Can I collect EDD unemployment while receiving a pension? Confused about possible deductions

Yes, you can collect unemployment while receiving a pension, BUT there's a catch. If the pension is from the same employer that laid you off, EDD will deduct that pension amount from your weekly benefit. Since your pension is from a previous employer, it shouldn't affect your UI benefits at all. Make sure you report the pension income when you file your claim though - always be transparent with EDD to avoid overpayment issues later.

my mom had this exact situation last year!!! pension from her teaching job but got laid off from her part time admin work. she got full unemployment no problem 👍

WRONG INFO ABOVE!!! Any pension gets deducted!!!! my brother lost ALL his unemployment because of his pension. EDD takes EVERYTHING away!!! The system is rigged against older workers!!!

Here's the official EDD rule on pensions: If you receive a pension, your UI benefits may be reduced if the pension was contributed to by an employer in your base period. Since you mentioned your current employer didn't contribute to your previous pension, you should be eligible for full unemployment benefits. When you certify every two weeks, you'll need to report your pension income under the "other income" section, but it shouldn't reduce your payments as long as it's from a different employer than the one who laid you off.

i think it depends on how much ur pension is too. my uncle gets a big pension like $4000 a month and they denied his unemployment completely. but my friend gets a small one (like $900) and still got some unemployment but less than normal. maybe there's a threshold?

I went through this exact nightmare last year when I got laid off at 61. Had a pension from a previous job too. Took me FOREVER to get someone at EDD on the phone to confirm I could get UI while receiving my pension. Kept getting the stupid "we're experiencing high call volume" message for weeks. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD rep in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The rep confirmed that since my pension was from a previous employer, it didn't affect my UI benefits at all. Got my claim approved that same day after waiting for almost a month trying to get through on my own.

just wanted 2 say make sure u certify on time every 2 weeks even while waiting 4 this pension question 2 be resolved!!! my friend missed 1 certification & lost a whole week of benefits

One more important point - make sure you're meeting all the work search requirements while receiving UI benefits. Even at 63 with a pension, you need to be looking for work and documenting your search efforts. EDD requires you to make at least 3 job contacts per week and log them in case you get audited. Some people think having a pension exempts them from work search requirements, but it doesn't.

Based on everything discussed, here's a summary for the original poster and others in this situation: 1. Pensions from PREVIOUS employers generally DO NOT reduce your unemployment benefits 2. Pensions from the SAME employer who laid you off WILL reduce your benefits 3. You must report all pension income when filing and certifying 4. Work search requirements still apply regardless of pension status 5. If you have trouble getting clarification, calling EDD directly (possibly using a service to get through) is your best option Hope this helps clear up the confusion!

I'm in a similar boat - 59 years old, just laid off from my retail management position, and receiving a small pension from my previous job in manufacturing. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful! I was panicking thinking I might not qualify for any unemployment benefits. Sounds like I should be okay since my pension is from a completely different employer. Going to file my claim this week and make sure to report the pension income upfront. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this situation.

Just wanted to add my experience to this helpful thread! I'm 65 and was in almost the exact same situation 6 months ago - laid off from my office job while receiving a pension from my previous career in education. I was so worried about the pension affecting my unemployment benefits, but it turned out to be no problem at all since they were from different employers. The key thing I learned is to be completely honest and upfront about the pension when you file your initial claim AND when you certify every two weeks. EDD asks specifically about pensions and other income, so just report it accurately. My weekly benefit amount wasn't reduced at all because my pension came from a different employer. One tip: keep all your pension statements and documentation handy in case EDD needs to verify anything. They never asked me for it, but it's good to have just in case. Also, don't let anyone scare you with horror stories - every situation is different and the rules are actually pretty clear once you understand them. Hang in there Holly - you've got this! The stress of being laid off at our age is bad enough without worrying about benefits you're entitled to receive.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! Just turned 62 and got laid off from my customer service job last month. I have a small pension from my previous career in the postal service (about $1,200/month) and was terrified that it would disqualify me from unemployment benefits completely. After reading through all these responses, I'm feeling much more optimistic about filing my claim. It's such a relief to see so many people confirming that pensions from previous employers don't affect UI benefits. I was getting really conflicting information online and it was causing me so much anxiety on top of already dealing with the stress of being unemployed at this age. I'm planning to file my claim this weekend and will definitely be upfront about reporting my pension income. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's made me feel so much less alone in this situation. The advice about keeping documentation handy and staying on top of work search requirements is really valuable too. Holly, I hope your claim goes smoothly! It sounds like you're in good shape based on what everyone has shared here.

