Just certified yesterday and saw how this works! They ask you if you worked and then you put in the hours and money for each week. My check was less but still got something! So yes it definitely works just like everyone is saying.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! I've been working part-time at a grocery store while collecting unemployment from my previous full-time office job. Here's what I've learned from my experience over the past few months: The most important thing is accuracy - report your EXACT earnings and hours worked for the week you actually worked them. I keep a simple notebook where I write down my hours and earnings every day I work, which makes certification so much easier. One thing that caught me off guard initially: if your part-time job has irregular hours (like mine does), your benefit amount will vary week to week based on your actual earnings. Some weeks I get almost my full benefit amount, other weeks much less, but I've never had any issues as long as I report everything correctly. Also, don't stress too much about the calculations - EDD's system automatically figures out your partial benefit amount once you enter your earnings. Just focus on being 100% honest and accurate with your reporting. You've got this!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been stuck on the driver's license verification step for over a week despite having a valid license and successful ID.me verification. Based on all the great advice here, I'm planning to: 1. Check my DMV records online first to see if there are any discrepancies 2. Call the technical support line at 1-800-480-3287 that @Santiago Martinez shared 3. Ask specifically about name formatting (ALL CAPS vs proper case) and middle name/initial differences like @Danielle Mays and @Charlee Coleman mentioned It's frustrating that we have to jump through so many hoops, but at least now I have a clear action plan instead of just repeatedly trying the same thing. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community support makes dealing with EDD so much more manageable! 🙏

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been struggling with the exact same driver's license verification issue for my SDI application for the past two weeks. Like many of you, my ID.me verification went through perfectly, but then I hit this brick wall with the license matching. Reading through all the detailed solutions here has been incredibly helpful - especially the systematic approach that's emerged: checking DMV records first, then calling the technical support line at 1-800-480-3287, and asking about specific formatting issues. I had no idea there was a separate technical line for verification problems! I'm going to start with the DMV records check tomorrow morning since I did move recently and might have the same address discrepancy issue that @Lara Woods mentioned. If that doesn't work, I'll call the technical line and ask about the name formatting quirks that @Danielle Mays and @Charlee Coleman brought up. It's both frustrating and reassuring to see how widespread this issue is. Clearly there are some serious system glitches on EDD's end that they need to address. But thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and solutions, at least we have a roadmap to navigate through this mess! @Sophia Gabriel, thanks for sharing your success story - it gives the rest of us hope that there's light at the end of this bureaucratic tunnel! I'll definitely update the thread once I work through these steps. This community support makes all the difference! 🙏

Hi everyone, just made a video about how to call the EDD and reach a live human agent: https://youtu.be/-R4SqP7_JUA

Yes, I've heard of people having second interviews with EDD. It's usually when they need to verify information from your first interview or clarify something about your claim. This can happen for various reasons - maybe there was inconsistent information, they need to verify your work history, or they're doing additional fraud prevention checks. Don't panic! Just make sure you have all your documentation ready - employment records, pay stubs, reason for unemployment, etc. Be honest and consistent with what you told them in the first interview. The second interview doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem with your claim, they just need additional verification. Have you received any specific information about what they want to discuss in the second interview?

UPDATE: I finally got through! For anyone with the same problem, here's what worked: 1. I used the tech support number (1-833-978-2511) with the menu options that @HelpfulEDDguy suggested 2. Called at exactly 8:00am 3. Still took 14 attempts, but I finally got into the queue around 8:20am 4. Wait time was about 35 minutes The rep said there's a known issue with login credentials after their system update, especially for accounts that were created before 2023. They had to manually reset my access and send a special password reset link to my email. Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions! This community has been so helpful when the official channels were impossible to navigate.

Wow, this whole thread is incredibly helpful! I'm new to dealing with EDD and was getting so frustrated trying to call them about my claim. @Emma Davis - congratulations on finally getting through! And thank you @Ravi Sharma for sharing those specific menu options and update info. I'm going to try calling the tech support line (1-833-978-2511) tomorrow morning at 8am with Option 1 then Option 2 like you suggested. It's really reassuring to know there's actually a known system issue causing these login problems - I was starting to think I was doing something wrong! This community is amazing - getting more useful information here than anywhere else. Will report back if I manage to get through!

Oh and I forgot to mention - if you have truly inconsistent income (like it sounds like you do), there's something called the "Alternate Base Period" that EDD can sometimes use if you don't qualify under the standard base period. It uses the 4 most recently completed quarters instead of the normal base period. But they don't automatically check this - you have to specifically request it if you don't qualify under the standard calculation.

Just wanted to add a practical tip for anyone in a similar situation - if you're planning ahead like the OP, it's worth checking your Social Security earnings record at ssa.gov/myaccount to see what wages employers have reported for you. This can give you a good baseline for your quarterly earnings, though it might not be 100% up to date. Also, if you do end up filing for partial unemployment due to reduced hours, keep detailed records of your work schedule changes. EDD will want to see documentation that your hours were reduced through no fault of your own (like a letter from your employer or updated work schedule). This can help speed up your claim approval process. One more thing - if you're commission-based, make sure you understand how EDD treats commission payments. They count commission as wages in the quarter when you actually receive the payment, not when you earned it. So if you have a big commission check that gets paid in a different quarter, it could affect which quarter ends up being your "highest" for benefit calculations.