Can EDD increase my benefit amount after filing taxes? Or must I wait until claim exhausts?

unfortunately u cant get more $ during your current benefit year. EDD uses your base period earnings (which is like a year before u filed) to calculate ur WBA. even if u made more $ after that period, they wont recalculate until u file a new claim. sucks but thats how the system works

The previous commenter is correct. Your benefit amount is calculated using your base period earnings, which covers the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed your claim. Once established, your weekly benefit amount (WBA) remains fixed for the entire benefit year. Here's why your taxes don't matter in this case: 1. Your recent tax filing reflects your entire 2024 income 2. EDD only used specific quarters to calculate your benefits 3. By law, EDD cannot recalculate mid-claim even with new information Your only option for a higher amount would be after you exhaust your current claim and file a new one, assuming you had higher earnings in the more recent base period.

just curious - did u try calling EDD to ask about this? maybe there's some exception or appeal process we don't know about

I had this exact same issue last year! I tried for weeks to reach EDD to discuss my benefit amount and kept hitting those frustrating busy signals. What finally worked for me was using Claimyr to get through to a representative. It connects you directly to an EDD agent instead of dealing with the busy signals and disconnects. Check out their website at claimyr.com - they even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km While the agent confirmed what others have said here (that my WBA couldn't be changed mid-claim), at least I got a clear explanation of how the base period works and when I could expect to qualify for a higher amount if I needed to file again in the future. Having that conversation gave me peace of mind.

NOBODY AT EDD CARES!!! I went through this exact same thing in 2023. They used my income from when I was part-time in 2022 instead of my full-time income from later months. I filed an appeal and everything and they basically said "too bad, that's the rules." The whole system is designed to pay you as little as possible. My advice? Look for side gigs while you're on unemployment because they're never going to give you what you deserve.

I should add some clarification about Base Period calculations that might help everyone understand why this happens: If you filed your claim in January 2025, your base period would be October 2023 through September 2024. Any earnings after September 2024 wouldn't count toward your WBA calculation. This is why sometimes your most recent (and often highest) earnings don't factor into your benefits - they fall into what EDD calls the "lag quarter" which isn't counted in the traditional base period. Some states offer an "Alternative Base Period" that uses more recent quarters, but California only uses this in specific situations and you typically need to request it at the time of filing.

if ur really struggling with the low amount, check if u qualify for the federal earned income tax credit or california earned income tax credit. not the same as higher ui benefits but might help a bit with ur taxes at least