California Unemployment
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach California Unemployment? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
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
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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Impossible to reach PFL by phone - called 1000+ times with no success!
I'm losing my mind trying to reach someone at Paid Family Leave!!! I've been calling literally NON-STOP since Monday morning, hitting redial back-to-back all day long. I've made well over 1000 calls at this point (my phone log is ridiculous) and CANNOT get through to a human being. Either get the "we're experiencing high call volume" message or it just disconnects me! I need to find out why my claim status hasn't updated in 3 weeks and my baby's medical bills are stacking up. Has ANYONE successfully reached PFL recently? What's the secret password or magic hour to call? I'm desperate and running out of patience!
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I had success reaching PFL by calling the disability number instead (800-480-3287) and then asking to be transferred to PFL when I finally got through. Sometimes the different departments have different call volumes, and the reps can transfer you internally. Worth a try if the direct PFL line isn't working!
That's brilliant! I'll definitely try this approach too. At this point I'm willing to try any method that might work. Thank you!
I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now with PFL! Been calling for 2 weeks straight with no luck. Reading through all these suggestions is giving me hope though. I'm going to try the 7:59 AM strategy tomorrow, and if that doesn't work I'll call the disability number for a transfer. It's so frustrating that we have to jump through all these hoops when we're already dealing with newborn stress and medical bills. Will definitely update if any of these methods work for me. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this struggle!
EDD denied my entire claim after backdate request - completely disqualified from benefits for 2-week delay in filing
I'm in total shock right now. I was laid off from my warehouse position in December, but my supervisor kept telling me they'd have shifts again after New Year's, so I held off filing for unemployment. After two weeks of waiting and no work materializing, I finally applied for UI and requested my claim be backdated to when I was actually laid off. Instead of just processing my claim from the date I applied, EDD investigated my backdate request, decided my reason for waiting wasn't 'good cause,' and COMPLETELY disqualified me from receiving ANY benefits whatsoever! Not just for the backdated period - for my entire claim going forward! Has this happened to anyone else? It seems wildly disproportionate that they'd deny all benefits just because I waited 2 weeks based on what my employer told me. I'm now 6 weeks without income and panicking. Is this normal EDD procedure or did something go wrong? Should I appeal this decision or am I just out of luck?
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Update: I called EDD this morning (finally got through!) and spoke with a representative who confirmed there was a misunderstanding. The disqualification is only for the two weeks I was trying to backdate, not for my entire claim. They're sending me a revised determination letter. So I won't need to appeal after all! Thanks everyone for your help and advice.
That's great news! So glad you got it resolved. The notices EDD sends can be really confusing sometimes.
lucky you got through to someone who actually helped! sometimes they just tell you to wait and don't fix anything
Wow, what a relief that you got it sorted out! This is exactly why I always recommend calling EDD when there's any confusion about their notices - they can be so poorly worded that people panic thinking they've lost all benefits when it's actually something much more limited. Your experience is a perfect example of why it's worth the hassle of getting through their phone system. Glad you can move forward with your claim now!
How long before Money Network debit card arrives after EDD claim approval?
I finally got my unemployment claim approved last Friday (after 3 weeks of waiting!!), but my online account says the payment has been issued... just not to me 😫 My question is how long does it typically take to receive the Money Network debit card in the mail? I selected the debit card option instead of direct deposit when I filed my claim. I'm getting worried because my bills are coming due soon and I really need this money. Does EDD send any kind of tracking info or do I just have to keep checking my mailbox? Anyone know if there's a way to see if it's actually been mailed out yet?
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Money Network card app completely locked me out - can't reset password or access funds
Has anyone else been locked out of the Money Network app? I've been trying since yesterday morning to check my EDD funds balance and the app keeps giving me an 'authentication error'. When I try to log in through the website, it says my account is temporarily suspended for 'security reasons'. I called the number on the back of my card and sat on hold for 45 minutes before getting disconnected! I've got rent due on Friday and can't even see how much money I have, let alone transfer it to my bank. The password reset option doesn't even work - it says it's sending a reset email but nothing ever arrives. This is beyond frustrating! How am I supposed to access MY MONEY that EDD deposited?
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Just wanted to add my experience as another newcomer who's been following this thread! I had a similar Money Network lockout last month and ended up going through customer service hell for almost a week. What finally worked for me was a combination of the tips shared here - using the prepaid.moneynetwork.com site (not the regular one) AND calling from a different phone number like Malik suggested. Apparently my original number got flagged in their system from too many failed attempts. It's incredible how this community has documented all these workarounds that should honestly be official troubleshooting steps. The fact that we have to become IT specialists just to access unemployment benefits is beyond frustrating, but at least we have each other's backs here. Definitely saving that special recovery number (1-888-929-2460) for future reference!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm brand new to this community and this whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening. It's amazing how many different workarounds everyone has discovered through trial and error. The tip about calling from a different phone number is something I never would have thought of - who knew their system would flag numbers like that? I'm definitely bookmarking all these solutions because it seems like Money Network problems are unfortunately pretty common. It's both frustrating and reassuring to see I'm not the only one who's had to jump through all these hoops just to access my own benefits. Really grateful to have found this community where people actually help each other navigate these broken systems!
Just wanted to add my voice as another newcomer who found this thread incredibly valuable! I've been dealing with EDD issues for months and finally decided to join this community after seeing how everyone worked together to solve Oliver's Money Network lockout. The collective troubleshooting here is honestly better than any official support I've encountered. I had no idea about the special recovery line (1-888-929-2460) or that prepaid.moneynetwork.com is different from the regular site - these are exactly the kinds of details that make all the difference but are nowhere to be found in official documentation. It's both frustrating and amazing that we've had to reverse-engineer so many workarounds just to access our own benefits. I'm definitely saving all these solutions and this thread is going straight to my bookmarks. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this is what makes navigating these broken systems actually manageable!
Tom Maxon
Hi everyone, just made a video about how to call the EDD and reach a live human agent: https://youtu.be/-R4SqP7_JUA
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Kara Yoshida
Hey Rhiamae, I was in a similar situation last year. Even if you didn't receive a formal Notice of Overpayment, you can check your EDD account online to see if there's any outstanding balance. Log into your UI Online account and look for any overpayment information in your account summary. If there's nothing showing there and you got the Notice of Determination saying you're not qualified, you're probably in the clear. The interview was likely just to confirm your employment status. I'd recommend taking a screenshot of your account showing no overpayment balance just for your records. Good luck!
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