Hi Margaret! I'm new to this community and just dealt with my first EDD appeal last month. After reading through all these helpful responses, I wanted to add my voice to those emphasizing the importance of using the EXACT address printed on your determination notice. I almost made the same mistake of using a generic address I found online, but thankfully double-checked my paperwork first. The address on my DE 1080CZ form was completely different from the ones mentioned earlier in this thread, which really shows how each case is unique. A few tips that helped me through the process: - Send via certified mail with tracking (totally worth the extra cost for peace of mind) - Make copies of everything before sending - Take a photo of your sealed envelope with the address visible - Submit as early as possible - don't wait until the last day of your 30-day window The whole process felt intimidating at first, but following the official instructions on your paperwork is really the key. If you're ever unsure about anything, calling EDD directly to confirm is better than guessing. Hope you were able to get your appeal submitted successfully! This community has been so helpful for navigating these EDD challenges. Good luck! 🙂

Hi Margaret! I'm new to this community and just went through the EDD appeal process myself a few weeks ago. After reading all these helpful responses, I want to echo what many others have correctly emphasized - you absolutely MUST use the specific address that's printed on YOUR individual determination notice (usually form DE 1080CZ). I almost made the mistake of using one of the generic addresses I found online, but thankfully I carefully reviewed my official paperwork first. The address on my notice was completely different from the Sacramento and San Francisco addresses mentioned earlier in this thread, which really shows how each case has a unique routing. Here's what I learned from my experience: • The correct address will be clearly printed on your determination notice - don't use generic addresses from online • Send it certified mail with return receipt requested for proof of delivery • Keep copies of everything and take photos of your completed forms/envelope before mailing • Submit as soon as possible - the 30-day deadline is non-negotiable If you can't locate the address on your paperwork for any reason, definitely call EDD to confirm before sending. I know it can be difficult to reach them, but it's worth the effort to avoid delays. The process can feel overwhelming at first, but following the official instructions is key. Hope you were able to get your appeal submitted successfully! Let us know how it goes! 🙂

Update: My Money Network card just arrived today! Took exactly 8 calendar days from when my payment showed as 'paid' in the system. Thanks everyone for the help and information. For anyone else wondering about timeframes, 7-10 days seems to be pretty accurate based on my experience.

Glad everything worked out for you! For future reference, if anyone else is dealing with this situation and needs the money urgently, you can also call Money Network directly to check if your card has been shipped and get a tracking number. They're usually much easier to reach than EDD and can tell you exactly where your card is in the mail system. Also worth noting that once you get your first card, any replacement cards (if lost/stolen) typically arrive much faster - usually 2-3 business days with expedited shipping.

Just want to add that you should also check if your employer will be withholding taxes from the bonus. Sometimes they withhold at a higher rate for bonuses (like 22% federal), so make sure you report the gross amount to EDD, not the net amount you actually receive. I made that mistake once and had to clarify it later. Also, if the bonus is substantial, you might want to set aside some of it for taxes since it could bump you into a higher tax bracket for the year. Good luck with your claim!

One more thing to consider - since you mentioned this is a 2-year contract completion bonus, make sure you have documentation showing it was earned through work completed BEFORE your layoff date. EDD sometimes gets confused about the timing and might think you're doing ongoing work for your former employer. I'd suggest keeping a copy of your original employment contract that mentions the bonus terms, any emails about the bonus eligibility, and your official layoff notice with dates. This way if they question it during an eligibility interview, you can clearly show it was compensation for past work, not current employment. Better to have too much documentation than not enough with EDD!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! Been trying to access UI Online since yesterday and getting intermittent "Service Unavailable" errors. What's weird is that sometimes I can get to the login page but then it times out when I try to actually log in. I noticed it seems to work better on my phone's mobile data versus my home WiFi - not sure if that's just coincidence or if there's something about certain network connections that EDD's system doesn't like. Has anyone else noticed differences between mobile data vs WiFi when accessing the site? Really hoping this gets resolved soon because I'm supposed to certify this weekend.

I'm new here but wanted to share what worked for me when I had this exact same issue last week. I was getting the "Service Unavailable" error for 3 days straight too and was totally panicking about missing my certification deadline. What finally worked was a combination of things: I used Firefox in private browsing mode, disabled all my browser extensions, and accessed the site at around 2 AM when there's less traffic. But the key thing that I think made the difference was clearing not just my cookies but also my browser cache AND my stored passwords for the EDD site. Apparently sometimes old login data can conflict with their system updates. Also, make sure you're going directly to edd.ca.gov and navigating to UI Online from there rather than using bookmarks or Google search results, as sometimes those can point to cached or outdated versions of the site. Hope this helps someone else avoid the stress I went through!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Just certified yesterday morning and logged in today to see both weeks showing $0 pending amounts. I literally felt my heart drop thinking I had somehow messed up the certification questions. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - it's amazing how many people go through this exact panic! The former EDD employee's explanation about it being a normal system placeholder is especially reassuring. It's honestly frustrating that EDD's system is designed in a way that causes so much unnecessary anxiety, but at least now I know to expect a 4-7 day wait for the amounts to update. Going to try the once-daily check approach instead of refreshing every hour like I was doing. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and timelines - this community support is invaluable when you're already stressed about unemployment!

I'm literally going through this exact same thing right now - certified 3 days ago and seeing those dreaded $0 pending amounts on both weeks! I've been checking my account like every 30 minutes and driving myself absolutely crazy thinking I somehow messed up the certification. This whole thread has been a lifesaver for my mental health - it's incredible to see how many people experience this exact panic. The former EDD employee's explanation about it being a normal system placeholder really helped me understand what's happening behind the scenes. It's wild that EDD can't just add a simple "Your certification is being processed" message instead of the anxiety-inducing $0. Based on everyone's timelines here, I'm hoping mine updates by this weekend. Thanks Omar for starting this discussion and everyone for sharing their experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this stress makes such a huge difference!