California Unemployment
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Can you get unemployment if your business closes? California EDD question
So I ran a small landscaping business for about six years, just me and two part-time workers, and my landlord decided not to renew the lease on my equipment storage space last month which basically made it impossible to keep operating. I had to wind everything down. I was paying myself through payroll the whole time, had all my taxes current, CASDI deductions coming out every period. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I even qualify for California EDD. Someone told me business owners can't get unemployment but I'm not sure if that's true when you were actually on payroll the whole time. My last paycheck was about six weeks ago. Did I miss my window to even apply? Do I need to show that my wages were high enough? I honestly don't know where to start with this.
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Can I apply for unemployment online? California EDD process explained
Okay so I got laid off from my warehouse job last Friday and I'm trying to figure out the fastest way to get started with a claim. My supervisor said the whole plant is shutting down, about 40 of us got let go at the same time. I keep hearing different things from coworkers about whether you have to go somewhere in person or mail stuff in or what. Can I apply for unemployment online or is that not really how it works in California? I don't have a car right now so going somewhere physically is kind of a problem. Also do I need to have all my pay stubs ready before I start or can I figure out the wage stuff as I go? Any help appreciated, first time doing this.
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Still waiting on my Claim History to update from Pending after my CalJOBS registration went through, it's been four days. Is that normal or should I be worried?
Okay, I'll give it a few more days before I try reaching out.
If it goes past two weeks without movement, use the Help button in UI Online for live chat or send a message through your UI Online account. Putting something in writing through the account creates a record of when you asked.
Applied for CalFresh while on unemployment last time and it was easier than I expected. Unemployment payments count as proof of income when you apply, and you can apply at BenefitsCal or call 1-877-847-3663. How much you get depends on your county and household size, not a fixed amount. If things get tight while waiting for the first EDD payment that's worth knowing about.
Medi-Cal is also worth looking into through BenefitsCal if you lost health coverage with the job. Covered California is another option, works regardless of income they say.
Yes, losing job-based coverage is also a qualifying event for COBRA if you want to keep the same plan temporarily, though that can get expensive. BenefitsCal is the starting point for Medi-Cal and CalFresh together.
Can you're apply for unemployment after it runs out - California EDD question
So my 26 weeks of California EDD benefits just ended last week and I'm still out of work. The UI Online just stopped letting me certify and I didn't get any notice about what to do next. Someone told me I can just refile but I honestly don't know if that's true or even how that would work. My benefit year ended and I don't have a new job yet. Can you refile a whole new claim? Do I have to wait some amount of time? I worked a few part-time gigs during the year but nothing that became permanent. Really stressed about this.
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Posting here because I'm in almost the same situation as the original poster - benefit year ending next month on my claim. Used Claimyr last week to get through to EDD because my UI Online was showing a weird status on a couple of weeks from way back in October that never resolved. Got an agent on the line and she confirmed those two pending weeks from October were just sitting there unresolved because of a discrepancy between what I reported and what an employer submitted. She updated what she could and said a letter would be coming. Getting that cleared up before my benefit year closes felt important.
Good call getting that resolved before the benefit year ended rather than after. I might need to do the same thing if any of my weeks from earlier are still showing weird.
Check your Claim History in UI Online and look for any weeks that still show Pending from months ago. Those don't just age out - you want them resolved before the year closes.
honestly this whole thread should be required reading before anyone files for unemployment lol. i learned more here than from anything on edd.ca.gov
EDD's site has the info but it's scattered everywhere. Having it explained in plain language by people who actually went through it is so much more useful.
EDD's site is actually pretty thorough if you know where to look - the For Your Benefit guide covers most of this. But yeah, real examples from actual claimants make it click in a way official documentation doesn't.
Can you collect unemployment if your company shuts down for a week?
My employer just told us the whole office is closing for a full week - not a holiday, not scheduled PTO, just a temporary shutdown because they're slow and want to cut costs. We're all hourly and won't get paid for any of that time. I've never filed for unemployment before and honestly didn't even think this was something you could do for just one week. Does anyone know if California EDD covers a situation like this? Do I even qualify if I still have a job to go back to? I don't want to go through all the trouble of applying if EDD is just going to deny me because I technically wasn't laid off.
