This thread is incredibly helpful and honestly should be pinned! I'm in week 2 of my unemployment claim and was completely baffled by that checkbox yesterday. After reading through everyone's experiences, I now realize I've been overthinking it massively. The "opt out" and "decline" analogies really clicked for me - it makes so much sense when you frame it that way instead of trying to decode the double negative wording. I'm definitely going to leave it UNCHECKED going forward since I want the 10% federal taxes withheld. What really gets me is how this same exact confusion affects literally everyone who goes through the EDD system. Like @Camila Jordan mentioned, this is such a basic UX failure that's causing real financial harm to people. A simple radio button format would fix this instantly! Thanks to everyone who shared their mistakes and solutions - you've saved me from what could have been a very expensive learning experience. I'm screenshotting the key points from this thread so I don't second-guess myself during future certifications!

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I literally just created my EDD account yesterday and haven't done my first certification yet, but after reading through everyone's experiences with that confusing checkbox, I feel so much more prepared. The "opt out" explanation that keeps coming up really makes it click - thinking of the checkbox as "Do you want to opt out of tax withholding?" instead of trying to parse that awful double negative wording. Since I definitely want the 10% federal taxes withheld (learned from other people's tax season horror stories!), I'll make sure to leave it UNCHECKED. It's honestly mind-blowing that EDD hasn't fixed such obviously problematic wording after so many people struggle with it. Like others mentioned, a simple "Yes, withhold 10% federal taxes" / "No, I'll handle taxes myself" radio button would eliminate all this confusion instantly. Thank you to everyone who shared their mistakes and solutions - you've potentially saved me from a very expensive lesson! I'm bookmarking this thread and will definitely check my first payment amount to verify the 10% withholding is working correctly. This community is amazing for helping newcomers navigate these tricky government systems!

This is exactly the kind of comprehensive advice I needed! I just finished my unemployment claim about 2 weeks ago and have been staring at this massive pile of EDD paperwork wondering what on earth to do with it all. After reading through everyone's experiences (especially Aurora's scary story about the overpayment notice years later!), I'm 100% convinced that keeping everything for at least 4 years is the way to go. Better safe than sorry when it comes to EDD! I love how this thread evolved into such a detailed action plan. I'm going to combine the best suggestions: - Physical copies of critical docs (award letter, determinations, 1099-G) - Digital scans with the EDD_YYYY-MM-DD_DocumentType naming system - Spreadsheet index for easy searching - Multiple backup locations - Calendar reminder set for 4 years from now to review and purge The CamScanner app recommendation is a game-changer too - I was dreading the thought of feeding hundreds of pages through a traditional scanner! One thing I'm curious about - for those who've been through this process, did you find any documents that you thought were important but turned out not to be? I want to make sure I'm not overthinking this and scanning every single piece of paper unnecessarily. Thanks everyone for sharing such practical, real-world advice. This community really knows how to turn a stressful situation into a manageable plan!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently 6 months out from my benefits ending and have been putting off organizing my EDD paperwork mountain. Reading everyone's experiences, especially Aurora's story about the overpayment notice 3.5 years later, has really motivated me to get this sorted out properly. The 4-year retention rule seems to be the clear consensus, and I love how this has turned into such a comprehensive guide with all the practical tips. I'm planning to implement the hybrid approach that seems to work best: - Keep physical copies of the absolute essentials (award letter, final determination, 1099-G) - Scan everything else using the EDD_YYYY-MM-DD_DocumentType naming convention - Create a spreadsheet index for easy searching later - Set up cloud storage + external drive backups - Calendar reminder for 4-5 years out to review and purge The CamScanner app recommendation is perfect - I was dreading using a traditional scanner for all this paperwork! Quick question for anyone who's been through an actual EDD follow-up situation - besides having the documentation ready, were there any other lessons learned about how to handle those conversations with EDD representatives? I want to be prepared not just with the paperwork but also with the right approach if something comes up down the road. Thanks everyone for sharing such valuable real-world advice! This community is amazing for turning overwhelming EDD situations into manageable action plans.

