Can I file for California EDD unemployment if I have two jobs and lost one?

Oh wow okay this is such a relief to hear. So I just report my part-time hours and earnings every week when I certify? And they adjust the payment based on what I made?

Exactly right. When you do your weekly certifications on UI Online, there's a section where you report any wages you earned that week. EDD then applies their earnings formula and pays you the difference. Just make sure you report gross earnings (before taxes), not your take-home pay.

this is correct, i went through same thing last year with my two jobs situation and partial claim worked fine for me

That math actually makes a lot of sense, thank you for breaking it down. So I should go ahead and file based on my logistics job wages right?

Correct - when you file your initial claim you'll list both employers. EDD will use your highest-earning base period quarter to calculate your WBA. Your logistics job wages will likely determine most of your benefit amount since that was your primary income.

wait so they count BOTH jobs wages when figuring out how much you can get? i didnt know that

Good to know - I definitely want to be upfront. So I list both employers when I first apply even though only one laid me off?

Yes exactly. There's a section in the online application that asks for your work history and you should include all employers from the past 18 months or so. Be clear about which one terminated your employment and which one you're still actively working for.

EDD finds out about all your employers anyway through tax records so always better to just disclose everything upfront. learned that the hard way

This is solid advice. Omitting an employer even accidentally can cause major delays.

I've tried calling EDD twice already and both times it just said they couldn't take my call and hung up. I'll look into that Claimyr thing, thanks.

I've been struggling to get through to EDD for weeks about my own claim. Does Claimyr actually work? Seems almost too good to be true

From what I understand it basically keeps trying for you until it gets through to an agent and then connects you. Beats sitting there redialing for hours honestly.

edd phones are absolutely impossible lately so anything that helps is worth trying imo

This is really reassuring, thank you! Did you have any issues with your claim getting held up or going into adjudication at all?

nope went pretty smooth, maybe like 10 days from filing to first payment. i think being upfront about both jobs from the start helped

That turnaround is actually pretty good for EDD. Glad it worked out for you.

Oh I had no idea about this - so I still have to do the three job search activities per week even though I'm working at the retail store?

Yes, you do. The state wants to see that you're actively pursuing full-time employment. Things like submitting applications, attending job fairs, creating or updating a CalJOBS profile, or going to interviews all count. Just keep a log with dates and employer names.

wait is it 3 per week or 1 per week? i thought it changed at some point

It's been 3 work search activities per week for regular UI claims in California since they updated the requirements post-pandemic. Make sure you're meeting that threshold.

Not a dumb question but the answer is generally no - if you voluntarily quit a job without good cause you'd typically be disqualified from receiving benefits for that job loss. There's an exception if you quit for what EDD considers 'good cause' like unsafe working conditions, significant reduction in pay, or certain family situations. But just quitting because you wanted to is different from being laid off.

ahh okay yeah that makes sense. what if the job became way less hours than when you were hired, like they cut you down significantly

That could actually qualify as good cause for quitting - a significant reduction in hours or pay can sometimes meet the standard. You'd want to document the original offer versus current schedule. EDD would review the circumstances.

Okay that's actually really helpful to know in advance. My retail job is pretty chill so hopefully it won't be a big deal but good to be prepared.

yeah my part time employer got the notice when i filed and literally never responded to EDD, it was a non-issue

Most part-time employers don't contest these things especially when they know you still work there. The logistics company is the one more likely to respond to EDD's inquiry.

That is terrifying honestly. Six weeks is such a long time with no income. Did they eventually approve it?

yes finally approved and got back pay for all the weeks but man those 6 weeks were the most stressful of my life. couldn't reach anyone at EDD either to get any info on what was happening

This is exactly why having Claimyr's info is valuable - if you do end up in adjudication and can't get answers, being able to actually reach an EDD agent at claimyr.com makes a huge difference vs just waiting and wondering

Adjudication holds on multi-employer claims are unfortunately not that uncommon but most do eventually get resolved in the claimant's favor when everything was reported correctly

Good point - I was told it was a permanent layoff with the whole department being eliminated so I think I'm in the clear on that. No recall expected.

perfect, that makes things cleaner. permanent elimination of your position is the most straightforward basis for a claim. just make sure your separation paperwork says something like that if you have it

Having your final pay stub and any layoff notice documentation handy when you file is always helpful even if EDD doesn't ask for it upfront.

