For anyone still manually calling: start at 8am sharp, avoid lunch hour, and be prepared for 50-100 attempts just to get on hold. That's the reality of the EDD call number situation right now.

After reading through all these experiences, I'm convinced that manual calling is basically gambling at this point. The fact that people are tracking 200+ attempts and making spreadsheets just to reach a government service is absolutely insane. I've been trying the 800-300-5616 number for weeks with zero success, and hearing that both numbers go to the same overloaded system explains everything. At this point I'm seriously considering Claimyr or similar services because my time is worth more than the endless busy signals and dropped calls. Has anyone tried calling at exactly 8:00 AM on the dot when they open? Wondering if there's even a slight advantage in those first few minutes.

Just to update - I double-checked my experience with penalty weeks from last year. The weeks ARE retroactive to when you first certified and would have been eligible. So if you filed on April 8 and have been certifying since then, you're already several weeks into your penalty period. A tip: call EDD and specifically ask "How many penalty weeks have I served so far, and when will my benefits begin?" Get an exact date if possible. Write down the name of the rep who tells you this info.

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago! The penalty weeks definitely start from when you first certified and would have been eligible for payment, NOT from your interview date. So if you certified on April 22nd for weeks ending 4/15 and 4/22, you've already served at least 2-3 weeks of your penalty period. Here's what helped me track it: I made a simple chart showing each week I certified, marked "PENALTY WEEK 1", "PENALTY WEEK 2", etc. It really helped me understand where I was in the process instead of just seeing "disqualified" over and over. Also, definitely keep doing your work searches during penalty weeks! I made the mistake of slacking off thinking "what's the point if I'm not getting paid" but those weeks won't count toward your penalty if you don't meet all the requirements. You should be getting close to the end of your penalty period - hang in there!

To all those having trouble reaching a human at California Unemployment. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/Ize0EkN4HDI

I had this happen to me too! I waited about 15 minutes with the silence and then hung up. When I called back, I told them the call dropped and they were able to put me back in the callback queue. The silence usually means you got disconnected but the system doesn't always hang up automatically. Better to hang up after 10-15 minutes and call back rather than waste hours waiting on a dead line.

UPDATE: Payment just hit my account this morning! So it took exactly 3 business days after showing 'paid' in the EDD system. For anyone else switching to direct deposit, just be prepared for this delay on your first payment. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

So glad to see your update that the payment came through! I'm currently going through the same situation - switched to direct deposit two weeks ago and my first payment has been "paid" in the system for 4 days now with nothing in my account yet. Your post and all the responses here have been incredibly helpful in understanding this is normal for the first direct deposit payment. It's frustrating that EDD doesn't clearly communicate this delay when you make the switch, but at least now I know to expect 3-5 business days. Going to check with my bank too about potential holds like others mentioned. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated!

UPDATE: My payment FINALLY hit my Money Network card this morning (Wednesday) around 7am! So that was about 47 hours after certification, and about 31 hours after my status changed to "paid" in the system. Thanks everyone for keeping me sane during the wait. I'm definitely switching to direct deposit for next time so hopefully things will process faster.

Just wanted to share my experience for anyone else dealing with payment delays - I've been on EDD for about 8 months now and I've noticed the timing can be pretty unpredictable. What I've learned is that Monday certifications tend to take longer because that's when most people certify, so there's higher volume in their processing system. I usually certify on Sunday evenings now to avoid the Monday rush and my payments have been more consistent since then. Also, if you're really stressed about timing for bills, you might want to look into switching your certification day if possible. The system lets you change it once every few months I think.