paused your payments for a week, did you still need to certify during that time? I'm worried about missing a certification week while they're reviewing everything. Also, did you have to do anything special to get the payments backdated or did that happen automatically once they approved the change?
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Ezra Collins
I'm currently going through this process too! Based on everyone's advice here, I'm planning to update my driver's license first at the DMV, then submit everything through the online portal. One question I have - for those who successfully changed their name, did you need to provide any additional proof of identity beyond the legal name change document and updated ID? I'm wondering if they require things like Social Security card or birth certificate as well. Also, has anyone had experience with name changes due to divorce specifically? I have my divorce decree but want to make sure that's sufficient documentation. Thanks for all the helpful info everyone - this thread has been a lifesaver! 🙏
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