I've been doing gig work while on UI for about 6 months now and want to share some hard-learned lessons that might help you avoid mistakes I made early on. First, the reporting timing IS confusing at first, but here's how I think about it: EDD wants to know what you EARNED during each certification period, regardless of when the money hits your account. So if you work Thursday-Sunday of your certification week, you report ALL of those earnings even if some payments are delayed. Second thing - and this is HUGE - track your GROSS earnings before any platform fees. So if DoorDash shows you earned $100 but only pays you $85 after their service fee, you report $100 to EDD. I made the mistake of reporting net earnings my first few weeks and had to correct it later. Also, keep detailed records of EVERYTHING. I use a simple notes app on my phone to log: date, platform, hours worked, gross earnings, miles driven, and gas purchased. Takes 30 seconds after each shift but has saved me multiple times when EDD asked for clarification. One more tip: consider your vehicle expenses. Gig work is hard on your car - oil changes, tire wear, increased insurance. Factor these real costs into whether the work is actually profitable for you after the UI benefit reduction. The system works if you're diligent about accurate reporting, but there's definitely a learning curve!

I've been doing Uber/DoorDash while on UI for about 4 months now and wanted to share some practical tips that have helped me stay compliant and maximize my income. **Key things I've learned:** 1. **Set up a simple tracking system immediately** - I use a notebook in my car where I write down each shift: date, app used, total gross shown in app, hours worked. Takes 10 seconds but creates a paper trail. 2. **Screenshot everything** - At the end of each week, I screenshot my earnings summary from each app before I cash out. This gives me proof of what I reported to EDD if questions come up later. 3. **The sweet spot calculation** - With your $450 WBA, if you earn around $400 gross from gig work in a week, EDD deducts $300 (75%), leaving you $150 in benefits + $400 gig money = $550 total. That's been my target range. 4. **Don't overthink the timing** - I report earnings for the week I did the actual work, period. If I drove Saturday night but got paid Tuesday, it goes on Saturday's week. Keep it simple. 5. **Plan for taxes NOW** - I transfer 25% of each gig deposit into a separate savings account immediately. You'll thank yourself later when quarterly taxes are due. The system really does work if you're honest and organized. I'm actually earning more now than I was at my old job, and it's giving me flexibility to be picky about my next permanent position. Just don't cut corners on the record-keeping!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else going through this nightmare! I finished a 15-week penalty period last summer (yeah, 15 weeks - longest penalty possible for false statement). The key thing everyone's saying is correct - no additional waiting period after penalties end. You just pick up where you left off with regular certifications. BUT here's what nobody mentioned yet: make sure to log into your EDD account a few days before your next certification date to check if there are any notices or requirements. Sometimes they'll post additional forms or questionnaires that need to be completed before you can certify again. I almost missed my certification deadline because I didn't see a "return to work" questionnaire they posted. Also, pro tip: if you haven't already, screenshot or print your penalty completion notice from your account. I had to reference mine later when there was confusion about my payment status. The EDD system sometimes glitches and shows old penalty info even after it's completed. You've survived the worst part - 10 weeks of financial stress is no joke! Just stay on top of all the requirements and you should be getting paid again soon. 💪

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - you're in the clear! No additional waiting period after penalty weeks. I went through an 8-week false statement penalty last fall and was terrified about the same thing. The moment my penalty period ended, I certified on my regular schedule and got paid for both weeks within the normal timeframe. One thing I'd add that helped me mentally prepare: don't panic if your first payment after penalties takes an extra day or two to hit your account. Mine took 4 business days instead of the usual 2-3, but EDD told me that's normal as they do a final review on post-penalty payments. Just wanted you to know in case yours is slightly delayed too. You've made it through the hardest part! Those penalty weeks feel endless when you're living on fumes, but you're about to get back to regular payments. Make sure to keep being extra careful with your certifications going forward - they definitely keep a closer eye on accounts that have had penalties.

Hey Sergio! Welcome to the community! I'm a nursing student who just completed the CTB application process a couple months ago, and I can definitely relate to how overwhelming it all seems at first. Everyone here has given you absolutely incredible advice - this community really is amazing! I just wanted to add one small thing that helped me stay organized during the whole process: I created a simple spreadsheet to track everything. I had columns for dates, actions taken, reference numbers from EDD calls, and next steps. It sounds nerdy, but it really helped me feel more in control when the process felt chaotic. Also, since you mentioned feeling overwhelmed with nursing school in general, don't forget to take advantage of your school's student support services beyond just financial aid. Most nursing programs have academic counselors, tutoring resources, and sometimes even mental health support specifically for the stress of healthcare programs. You don't have to navigate all of this alone! Your CNA background is going to be such an asset - both for CTB eligibility and for succeeding in nursing school. You already understand the healthcare environment and patient interaction in ways that will give you a real advantage in clinicals. The fact that you're reaching out for help and planning ahead shows you have exactly the kind of problem-solving mindset that makes great nurses. You're going to do fantastic in both getting your CTB benefits sorted out and in your nursing program! Feel free to come back with updates - we'd love to hear how it goes for you! 😊