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One thing that helped me keep the whole process less stressful: I saved every confirmation number, every notice EDD mailed, and took screenshots of UI Online whenever the status changed. When I had a question for EDD later, I could tell them exactly what I was looking at and when. Made the conversations go a lot faster.
Seriously worth it. I've had to reference a DE 429Z date for an appeal window once and I was so glad I had it. Everything EDD sends has a date on it that matters.
Same approach here. I keep a notes doc with every date I certified, every confirmation, every status I saw in UI Online. Never needed it for anything dramatic but felt way better knowing it was there.
Coming back to the original question one more time because it's worth being clear: a full week of company shutdown with zero pay is exactly the kind of week UI was designed for. File online through myEDD, verify your identity through ID.me when prompted, register on CalJOBS and post your resume within 21 days of the DE 8405, and certify every two weeks you're out of work or on reduced hours. That's the whole process.
The ID.me step tripped me up when I first filed. Worth mentioning that you take a photo of your ID and they verify it digitally, then share it with EDD. Straightforward once you know what to expect.
Posting this summary should be somewhere everyone sees when they first search this question. All the pieces are here.
How does unemployment affect interest rates? California EDD explained
So my landlord made a comment last week that really threw me off. He said that when unemployment goes up in California, the Fed raises interest rates and that could affect my mortgage refinance I've been trying to do while on UI. I've been collecting unemployment through California EDD for about two months now after getting laid off from a logistics company in Sacramento. My weekly benefit amount is around $390 and I've been keeping up with certifications and my CalJOBS registration. But now I'm spiraling a little about how does unemployment affect interest rates and whether being on UI somehow flags me or hurts me financially beyond just the reduced income. Does anyone actually know how this works? Like does EDD report anything to credit bureaus or lenders? And separately, can I even use my benefit letters as proof of income for a refinance application?
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CalFresh is worth looking into if money is tight on UI. EDD benefits count as proof of income and you can apply through BenefitsCal, by phone at 1-877-847-3663, or at a county office. How much you'd get depends on your household size and total income, which the county works out — EDD isn't involved in that calculation.
Right — having UI income doesn't automatically disqualify you. The county checks whether your total household income is under their limit. Some people on UI qualify, some don't, depending on household size and other income.
211 is also worth knowing about — calling 2-1-1 connects you to local help programs in your area. Good if you want to find other resources beyond CalFresh.
Filing for unemployment while dealing with a refinance at the same time is genuinely stressful. Worth knowing: Covered California is an option for health coverage if you lost employer insurance when you were laid off, and COBRA can keep your old plan going for a while. EDD's own list of resources mentions both. The income change affects more than just the mortgage, so it's worth lining up the other pieces too.
Covered California is open year-round for people who've had a qualifying life event like losing employer coverage, so you don't have to wait for open enrollment. Losing job-based insurance counts.
Didn't know you could switch outside of open enrollment for that reason. Good to know — COBRA is really expensive if you're only getting $390 a week.
Kylo Ren
Last thing for OP — keep a record of your work search activities once you're certified and eligible. EDD doesn't publish a specific number of contacts you need to make each week, but you do have to be actively looking for work, able to work, and available. Keeping notes on where you applied just covers you if EDD ever asks. Coming out of business ownership, you'll want to think about what kinds of employment you're targeting so your search feels genuine and not just box-checking.
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Kylo Ren
That framing actually works in your favor — industry experience as a worker, not just as an owner. Sold.
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Jessica Suarez
I searched for work the whole time I was on my claim and honestly the CalJOBS job listings are pretty decent for trades and service work, worth using it as an actual job search tool not just for the registration requirement.
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Ezra Bates
Roughly four weeks into active job searching on my own claim right now, garden center work after my nursery closed. The process has been about what this thread describes — applied fast, got the DE 429Z, cleared the phone interview, now certifying every two weeks. Used Claimyr to get to an EDD agent when I had a specific question about whether wages from a brief consulting contract I did mid-closure would affect my base period — the agent confirmed which quarter it fell in and that it was already included in what EDD had on file.
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Ezra Bates
The agent just confirmed which quarter those wages landed in and confirmed they were in the system. That's really all I needed to know, the base period math takes care of the rest.
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Elijah Knight
Finishing jobs during a wind-down period is totally normal for a service business — as long as it's reported accurately in the application and you're not still taking new clients after filing, it generally doesn't complicate the closure picture.
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