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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - been stuck on pending for 9 days after my first certification and was getting really worried. Reading @Hailey O'Leary's journey from panic to resolution gives me so much hope that this can actually be fixed quickly once you get the right person. The whole thing about employers misreporting termination reasons to save on insurance costs is honestly shocking - I had no idea that was even a thing! I was "laid off due to budget cuts" but now I'm wondering if my employer reported something completely different. Definitely calling first thing Monday morning using all the amazing tips everyone shared here. It's crazy that this community provides clearer guidance than EDD's own website, but I'm so grateful you all take the time to help each other navigate this confusing system. Will update once I hopefully get through to someone!
This thread is absolutely amazing - thank you all for sharing such detailed experiences! I'm currently on day 6 of pending status for my first payment and was starting to panic, but reading through everyone's stories (especially @Hailey O'Leary's successful resolution) has given me so much clarity and hope. I had absolutely no clue that employers could misreport termination reasons to protect their insurance rates - that's honestly infuriating but explains why the system feels so adversarial. I was terminated for "performance issues" but it was really because I couldn't work the overnight shifts they suddenly required due to my childcare situation. Now I'm wondering if they reported it as something worse to avoid paying higher premiums. Going to call first thing tomorrow morning using all the incredible tips shared here (8:01am, tier 2 specialist, documentation ready). It's ridiculous that we have to crowdsource basic information about navigating a system designed to help unemployed people, but this community is honestly a lifesaver. Will definitely update with results - fingers crossed I get the same quick resolution once I reach the right person!
Join the conversation
Currently going through this exact same situation! Just certified 3 days ago and seeing those anxiety-inducing $0 pending amounts on both weeks. I was literally convinced I had somehow ruined my certification until I found this thread. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - it's amazing how universal this panic is! The insight from the former EDD employee about it being a normal system placeholder while processing really helped me understand what's happening behind the scenes. It's honestly mind-blowing that EDD's system is designed to cause maximum stress instead of just showing a simple "Your certification is being processed - please allow 5-7 business days" message. Based on all the timelines shared here, I'm expecting mine to update by early next week. The waiting is brutal when you're already dealing with job loss anxiety, but this community support makes it so much more manageable. Thanks Omar for starting this discussion and everyone for sharing your stories!
I'm right there with you! Just certified yesterday and immediately panicked when I saw those $0 amounts this morning. This thread has been such a godsend - I was literally about to call in sick to work so I could spend the day frantically calling EDD. It's crazy how this one little system quirk can send us all into a tailspin when we're already stressed about being unemployed. The former EDD employee's explanation really opened my eyes to how their backend processing works. You'd think after all these years they could at least update their UI to show "Processing..." instead of the panic-inducing zero! I'm going to follow everyone's advice and try to check just once a day instead of refreshing every few minutes. Here's hoping both of our certifications update soon - this waiting game is rough when bills are due!
I'm literally dealing with this exact same situation right now! Just certified yesterday and seeing those dreaded $0 pending amounts for both weeks. I was absolutely convinced I had messed up somewhere in the certification process until I found this thread. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - it's incredible how many of us go through this exact panic! The explanation from the former EDD employee about it being a normal system placeholder really helped me understand what's happening behind the scenes. It's honestly frustrating that EDD's system is designed to cause maximum anxiety instead of just displaying a simple "Processing your certification - please allow 5-7 business days" message. Based on all the timelines shared here, I should see an update within the next few days. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're already stressed about rent and bills, but knowing this is completely normal makes it so much more bearable. Thanks Omar for posting this and to everyone who shared their experiences - this community support is invaluable when navigating unemployment stress!
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just certified two days ago and have been staring at those $0 amounts in complete panic mode. This whole thread has been like therapy for my anxiety - I was ready to drive myself crazy thinking I broke something during certification. It's wild how this one system quirk can cause so much stress when we're already dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of job loss. The former EDD employee's insight about it being a placeholder really helped me understand that this is just their outdated system chugging along in the background. You're absolutely right that they could save everyone so much stress with a simple "processing" message! I've been guilty of checking my account every hour but I'm going to try the once-daily approach everyone recommends. Fingers crossed both of our certifications update soon - the waiting game is torture when you've got bills breathing down your neck!
Join the conversation
UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that my payment for the first week was approved! It switched from pending to paid this morning. Thanks for all the helpful advice. For anyone else in this situation - yes, you do get paid for partial unemployment when you only work one of the two certification weeks. The second week shows $0 since I earned more than my benefit amount.
awesome! glad it worked out for u
Congratulations on getting it resolved! This is such a helpful update for anyone else who might be in the same situation. It's reassuring to know that EDD does handle partial unemployment correctly when you report everything accurately. How long did it take total from when you certified to when it switched to paid?