I'm so glad to see this thread with all the helpful solutions! I've been lurking in this community for a while as someone who's had to navigate EDD issues, and this is exactly the kind of collaborative problem-solving that makes such a difference. The direct URL workaround is brilliant - I just bookmarked it myself even though I'm not currently having login issues, because based on what everyone's saying, this seems to be a recurring problem. It's really frustrating how these technical glitches always seem to happen at the worst possible times when people are already stressed about finances. But seeing everyone jump in to help each other with different solutions (Edge browser, disabling adblockers, direct URLs, phone certification) really restores my faith in community support. For anyone still having issues, I'd also suggest trying to clear your browser's SSL state/certificates if the other solutions don't work - sometimes that can resolve certificate-related login problems too. You can usually find this under your browser's advanced security or privacy settings.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer here but have been dealing with similar EDD website issues on and off for months. Just wanted to add that if you're using any VPN services, try disabling them temporarily - I've found that sometimes EDD's security systems don't play well with VPNs and can cause login buttons to become unresponsive. Also, for anyone who might be using older computers or tablets, make sure your browser is updated to the latest version. EDD's website seems to use some newer web technologies that don't work properly on outdated browsers. The direct URL solution that Miguel shared is fantastic - I just tested it myself and it works perfectly! Definitely bookmarking that for future use. It's really reassuring to see how this community comes together to help each other navigate these frustrating technical issues. When you're already stressed about benefits and payments, the last thing you need is a broken website making everything worse.

I've been on UI for about 9 months now and can definitely relate to the anxiety of waiting for that first payment to hit when you're trying to budget! In my experience with direct deposit, once your status changes to "paid" in UI Online, it's typically 2-3 business days regardless of which bank you use. Since you certified Sunday and it's already showing paid on Tuesday, that's actually really good - EDD processed your claim quickly. For Wells Fargo specifically, I've noticed they tend to process EDD deposits overnight, usually in the early morning hours around 3-6 AM. Given that your status changed to paid yesterday evening, I'd expect to see it hit your account Thursday morning or Friday morning at the latest. One thing that really helped me manage the stress was setting up push notifications through Wells Fargo's mobile app - you'll get an instant alert when any deposit hits instead of constantly checking. Also, keep a simple log of your certification dates and when payments arrive - after a few cycles you'll see your personal pattern emerge and it becomes much more predictable for budgeting purposes!

I've been on UI for about 14 months now and wanted to add my perspective since I've been through quite a few payment cycles. The 2-3 business day timeline after "paid" status is pretty accurate, but I've learned that the actual day of the week you certify can impact timing more than people realize. Sunday certifications like yours often land payments on Wednesday/Thursday rather than Tuesday because of how the processing batches work. Since you're with Wells Fargo and your status changed to paid yesterday evening, I'd expect to see it Thursday or Friday morning - Wells Fargo is pretty consistent with their early morning processing (usually between 2-5 AM). One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to screenshot your certification confirmation AND the "paid" status change with timestamps. This has saved me twice when I had to contact EDD about delayed payments. Also, consider downloading a budgeting app that tracks your UI payment pattern - knowing exactly when to expect money takes so much stress out of the process. The uncertainty is the worst part, but after a few more cycles you'll have your timing down to a science!

This whole thread is such a lifesaver! I'm bookmarking it because I know I'll probably run into this issue again. The EDD website seems to break in new and creative ways every few months. One thing I wanted to add - if you're still having trouble after trying all these solutions, don't forget that you can also visit a local America's Job Center of California (AJCC) office if there's one near you. They have computers and staff who can help you log in and certify in person. I had to do this once when their system was down for days and I was about to miss my certification window. Not the most convenient option, but it's there as a last resort. Really appreciate everyone sharing their workarounds - this community is way more helpful than EDD's actual tech support!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to log in for the past two days and it just sits on that loading screen forever. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, restarting my computer, even tried on my phone with mobile data. Nothing works! My certification deadline is this weekend and I'm starting to panic. Thank you everyone for sharing all these solutions - I'm going to try the early morning approach and incognito mode first thing tomorrow. It's so frustrating that we have to become IT experts just to access our benefits. Really appreciate this community for actually providing helpful solutions when EDD's own support is useless!