One thing I'll add that might help - when you get your determination letter from EDD, pay close attention to the "benefit year" dates they establish. Even though your severance might delay when you can start collecting benefits, your benefit year clock starts ticking from when you first file the claim. This is important because you only have one year to collect all your eligible benefits. So filing early (like you did) protects you from losing potential weeks of benefits at the end of your benefit year. Also, if you have any questions about their determination, you have the right to appeal within 30 days of receiving the letter. Good luck with everything!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since it's so relevant to your situation! I was laid off in December 2024 with a 6-week severance package and went through this exact process. Like everyone advised, I applied immediately and reported my severance honestly. EDD sent me a determination letter about 3 weeks later explaining that my severance counted as wages for the 6-week period, so I wouldn't receive benefits until after that period ended. I kept certifying every two weeks during the severance period (marking "yes" for other income and selecting severance), and sure enough, as soon as my severance period ended, my benefits kicked in automatically. The whole process was actually smoother than I expected once I understood what to expect. The key really is applying right away and being completely transparent about everything. You're definitely on the right track!

Hey Javier! I've been following this thread and wow, this community really came through with some amazing advice! I just wanted to add one more thing that saved me when I had a similar phone verification nightmare - if you have an iPhone, check your "Recently Deleted" messages folder. Sometimes verification codes end up there even after you switch numbers, especially if you had message forwarding set up. Also, try texting "HELP" to 95559 (the EDD text alert number) - sometimes this triggers their system to send account recovery options to your email instead of your phone. I know you're stressed about work, but honestly seeing everyone rally around you here gives me hope about humanity 😊 You've got like 20 different solutions to try now - one of them is bound to work! Keep us updated and don't give up! 💪

Hey Javier! I just read through this whole thread and honestly, this community is incredible - you've got so many solid solutions to try now! I went through something similar when I switched from Sprint to Google Fi last year. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet: if you have access to Google Voice or any similar service, you can sometimes set up call forwarding from your old number (even if it's disconnected) to temporarily receive those verification codes. Also, check if your new carrier offers "number porting protection" - some carriers will let you temporarily reactivate your old number for situations exactly like this. The EDD system is absolutely frustrating, but between all these workarounds everyone shared, you're definitely going to get through this! Don't stress too much about work - your benefits are secure once this gets sorted. We're all rooting for you! 🙏

Going through this exact same situation right now! Just certified for my first time on Thursday and woke up today to see "pending" status. I was immediately convinced I had somehow screwed up the certification questions, but this entire thread has been such a lifesaver. Miguel, thank you so much for updating with your success story - seeing that yours switched to paid after exactly 3 business days gives me hope that mine will too. It's honestly insane how much anxiety one little word can cause when you're already dealing with job loss stress. Really wish EDD would just add a simple note somewhere saying "First-time certifications typically take 3-5 business days to process" instead of leaving people to panic and search forums like this. Going to try to be patient and check back on Tuesday instead of refreshing every hour like I did all morning!

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with this exact situation right now - just submitted my first certification on Monday and it's been showing pending for 3 days. I was starting to panic thinking I answered something wrong during the certification process, but reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief. Miguel, thanks for sharing your story and especially for updating with the successful outcome! It really helps to see that 3 business days is totally normal. The lack of clear communication from EDD about processing times is honestly stressful when you're already dealing with unemployment anxiety. I'm going to try to be patient and wait until Thursday before worrying. Really grateful for this community - makes the whole process feel less overwhelming when you can learn from others who've been through it!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now and this thread has been such a lifesaver! Just had my claim approved after what felt like forever and did my first certification on Sunday. When I saw that "no weeks to certify" message today I literally thought my claim got canceled or something went wrong. My heart was racing! It's so frustrating that EDD's website is designed in such a confusing way. Like why can't they just say "Your next certification will be available on [date]" instead of that scary message that makes you think your benefits disappeared? I've been checking my account every few hours like a crazy person. Thank you to everyone who explained the biweekly schedule and how you're always certifying for weeks that already passed - that "one cycle behind" explanation finally made it click for me. Also really helpful to know that pending payments taking 3-5 days is totally normal for first-timers. I was starting to worry about that too! Setting a phone reminder for my next certification date is such a good idea. Definitely going to do that so I can stop obsessively refreshing this terrible website. It's such a relief to know I'm not alone in this confusion and that everything is actually working as it should be!

I'm literally going through this RIGHT NOW and was about to have a complete meltdown! Just certified for the first time on Monday and when I logged in today and saw "no weeks to certify" I thought for sure they had canceled my claim or found some reason to deny me. My anxiety shot through the roof because I REALLY need this money to cover my bills this month. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I had no idea this was just normal system behavior! The "one cycle behind" explanation makes so much sense now. It's absolutely ridiculous that EDD doesn't explain this anywhere on their website. Like seriously, how hard would it be to add a simple message that says "You're all caught up! Next certification available on [date]" instead of that terrifying message that makes you think your benefits vanished? I'm definitely going to set those phone reminders and stop obsessively refreshing the page every 10 minutes. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is literally saving my sanity right now! It's so comforting to know that EVERYONE goes through this same panic and that it's totally normal. You all are amazing! 🙏

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Lost my job at a marketing agency three weeks ago and they cut off my work email access immediately. I used that email for my EDD account back in 2020 and now I'm completely locked out when I need to file again. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there was a specific tech support line for account issues. I've been trying the main EDD number for days with no luck. Going to try calling 1-833-978-2511 tomorrow morning right at 8 AM with all my old paperwork ready. It's so frustrating that this is such a common problem but there's no clear guidance on the EDD website about how to handle it. Thank you to everyone who shared what actually worked - these real experiences are worth their weight in gold when you're trying to navigate this system!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Got laid off from my tech company last week and they immediately deactivated my work email - of course that's what I used for my EDD account back in 2020. I've been stressing about this for days thinking I'd have to start completely over. This thread is absolutely amazing - I had no idea there was a separate tech support line specifically for account recovery issues. I've been banging my head against the wall trying the main EDD number with zero success. The 1-833-978-2511 number is definitely going in my contacts right now! All the timing strategies people have shared are so helpful too - calling right at 8 AM on Saturday, or even 15 minutes before they officially open. And the tip about having old bank statements with EDD deposits is brilliant - I definitely have those saved somewhere. It's honestly ridiculous that such a critical system is this hard to access, especially when losing work email after layoffs is basically standard practice now. But reading all these success stories gives me hope that there's actually a way through this maze. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share what really worked - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you need when dealing with government bureaucracy!