I'm 64 and was in this exact situation 3 years ago! Got laid off from my banking job while receiving a pension from my previous career in telecommunications. I was so stressed about whether I'd qualify for unemployment benefits, but it worked out perfectly fine. Since your pension is from a different employer (your previous healthcare job vs. your recent admin position), EDD shouldn't reduce your benefits at all. The key is being completely transparent about it - report the pension income when you file and during your bi-weekly certifications, but it won't count against your weekly benefit amount. One thing that really helped me was calling EDD early in the morning (around 8:00 AM) to get through to a representative when I had questions. The wait times were much shorter then. They confirmed everything over the phone and my claim was processed without any issues. Also, don't forget that you'll still need to actively look for work and document your job search activities - having a pension doesn't exempt you from the work search requirements. Keep a detailed log of every application and contact you make. You're going to get through this! The combination of your pension plus unemployment benefits should help you manage financially while you find your next opportunity.

I'm 58 and just went through this exact situation 2 months ago! Got laid off from my IT support role while receiving a small pension from my previous job in manufacturing. I was absolutely terrified that the pension would disqualify me from unemployment, but after reading California's actual EDD guidelines (not just random websites), I learned that only pensions from the SAME employer who laid you off will reduce benefits. Since your pension is from your previous healthcare job and you were laid off from a different employer, you should be totally fine! I reported my pension income honestly on every certification and my weekly benefit amount wasn't reduced at all. One tip that saved me a lot of stress: I printed out the official EDD policy document about pension income before I filed my claim. Having that reference handy gave me confidence that I was following the rules correctly. The policy is pretty clear once you find the right source. Holly, don't let the conflicting online info stress you out - your situation sounds very similar to mine and many others here. Just be transparent about the pension when you file and you should be good to go!

I'm 61 and just found this thread while researching my own situation - got laid off from my accounting job last week and have been panicking about how my pension from my previous teaching career might affect my unemployment benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief! It sounds like since my pension is from the school district (completely different from my accounting firm), I should be able to get full unemployment benefits as long as I report the pension income honestly. The stress of losing my job at this age was already overwhelming, and I was terrified I might not qualify for any help. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than the confusing and contradictory information I was finding online. I'm going to file my claim tomorrow and feel much more confident about doing it correctly now. It's comforting to know there's a whole community of people who understand what it's like to navigate this system at our age!

I'm 60 and was in almost the exact same situation 6 months ago! Got laid off from my administrative role at a medical clinic while receiving a pension from my previous 20-year career with the county. I was so worried about the pension affecting my unemployment, but it turned out to be completely fine since they were different employers. The most important thing is to be 100% honest when you report the pension income - both when you initially file and every time you certify. I was nervous about reporting it at first, thinking it might hurt my chances, but transparency is key with EDD. My weekly benefit amount wasn't reduced at all. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple folder with all my pension documents, layoff paperwork, and work history just in case EDD needed any verification. They never asked for it, but having everything organized gave me peace of mind. Holly, based on what you've described, you should be absolutely fine since your pension is from a completely different employer than the one that laid you off. The healthcare field is tough right now, but you've got this! Don't let the stress of conflicting online information overwhelm you - just file honestly and follow the process.

