Good luck with your appeal! I went through something similar in 2023 and want to add one more tip - when you send your certified mail letter, also email a copy to the EDD appeals department (if you can find their email address) and reference the certified mail tracking number in your email subject line. This creates multiple touchpoints in their system. Also, consider reaching out to your state assemblyperson's office - they often have staff who specialize in EDD issues and can sometimes help expedite cases that are stuck in the system. Many people don't realize this is a free service available to constituents. With your termination letter showing involuntary termination, you really do have a solid case here. The fact that they approved one week but denied the rest on the same claim actually works in your favor - it shows their initial determination was inconsistent. Stay persistent!

Just wanted to add something that might be helpful - when you write your timeline, make sure to include any confirmation numbers or reference numbers you received when updating your address with EDD. Even if the updates didn't work properly, having those numbers shows you made good faith efforts to keep your information current. Also, if you have any screenshots or printouts from your EDD online account showing your address changes, include those as supporting documentation. The more paper trail you can provide showing you tried to keep them informed of your correct address, the stronger your "administrative error" argument becomes. You've got this - sounds like you're putting together a really thorough package!

Just to clarify some information here: When you report a bonus, the EDD needs to determine: 1) If the bonus was allocated to the week you reported it (correct) or if it should have been allocated to when it was earned (which could affect prior weeks) 2) Whether the bonus affects your eligibility for that week based on your weekly benefit amount and the partial benefit formula The holiday might add a small delay, but as others have mentioned, the main issue is the manual review triggered by reporting additional income. Speaking with a representative is definitely your best option to expedite this. When you do reach someone, ask them specifically to review the bonus income you reported and request that they release the pending payments if everything is in order. Be polite but persistent.

UPDATE: I managed to get through to EDD this morning! The representative confirmed that reporting the bonus triggered an automatic review. She verified the information and released both weeks of payments! They should be on my card within 24-48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

I wanted to add something about your second question - regarding the technical issues with certification. While using your Assemblyperson's office is definitely effective (and great advice!), for future reference, if you experience technical issues with certification, you can also: 1. Request a backdate for any weeks affected by technical issues by submitting the request through your UI Online account 2. Use the "Contact Us" form in UI Online to specifically report technical issues - mark it urgent and they usually respond within 48 hours 3. For paper certifications, there's a specific fax number (1-866-215-9159) that processes them faster than regular mail I'd still recommend keeping an eye on your UI Online account daily for the next few days. The "paid" weeks that aren't showing in payment history should eventually appear there. If they don't by the end of the week, then you'll need to contact EDD directly to investigate.

I'm dealing with a similar payment delay issue right now! My card took 8 business days to arrive after my first payment was issued, so you should hopefully see yours soon. One thing that helped me track everything was screenshotting my UI Online account daily - that way I could see exactly when the payment history updated versus when my claim status changed. For the missing payments showing as "paid" but not in payment history, I've found that usually means they're in some kind of processing queue. In my case, two payments appeared in my payment history about 4 days after showing as "paid" in my claim status. Also, once you get your Money Network card, you can create an online account with them to track when funds are loaded - it's actually more reliable than waiting for EDD's payment history to update. Hang in there, the money should come through!

the entire california edd system is designed to confuse people i swear. like they WANT us to mess up and not get benefits. so glad u got it figured out!

So glad you got it sorted out! I went through this exact same confusion last year when I was laid off from my retail job. The EDD phone reps really should mention that UI Online is only for managing existing claims, not filing new ones. I wasted so much time refreshing that empty dashboard thinking it was broken! One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - after your claim gets approved, bookmark the UI Online certification page because you'll be going there every 2 weeks. And definitely sign up for text notifications if they offer it, because sometimes the email reminders end up in spam. The whole process gets much easier once you understand the system, but that initial setup is needlessly confusing for first-timers.

UPDATE: I ended up using that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above and it actually worked! Got connected to an EDD tech support person in about 30 minutes. Turns out my account WAS locked because of too many incorrect password attempts. They unlocked it, helped me set a new password, and I was able to certify right away. Also took the advice about setting up text verification so this doesn't happen again. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it resolved! This thread is going to be super helpful for other people who run into the same issue. I've bookmarked it because I have a feeling EDD's password/account lockout problems are pretty common. The fact that they don't clearly distinguish between "wrong password" and "account locked" messages is such poor UX design - no wonder people get stuck in these loops trying the same password over and over.