I'm in a similar boat - my benefit year just ended last week and I've been stressing about this too! From what I've been reading online, you definitely don't need to wait until tax season to file a new claim. The key thing is whether you have enough qualifying wages from W-2 employment during the base period. One thing that might help - I found this calculator on the EDD website that shows you exactly which quarters they'll look at for your base period depending on when you file. It's buried pretty deep in their site but search for "base period calculator" and it should come up. Really helped me figure out if my part-time work last year would count. Good luck with your job search! The market does seem slower lately but hopefully things pick up soon for both of us.

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact same situation a few months ago! You can definitely file a new claim right after your benefit year ends - no need to wait for tax filing. The tricky part is making sure you have enough qualifying earnings. Since you worked part-time for 8 weeks and earned around $3,200, you should be in good shape to qualify. That's well above the minimum thresholds others mentioned. Just be prepared that your new weekly benefit amount will probably be significantly lower since it's based on those part-time earnings rather than your original restaurant management salary. One heads up - when you file the new claim online, it might take a few days to process and you'll likely get some mail asking you to verify information. Don't panic if it's not instant! And yeah, the one-week waiting period is annoying but that's just how it works with every new claim. The restaurant industry has been really tough lately so don't get discouraged about the slow job search. Keep applying and hopefully something good comes through soon!

I just wanted to add something that helped me a lot when I was in your exact situation with Shipt deliveries - create a simple "cheat sheet" for yourself that you can reference quickly during certification. I made a one-page document with the key points: report as self-employment, use gross amounts (before platform fees), report for the week worked (Sunday-Saturday), and always certify even if you earned too much that week. I kept this taped to my computer so when I was rushing through certification I wouldn't second-guess myself or accidentally go back to reporting the net amounts. It sounds silly but when you're stressed and trying to certify quickly, having those reminders right there really helps avoid mistakes. Also, one thing I noticed that others haven't mentioned - when you do get through to EDD to fix your previous certifications, ask them to put a note on your account about the correction. That way if any issues come up later, there's a record that you proactively reached out to fix the reporting error. Saved me from a lot of headaches when they did a random review of my claim months later.

I'm new to this situation too and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I just started doing Uber Eats after losing my retail job and was completely lost on how to handle the unemployment certification. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has given me a much clearer picture of what I need to do. I'm definitely going to set up that spreadsheet system and tracking routine that several people mentioned. Quick question though - for those of you who've been doing this for a while, about how long does it typically take to get through to EDD when you need to speak to someone? I want to set realistic expectations for when I try to call them. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge - this community is amazing!

This thread has been a lifesaver! I'm dealing with a Money Network lockout right now (day 2 of being unable to access my account) and was getting really anxious about my pending payment. Reading everyone's experiences has given me so much relief - especially knowing that phone transfers still process even when you're locked out of online access. I tried calling yesterday but made the mistake of just talking to regular customer service who gave me the usual "temporary password that doesn't work" runaround. Tomorrow I'm going to follow the proven strategy from this thread: call 1-866-692-9374, press 0 multiple times to skip the menu, and immediately ask for the Security Department. I've already written down all my recent transaction info and EDD account number so I'm ready for their verification questions. It's absolutely crazy that we need this level of strategy just to access our own money, but I'm so grateful this community figured out the actual solution. Once I get back in, direct deposit is my first priority - this card system is way too unreliable for something as essential as unemployment benefits!

This has become the most comprehensive Money Network troubleshooting guide I've ever seen! As someone who went through multiple lockouts over the past year, I can confirm everything shared here. The Security Department route is absolutely the key - I wish I had known about this months ago instead of wasting countless hours with regular customer service who literally cannot help with lockouts. One additional tip I learned from my experience: if you're calling during busy periods and getting long hold times, try calling right at 8 AM when they open or around 4-5 PM when call volume tends to drop. Also, when the Security Department does their verification, they might ask about transactions from several weeks back, not just recent ones, so try to review your account history if you have access to any old statements or emails. The direct deposit switch is 100% worth it - I made the change 6 months ago and haven't had a single issue since. No more worrying about card lockouts, failed logins, or website glitches. Payments just show up reliably in my bank account 1-2 days after certification. For anyone still dealing with Money Network: hang in there, follow the advice in this thread, and then get off that card system as soon as possible!

UPDATE: Problem solved! I was able to log in using the password reset option since I had already created an account when I first filed (totally forgot about that). Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! For anyone else with this issue, definitely try the password reset option before calling - it might save you a lot of time and frustration.

Great to see this got resolved! This is such a common issue that trips people up. For future reference for anyone reading this thread - when you file your initial claim, EDD automatically creates your UI Online account during that process, but they don't always make it super clear that you're doing both things at once. The customer account number that comes in the mail later is mainly for phone verification and certain other services. It's easy to forget you already have online access, especially when you're stressed about the whole unemployment process. Thanks for updating with the solution - it'll definitely help others who run into the same thing!

Wow, this entire thread is like finding gold after hours of searching for real solutions to EDD issues! I just joined this community specifically because I'm facing the exact same problem - my Money Network card was suddenly deactivated after I moved from California to Colorado, and I have over $3,000 stuck in the account. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both frustrating (realizing how common this issue is) and incredibly hopeful (seeing that there ARE actual solutions that work). The detailed phone navigation from @helpfulEDDguy is exactly what I've been looking for - I've been calling randomly and getting nowhere for the past two weeks. @LeiliH - congratulations on getting through! Your success story gives me so much hope. I'm definitely going to try the 8:01am approach with those specific menu options tomorrow morning. It's absolutely ridiculous that EDD makes this so difficult and doesn't even notify people before closing accounts, but I'm so grateful this community has figured out the system. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating what's basically become a comprehensive guide for dealing with closed EDD cards. This is exactly the kind of real, actionable help that people desperately need when dealing with EDD's broken system!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I just joined this community after discovering my EDD Money Network card was suddenly closed following my move from California to Washington state. I have about $2,800 in the account and was absolutely panicking when I couldn't access it. Reading through everyone's experiences here - especially @LeiliH's successful resolution and @helpfulEDDguy's detailed phone navigation steps - has given me so much hope that this can actually be fixed. It's both reassuring and maddening to see how widespread this issue is with out-of-state moves triggering automatic account closures. The fact that this community has essentially cracked the code on navigating EDD's phone system is amazing. I'm definitely going to try the 8:01am approach with those specific menu sequences tomorrow morning. @LeiliH - thank you for sharing your update about getting through and having the flag removed! Did your account end up getting reactivated within the 3-5 day timeframe they promised? It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become phone system detectives just to access our own earned benefits, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their real experiences and solutions here. This thread should honestly be required reading for anyone dealing with EDD issues!