Congratulations Miguel! This is such exciting news after your long job search. I just went through this exact process a couple months ago and everyone here is giving you spot-on advice. You definitely don't need to call EDD or report anything in advance - just keep doing your regular certifications until you actually start working. When you certify for the week of January 23rd, you'll report the hours and earnings for just the days you worked that week. The system makes it pretty straightforward - it asks clear questions and you just answer honestly about what you earned and when you worked. One small tip that helped me: I kept a little notepad during my first week to jot down my exact hours each day (like "Jan 23: 8am-5pm, 8 hours" etc.) so when certification time came, I had everything written down and didn't have to try to remember. Made the whole process much less stressful! You're going to do great at the new job. The hardest part (finding work) is behind you now!

Huge congratulations Miguel! This is fantastic news after your long job search. I went through this exact same situation last year and can confirm what everyone else is saying - you absolutely don't need to report the job offer in advance or call EDD. Just continue your normal certification schedule. Here's what worked for me: Keep certifying as usual until January 23rd. When you certify for that week, answer "YES" to working/earning money and report only the hours and gross pay for the days you actually worked (probably Jan 23-25). The system automatically calculates any partial benefits you might qualify for. A couple things that helped me during the transition: Save screenshots of your certifications for your records, keep track of your exact work hours that first partial week (I used my phone's notes app), and remember you report based on when you worked, not when you get your first paycheck. The whole process ended up being much smoother than I expected. You've already conquered the hardest part - finding the job! The EDD reporting is straightforward when you get to it. Best of luck with your new position!

This thread is exactly what I needed to find today! I'm on week 4 of waiting for my eligibility interview and the financial stress has been overwhelming. Seeing @Amara Eze's complete journey from panic to getting paid within 2 days after her interview gives me so much hope that there really is light at the end of this tunnel! I've been following everyone's advice about certifying every two weeks religiously, even though that "pending" status feels like a punch to the gut each time. I was laid off due to budget cuts at my company and have my termination letter ready along with all my employment records. The consistent timelines everyone is sharing (interview within 4-6 weeks, then payment within 2-5 days after approval) actually makes this whole process feel less mysterious and more predictable. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here - this community support is keeping me sane during the most stressful financial period of my life. For anyone else waiting, we've got this! 💪

I'm currently in week 2 of waiting for my eligibility interview and this thread has been such a lifesaver! @Amara Eze your complete journey from stress to success gives me so much hope - that 2-day turnaround from interview to paid status is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been certifying every two weeks like everyone recommended, even though seeing "pending" makes my anxiety spike each time. I was laid off when my department got eliminated and have all my paperwork organized thanks to the advice here. The consistent timelines everyone's sharing (4-6 weeks for interview, then 2-5 days for payment) makes this feel way more manageable than the endless uncertainty I was imagining. Thank you to everyone who took time to share their real experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this waiting game is keeping me going! For anyone else just starting this process, definitely keep certifying and stay organized with your documentation. We've got this! 💙

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - my company announced last week that they're restructuring and moving several positions, including mine, to their Dallas office. Like many others here, I can't relocate due to family commitments and am really worried about whether I'll qualify for unemployment benefits. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. It sounds like the key things are: 1) Document everything in writing, 2) Use clear language like "position eliminated due to company relocation" when applying, 3) Participate in good faith in any alternative job interviews they offer, and 4) Don't let them pressure you into signing severance agreements that make it look like you quit voluntarily. One thing I'm still unclear on - if they give me a specific deadline to decide about relocating (like 30 days), does that timeline affect my unemployment eligibility at all? Should I wait until the deadline passes and they officially terminate me, or can I give them my answer earlier if I know for certain I can't move? I don't want to accidentally do anything that might hurt my case with EDD. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's making this whole stressful situation feel much more manageable knowing that others have successfully navigated it!

This situation is definitely stressful, but you're asking all the right questions! I went through something very similar when my company moved operations to Arizona last year. The most important thing to remember is that when a company relocates your position to another state and you can't reasonably follow, that's considered involuntary separation - NOT quitting. A few key points from my experience: First, definitely participate in the interview process for other positions if they're offering it. This shows good faith effort on your part and actually strengthens your unemployment case. Second, start documenting everything NOW - save all emails about the restructuring, and follow up any verbal conversations with written summaries sent via email. Third, when you eventually apply for EDD benefits, be very specific about the language you use - something like "position eliminated due to company relocation to out-of-state location." The whole process took about 2-3 weeks for my claim to be approved once I applied. EDD called both me and my former employer to verify the details, but it was pretty straightforward since I had all the documentation ready. Don't let your company make you feel like you're abandoning them - they're the ones making your job impossible to perform by moving it across the country. You should absolutely be able to count on EDD benefits if you end up without a position. Hang in there!

I just went through this exact same situation last month! I was so worried about "double reporting" my severance too, but everyone here is absolutely right - you definitely need to report it again during certification. I actually called EDD (after many attempts) and the agent explained it perfectly: the initial application is just letting them know severance is coming, but the certification is where you report what actually happened during those specific weeks. She said it's like the difference between saying "I'm expecting a package" vs "I received the package." My severance was about $6,200 and it wiped out my benefits for that one week, but everything went back to normal the next certification period. No red flags, no fraud investigation, nothing scary like that. Just make sure you report the gross amount before taxes and assign it to the correct week. You'll be fine!

I went through this exact same worry when I was on unemployment! You absolutely need to report the severance again during certification - it's not double reporting, it's just how the system works. The initial application was basically you saying "heads up, I'm going to get severance" and now the certification is you saying "okay, I actually got it this week." I was terrified I'd get flagged for fraud too, but it's totally normal. My case worker even told me that NOT reporting it during certification would be the actual problem, since that's when they calculate your actual benefits for those specific weeks. Since your severance was $5,800 and that's probably way more than your weekly benefit amount, you'll likely get $0 for whichever week you received it. But don't worry - your benefits will resume normally for the next certification period. Just be accurate about which week you actually got the money and report the gross amount before taxes. You're doing everything right by being so careful about it!

One more option that saved me when I was in a time crunch - if you have a local EDD office that's still open to the public, you can sometimes walk in and request immediate documentation. I know many offices closed or went appointment-only during COVID, but some have reopened for urgent situations like housing verification. Call your local office first to see if they can help same-day. Also, try logging into your UI Online account and looking under "Inbox" - sometimes EDD sends automatic benefit statements there that you might have missed. These often have more official formatting than the basic payment history page. If all else fails and your landlord is being super picky, you could also get a notarized affidavit from a CPA or tax preparer confirming your unemployment income based on your UI Online records. It's not ideal but some property managers will accept third-party professional verification when government agencies are slow to respond. Costs about $50 but might save your apartment application!

I just want to add that if you're dealing with a large apartment complex or management company, sometimes escalating to their corporate office can help. I had a similar issue where the local leasing office was being super rigid about documentation requirements, but when I called their corporate headquarters and explained that California's EDD system doesn't work like traditional paystubs, they sent down instructions to accept the UI Online payment history plus Money Network statements. Also, don't forget that many apartments will accept a guarantor or co-signer if you're having documentation issues. Sometimes it's faster to add a family member as a guarantor than to wait weeks for EDD to process verification requests. Just another backup option if you're running out of time on your application!