This is such a game changer! I've been dealing with EDD card fraud anxiety for months. Had my card compromised twice last year - once at a gas station ATM and another time at a grocery store. Both times it took FOREVER to get my money back and I was stressed out of my mind. I had no idea you could walk into any bank and do a cash advance! I thought the only options were BofA ATMs or transferring online. Definitely trying this next week when my payment hits. A $2-3 fee is totally worth the peace of mind vs risking another fraud incident. Quick question - has anyone tried this at smaller local banks or just the big chains? I have a small community bank near me that might be more convenient than driving to Chase or Wells Fargo. Also want to echo what others said about the Money Network app transfers - once I figured out how to link my personal checking account, it made everything so much easier. Takes a couple days but at least the money isn't sitting on that vulnerable EDD card. Thanks for sharing this tip! Going to pass it along to my unemployment support group too.

This is incredibly helpful info! I'm new to unemployment benefits and got my EDD card last week but have been too scared to use it anywhere after reading all the fraud stories online. The idea that I can just walk into any bank and get a cash advance never even occurred to me - I thought I was stuck with potentially sketchy ATMs. One question - do different banks have different fee structures for this? Like is it worth calling around to find the cheapest option, or are the fees pretty much the same everywhere ($1-3 range)? Also planning to set up that Money Network app transfer to my personal account as backup. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - makes me feel way less anxious about managing these payments safely!

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!

Congrats on landing the full-time nursing assistant position! Just wanted to add one more tip - when you do the phone interview, have your employment details ready (start date, employer name, etc.) as they'll likely ask for this information to update your file. Also, if you had any weeks where you worked while collecting partial benefits, make sure you have records of those earnings handy in case they ask about wage reporting during those periods. Better to be over-prepared than scrambling for info during the call!

Just wanted to echo what everyone else is saying - definitely take that interview! I made the mistake of skipping mine when I got hired full-time at a hospital last year, thinking it didn't matter since I wasn't going to certify anymore. Big mistake! EDD flagged my account and I had to go through this whole appeals process to prove I wasn't trying to hide anything. The interview itself was super quick - maybe 15 minutes - and they just wanted to verify my job change and make sure everything was legit. Way easier than dealing with the headache I created by avoiding it. Good luck with your new nursing position!

I'm experiencing this exact same issue right now! Certified yesterday and it shows "paid" in my claim history but absolutely nothing in payment activity. This is my first time dealing with this kind of delay since I started my claim in October - usually my payments show up in both places within hours of certifying. Reading through everyone's experiences here is incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had no idea EDD's system had so many display glitches and compatibility issues. I'm going to try the logout/login trick and check from my computer instead of just my phone app. It's frustrating that we have to become tech support for their broken system, but at least now I know this is a common issue and not something wrong with my specific claim. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community is honestly more reliable than EDD's own customer service! I'll update once my payment shows up properly.

I'm dealing with this EXACT same issue right now! Certified on Tuesday, claim history shows "paid" but nothing in payment activity and no money in my account yet. This is day 3 and I was starting to really worry something was wrong with my claim since I've been getting payments like clockwork since September. This thread has been such a relief to find - had no idea this was such a common problem lately! I'm going to try the logout/login trick and switch between mobile/desktop like everyone suggested. It's honestly insane that EDD's system is this glitchy and they don't warn people about it. Reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that it's just another system delay rather than an actual issue with my claim. Will definitely try calling if nothing shows up by tomorrow, but at least now I know what questions to ask and what to look for. Thanks to everyone for sharing - this community is way more helpful than EDD's actual support!

This whole conversation has been a goldmine of information! As someone who just started collecting unemployment benefits last month, I had no clue about the difference between reporting income vs. work days. I actually have holiday pay coming from my previous employer for Martin Luther King Day, and I was completely stumped about how to report it. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that the key is understanding that holiday pay = income but NOT work days, since you're not performing any actual services. The partial benefit formula explanation was super helpful too - knowing that the first $25 or 25% (whichever is greater) doesn't count against you makes me feel much better about still getting some UI benefits that week. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about keeping screenshots and documentation of everything I submit. And honestly, after seeing how many people have struggled to reach EDD by phone, I might look into that Claimyr service right away rather than spending hours trying to get through their phone system when I inevitably have more questions. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this community is so much more helpful than the official resources!

I'm jumping in as someone who just went through this exact scenario with my Thanksgiving and Black Friday holiday pay! The confusion is totally understandable because the EDD certification questions can be really misleading. What helped me was realizing that EDD cares about two separate things: 1) Did you perform work/services for an employer? and 2) Did you receive any income? For holiday pay, the answers are NO for #1 and YES for #2. I reported my holiday pay as income but answered "no" to working those days, and everything processed smoothly. My weekly benefit was reduced using their formula (like others explained), but I still received a partial payment which was exactly what I needed. One tip that saved me: I called my HR department to confirm exactly when the holiday pay would appear in my paycheck so I could report it during the correct certification week. Some companies pay it the week before the holiday, others after. Getting that timing right is important for accurate reporting. Don't stress too much - you're asking the right questions and being careful about reporting correctly, which is exactly what EDD wants to see!