Just want to add that you should also check if your employer offers any payroll advance or bonus programs that might help with the immediate tax situation. Some companies will give you a small advance on future earnings if you explain you need to catch up on taxes from unemployment. Also, if you're really worried about penalties, remember that as long as you pay at least what you owed last year (or 90% of this year's liability), you won't get hit with underpayment penalties. The IRS and California are pretty reasonable about this stuff if you're making a good faith effort to catch up!

Another thing to keep in mind - if you're planning to stay at this new job for a while, you might want to consider slightly over-withholding for the rest of the year rather than trying to hit the exact amount. This way you'll get a refund instead of owing, which can be nice for peace of mind. You can always adjust your withholding back down next year once you're caught up. Also, don't forget that unemployment benefits might have pushed you into a different tax bracket temporarily, so the effective tax rate on those benefits might be higher than your regular income tax rate. Good luck with everything and congrats again on the new job!

Just to add another important point: when you certify for benefits and report your vacation/sick pay, make sure you answer "Yes" to the question about whether you received any income for that week. Select "vacation pay" or "sick pay" from the dropdown menu, enter the amount before taxes, and the dates. Being precise with this information prevents problems later. Also, temporary layoffs sometimes qualify for partial benefits if you're working reduced hours rather than zero hours. So make sure you understand your exact employment status.

One more thing to keep in mind - if you're planning to use both vacation AND sick time during the waiting period, spread them out strategically. Don't use all 50 hours in one week because that might put you over the earnings threshold and could affect your benefit calculation later. Maybe use some during the waiting period and save the rest for when you might have partial work weeks after recall. Just a thought based on my experience with temporary layoffs in manufacturing!

I went through this same frustrating experience just last month! The "must have registered before" error is incredibly misleading - it should really say "complete your existing account setup" instead. What's happening is that when you filed by phone, EDD automatically created a partial account in their system, but now you need to finish the registration process online. The hyphenated last name is very likely causing the issue - their phone system often records names differently than how you spell them. I'd recommend calling the technical support line at 1-833-978-2511 right when they open at 8 AM. I got through on my second try by calling at 8:03 AM on a Thursday. The rep was able to see exactly how my name was recorded in their system (they had my hyphenated name as two separate words with a space instead of a hyphen) and walked me through the registration process. While you're waiting to get through, try different variations of "Doyle-Martinez" on the registration page - maybe "Doyle Martinez" with a space, or "DOYLEMARTINEZ" as one word. Sometimes their system records it in unexpected ways during phone filing. Don't stress about certification timing - you typically have 2-3 weeks after filing before your first certification window opens, so you have plenty of time to get this resolved. The key is being persistent with that technical support number!

I just went through this exact same issue two weeks ago and it was driving me absolutely crazy! The "must have registered before" error message is so poorly worded - it really should say something like "complete your account setup" instead. What's happening is when you file by phone, EDD creates what they call a "partial account" or "skeleton account" in their system, but you still need to complete the online registration process. The system thinks you should already know about this account, hence the confusing error message. Since you mentioned filing 8 days ago and having a hyphenated last name, I'd bet money that's the issue. Their phone system frequently records hyphenated names incorrectly - sometimes as two separate words, sometimes without the hyphen entirely, or even all caps with no punctuation. Here's what worked for me: I called the technical support line at 1-833-978-2511 at exactly 8:00 AM on a Tuesday morning. Got through after about 25 minutes on hold. The rep could immediately see how my name was recorded in their system (they had "Smith-Johnson" recorded as "SMITH JOHNSON" with just a space) and helped me complete the registration using their exact format. While you're waiting to get through, try registering with different variations of "Doyle-Martinez" - maybe "DOYLE MARTINEZ", "Doyle Martinez", or even "DOYLEMARTINEZ" as one word. Sometimes you get lucky and find the exact format they used. Don't stress about certification timing - you won't be able to certify until 2-3 weeks after filing anyway, and they'll notify you when it's available. You have plenty of time to get this sorted out!

Just checking in - did your payment arrive today? Most holiday-delayed payments show up 2 business days later in my experience.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My certification went through on Sunday and it shows "paid" online but my bank account is still empty. Reading through these comments is really reassuring - I had no idea federal holidays could delay the deposits like this. It's my first time dealing with this situation and I was starting to worry something went wrong with my claim. Really wish EDD would be more transparent about these delays instead of leaving us all to figure it out ourselves!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Just to make sure I have this right: I'll certify normally for March 5-10, then for the week of March 12-17, I'll report that I worked Thursday and Friday (14-15th), enter my gross wages, indicate I have full-time work now, and that will be it. No separate notifications needed. I'll definitely screenshot everything and keep detailed records just in case. This community has been so helpful during this whole unemployment journey!

You've got it exactly right! Just want to add one small detail - when you certify for that transition week (March 12-17), make sure you answer "Yes" to the question about looking for work for the days BEFORE you started your job (March 12-13), but "No" for the days you worked (March 14-15). The system is pretty good at handling these transition weeks once you provide accurate information. Congrats again on landing the job after 4 months - that persistence paid off! Best of luck in your new role.