Thanks for asking! It took about 5 days total from when I certified on Sunday to when it switched to paid this morning (Friday). So not too bad considering all the horror stories I've heard about EDD processing times. I was checking my account obsessively every day, but it looks like it moved through their system pretty smoothly once they reviewed it.
Join the conversation
Hey @NebulaNinja! Congrats on starting your new job! I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago when I started a part-time warehouse job while on UI. The advice everyone gave you is spot on - definitely report the work when you performed it, not when you get paid. One thing that helped me a lot was creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything: date worked, hours, estimated earnings, and then later the actual earnings from my paystub. This made certifying so much easier and gave me peace of mind that I was being accurate. Also, don't be surprised if EDD takes a bit longer to process your payments now that you're working - it's totally normal for them to review claims more carefully when work is first reported. Mine was pending for about 4-5 days the first couple times, but then it got back to normal processing speed. You're doing everything right by being honest and reporting accurately!
Thanks so much @Dylan Wright! That spreadsheet idea is brilliant - I'm definitely going to set that up this weekend. It would make me feel so much more organized and confident when certifying. I was honestly pretty stressed about messing something up and losing my benefits, but everyone's responses here have been so reassuring. It's good to know the pending status and longer processing times are normal when you first start reporting work. I really appreciate you sharing your experience - it helps to know others have been through this exact situation and everything worked out fine!
I've been dealing with part-time work + UI for almost a year now and wanted to share something that really helped me - screenshot your certification after you submit it! I started doing this after I had a discrepancy question from EDD about 3 months in. Having those screenshots saved me so much hassle because I could show exactly what I reported and when. Also, if you're in retail like the OP mentioned, be prepared for your hours to potentially vary quite a bit week to week, especially during busy seasons. I work retail too and some weeks I'm at 15 hours, others I'm at 28-30. Just stay consistent with your reporting method and you'll be fine. The EDD system is actually pretty forgiving as long as you're being honest about when you worked vs didn't work. One last thing - if you ever have a week where you work more hours and your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll get $0 for that week but your claim stays active. Don't panic if this happens during busy retail periods - just keep certifying and you'll get benefits again the following week if your hours drop back down.
@Zoey Bianchi This is such valuable advice, especially the screenshot tip! I never would have thought to do that but it makes total sense to have proof of what you submitted. And thanks for the heads up about retail hours varying so much - I m'already seeing that in my first week. My manager mentioned that hours will probably increase during back-to-school season, so it s'good to know that getting $0 for a high-earning week doesn t'mess up my claim permanently. I was worried that if I ever earned too much in one week, I d'lose my benefits entirely. Really appreciate you sharing all these practical tips from your experience!
Natasha Orlova
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Just certified for my first time on Friday and have been anxiously checking the portal all weekend even though I know they don't process on weekends. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I was starting to convince myself that I had somehow answered the certification questions wrong or that there was an issue with my claim. Reading Miguel's success story and seeing everyone's consistent experiences with the 3-5 business day timeline has really helped calm my nerves. It's honestly frustrating that EDD doesn't provide any clear upfront communication about processing times for first-time certifications. Even just a simple notification that says "First-time certifications typically take 3-5 business days to process" would prevent so much unnecessary anxiety! The stress of not knowing whether it's normal processing or if you messed something up is really tough when you're already dealing with unemployment worries. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences and timelines - this community is invaluable when the official system leaves you completely guessing about what to expect!
0 coins
Anastasia Fedorov
•I'm going through the exact same thing! Just certified for my first time this week and have been obsessively refreshing the portal even though I know it won't make it process any faster. This thread has been such a godsend - I was spiraling thinking I must have messed up one of the certification questions. It's really comforting to see Miguel's update showing it switched to paid after just 3 business days and that everyone else had similar timelines. The lack of clear communication from EDD about what's normal is honestly the worst part - like you said, even a simple heads up about processing times would save so much stress! The weekend waiting is brutal when you can't stop your brain from worrying. Fingers crossed both of ours update to paid status early this week!
0 coins
Malik Robinson
I'm literally going through this exact same anxiety right now! Just certified for my first time yesterday and woke up this morning to that dreaded "pending" status. I was immediately convinced I had somehow messed up the certification questions, but reading through this entire thread has been such a huge relief. Miguel, thank you so much for sharing your experience and especially for updating with the successful outcome after 3 business days - that gives me real hope! It's honestly crazy how much stress one little word can cause when you're already dealing with the uncertainty of job loss. I totally agree with everyone saying EDD should provide clearer communication about processing times upfront. Even just a simple tooltip that says "First-time certifications typically process within 3-5 business days" would prevent so much unnecessary panic. This community sharing real experiences is honestly invaluable when the official system leaves you completely in the dark. Going to try to be patient and wait until Thursday before worrying, but knowing others have been through this exact same thing makes it so much more manageable!
0 coins