Hey Sergio! Welcome to the community! I'm a current nursing student who went through the CTB process about 8 months ago after being laid off from my job as a medical scribe. Reading through all these amazing responses really brings back memories of how intimidating this whole thing seemed initially! I wanted to add one practical tip that saved me a lot of stress: when you're ready to submit your DE 3100 form, consider faxing it in addition to mailing it (if your school has a fax machine you can use). I sent mine both ways and the faxed copy actually got processed first. EDD's mail processing can be really slow sometimes, so having that backup really helped speed things along. Also, once you get your CTB approval, take a photo of that approval letter with your phone and save it to your cloud storage. I needed to reference mine multiple times when EDD's system would glitch and show me as not work-search exempt. Having it readily accessible on my phone made those conversations with reps much smoother. Your timing is actually perfect - getting this sorted out now while you're still early in your program is so smart. I waited until I was already stressed about money in my second month, and I really wish I had been as proactive as you're being. The combination of your CNA experience and the fact that you were laid off (not a voluntary quit) puts you in a really strong position for approval. Healthcare workforce development is exactly what the CTB program was designed to support. You've gotten such comprehensive advice here - this community really knows their stuff! Best of luck with both your CTB application and nursing school! 😊

Hey Guys its me again. I have a quick update in case anyone wants to know. I was able to update my account credentials tonight around 5:30 using Chrome, and no issues arose. I wonder if its because I had direct deposit already chosen. Anyways, just a little quirk I wanted to inform people on!

As someone brand new to this community and completely overwhelmed by the EDD system, I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for this thread! I've been battling this exact same direct deposit issue for about 3 weeks now, getting that same maddening "unable to verify account information" error every single time I try to escape the Money Network card nightmare. This thread is absolutely incredible - you've all basically created the most comprehensive EDD troubleshooting guide that puts their official "help" to shame! I had zero clue about the timing restrictions (8am-2pm weekdays), Firefox vs Chrome differences, exact name formatting requirements, or @Bridgett Haney's game-changing tip about removing leading zeros from account numbers. It's honestly criminal that none of this vital information is available anywhere on EDD's official website! I've been doing literally everything wrong - trying late at night after work, using Safari, being careless about name details, and never thinking about account number formatting quirks. Meanwhile those Money Network fees keep bleeding me dry ($3 ATM fees, $2.50 here, $1 there) when I'm already stretched impossibly thin financially. Reading @Bridgett Haney's latest update is interesting though - sounds like once you have direct deposit established, updating details might be easier? But for those of us still stuck trying to make the initial switch, this community-created playbook seems to be the way to go. Tomorrow morning I'm following the proven formula religiously: Firefox browser at 9am sharp, current routing number triple-checked with my bank, name matched exactly to my EDD profile including middle name formatting, leading zero removed from account number, and clean browser session. Thank you all for transforming your individual frustrations into collective solutions that help newcomers like me navigate this bureaucratic maze. This is what real community looks like! 🙏

I just went through this exact same process two months ago! Your payments will definitely stay pending until after your interview - that's completely standard procedure for reopened claims. I know it's incredibly stressful when you have rent due, but try not to panic about it. My interview was scheduled for a Tuesday and I had three weeks of pending certifications just sitting there. The interview itself was actually pretty routine - they asked about my job search activities, confirmed I was still available for work, and verified that nothing major had changed in my situation. The whole call took about 25 minutes and the interviewer was surprisingly friendly. The best part? My pending payments hit my account exactly 2 days after the interview ended, so if your interview goes well Wednesday, you should see your money by Friday which would be perfect timing for your rent. My advice: print out your job search records organized by week, have your phone fully charged, and just be honest about your situation. Since you've been keeping good records of your job search activities, you should be completely fine. The "eligibility determination" language is just their standard wording - not an indication of any problems with your claim. You've got this!

I went through this exact situation about 5 months ago when my benefit year expired! Your payments will absolutely stay pending until after your interview - that's just standard procedure for all reopened claims, even though it creates so much anxiety when bills are due. My interview was actually much smoother than I anticipated. The interviewer asked about my job search activities, verified I was still available for work, and confirmed some basic details about my situation. The whole call lasted about 20 minutes and honestly felt more like a friendly check-in than an interrogation. Here's what really helped me prepare: - Organized my job search records by week and printed everything out (so much easier than scrolling through files during the call) - Had my phone fully charged and found a spot with excellent reception - Created a quick reference sheet with my weekly application totals - Prepared brief explanations for any weeks where my job search activity was lighter than usual My pending payments (3 weeks worth) hit my account about 44 hours after the interview ended, so if everything goes well Wednesday, you should hopefully see your money by Friday - which would be perfect timing for your rent! The "eligibility determination interview" language sounds intimidating, but based on my experience and what I've seen others share, it really is just routine verification that you're still meeting the work search requirements. Since you've been keeping good records, you should be totally fine. Try not to stress too much - you're almost through this process and back to regular payments!