Oh wow that's a really important distinction, thank you! So if I work 15 hours one week and 20 hours the next but get paid for both on Friday, I report each week's earnings separately?

exactly right. week 1 you report 15 hours worth of wages, week 2 you report 20 hours worth. doesn't matter that you got one check covering both

This is a really important tip that catches a lot of people off guard with partial claims. Gross earnings for the week you performed the work, not when the paycheck arrives.

can confirm this tripped me up too at first, EDD is very specific about which week the wages belong to

That's not unusual for multi-employer claims. EDD sometimes cross-references wage data from their records with what you reported and if there's any discrepancy they'll ask for clarification. Usually pay stubs from both employers covering the base period will satisfy the request.

Yeah she has her pay stubs but wasn't sure if that's what they wanted or if they needed something from the employers directly

For getting through to EDD to clarify exactly what documentation they need, Claimyr (claimyr.com) is genuinely the most reliable way I've seen - the video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows what the process looks like. Being able to talk to an actual agent about a document request prevents a lot of guesswork

Alternatively she can respond to the EDD document request through the UI Online portal if they sent a message there - sometimes that's faster than calling anyway

For California EDD regular UI purposes, the wages that count toward your benefit calculation and that you need to report are generally from W2 employment. Gig work or independent contractor income is handled differently - you'd report it when certifying but it might be treated as self-employment earnings. If you lost a W2 job though, that's your basis for filing and you'd still report whatever other income you have regardless of the source.

gotcha so the claim itself is based on the w2 job i lost but i still report the gig stuff on my weekly certs

That's the general idea yes. EDD's guidance on reporting self-employment income during certification is a bit nuanced but the safest approach is to always report earnings you received regardless of source.

Definitely going to set those notifications up right away. I can't afford to miss any deadlines.

Also make sure the email address on your EDD account is one you actually check regularly. Sounds obvious but a lot of people have an old email linked and miss things

the UI Online inbox is honestly where all the important stuff goes, check it constantly especially in the first few weeks of a new claim

Always gross (pre-tax) earnings. This is actually specified in the certification questions but easy to miss. Report what you earned before any deductions.

thats what the EDD agent told me too after i finally got through. just confirming for anyone else confused about this

Good to know - I'll make sure to report gross. I can see how that would be confusing.

That's helpful to know so I can plan accordingly. I have some savings to bridge me but was hoping not to dip into them too much.

If it does take longer than expected and you're getting nervous about the timeline, that's when getting on the phone with EDD can actually help - an agent can tell you if there are any holds or issues causing the delay that you can address proactively

yeah my initial claim with two employers took about 4 weeks which was longer than i expected too. the waiting is stressful but once it starts you do get back pay for all the certified weeks

I've been at the logistics job for almost two years and the retail job for about 8 months so hopefully that's fine?

should be totally fine with those timeframes. the standard base period is roughly the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters so both jobs should have wages represented

There's also an alternate base period option if your wages don't fit the standard base period, but with your employment history OP you should qualify without any issues

Right?? I spent like an hour on the EDD website and couldn't find clear answers which is why I came here.

forums like this one and being able to talk to actual humans who went through it is honestly more useful than the official resources a lot of the time

agreed. and when you do need official answers the only real option is getting a live EDD agent on the phone which as everyone in this thread knows is its own challenge lol

Yes! Filed online yesterday after reading all this advice. Listed both employers, explained the logistics company layoff, reported my current retail status. Claim is now showing as pending. Fingers crossed it doesn't go into adjudication.

good luck!! hopefully it goes smooth for you. come back and update us

hoping for a quick approval for you. sounds like you did everything right

You did the right thing by being transparent about both jobs from the start. That gives your claim the best chance of processing without issues. Good luck!

good summary. the phone issue is real - i spent probably 15 hours across multiple days trying to get through to EDD at one point. anything that actually connects you to a real person is valuable

the job search requirement with partial claims is the thing that catches people off guard most i think. dont forget you still gotta do your 3 activities per week

Thank you to everyone in this thread seriously. I felt so lost when I posted this and now I actually understand what I'm doing. Really grateful for this community.