I'm 57 and went through this exact situation 8 months ago when I got laid off from my HR position while receiving a pension from my previous career in the military. I was absolutely terrified that I wouldn't qualify for any unemployment benefits, but it worked out perfectly fine! Since your pension is from your previous healthcare job and you were laid off from a completely different employer, EDD shouldn't reduce your weekly benefits at all. The key rule is that only pensions from the SAME employer that laid you off will affect your UI benefits. A few things that helped me through the process: 1. I called EDD right after filing to confirm my situation - took forever to get through but the rep was really helpful 2. I kept detailed records of all my pension statements and layoff paperwork 3. I was completely upfront about reporting my military pension on every certification The whole process was much smoother than I expected once I understood the rules. Don't let the conflicting online information stress you out - your situation sounds very straightforward based on what you've described. Just be honest when you file and you should be good to go! Hang in there - I know how overwhelming this all feels at our age, but there's light at the end of the tunnel!

I'm 59 and just went through this exact situation 4 months ago! Got laid off from my office manager position while receiving a small pension from my previous career in social work. I was absolutely panicking about whether the pension would disqualify me from unemployment benefits, but after reading through all the official EDD documentation and calling them directly, I learned that it's really straightforward. Since your pension is from your previous healthcare job and you were laid off from a completely different employer, you should be totally fine for full unemployment benefits! The rule is clear: only pensions from the SAME employer that laid you off will reduce your UI benefits. A couple of practical tips that helped me: - File your claim ASAP - don't wait while trying to figure everything out - When you certify every two weeks, there's a specific section for reporting pension income - just be honest about it - Keep a simple spreadsheet tracking your job search activities from day one The whole process was actually much less scary than I thought it would be. My weekly benefit amount wasn't reduced at all, and having both the pension and UI benefits really helped bridge the gap while I found my next position. Holly, don't let the stress overwhelm you - your situation sounds very similar to what many of us have successfully navigated. You've got this! The healthcare administration experience you have is valuable, and this is just a temporary setback.

I'm 55 and currently going through this same situation right now! Just got laid off from my finance job 2 weeks ago and have been receiving a pension from my previous 12-year career in law enforcement. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a lifesaver - I was getting so much conflicting information online and was honestly starting to panic. It's incredibly reassuring to see so many people confirm that pensions from different employers don't affect UI benefits. I've been hesitating to file my claim because I was worried the pension might disqualify me completely, but based on all the real experiences shared here, it sounds like I should be fine since my pension is from a completely different employer than the one that laid me off. Holly, I'm in almost the exact same boat as you - similar age, similar pension amount, and the same confusion about conflicting information online. After reading through this entire thread, I'm feeling much more confident about filing my claim this week. The consistent message seems to be: be completely transparent about reporting the pension income, but don't worry about it reducing benefits if it's from a previous employer. Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories and advice - this community is amazing and it's such a relief to know we're not alone in navigating this system at our stage in life!

I'm 62 and just stumbled across this thread while researching my own situation - got laid off from my retail management job yesterday and have been receiving a pension from my previous 18-year career with the city. I was absolutely terrified that the pension would completely disqualify me from unemployment benefits, but reading through everyone's experiences has given me so much hope! It's amazing how many people have been in this exact situation and successfully navigated it. The consistent message seems to be that as long as the pension is from a DIFFERENT employer than the one that laid you off, you should be fine for full UI benefits. Since my pension is from the city and I was laid off from a private retail company, it sounds like I'm in good shape. I've been putting off filing my claim because I was so confused by all the conflicting information online, but this thread has convinced me to just go ahead and file honestly. The tip about calling EDD early in the morning to get through faster is something I'm definitely going to try if I have any questions. Holly, thank you for asking this question - it's helped so many of us who are dealing with the same scary situation. It's such a relief to find a community of people who understand what it's like to navigate this system at our age. I'm feeling much more confident about moving forward now!