Can I get California EDD unemployment and Social Security at the same time?

wait really?? so listing my social security on the application wont reduce my weekly benefit amount at all?

This is correct. California eliminated the Social Security offset back in 2004. Unlike some other states, California EDD does NOT reduce your UI weekly benefit amount based on Social Security retirement income. You report it but it doesn't count against you.

This is such a relief to hear. I was genuinely worried I was going to have to choose one or the other. I am definitely able and available to work and I want to keep working.

good info but just want to add - social security DISABILITY (SSDI) is a little different situation than retirement SS. the able and available question gets more complicated with disability. but for regular retirement SS the above is accurate

That's a really important distinction actually. Yes if someone is receiving SSDI they need to be careful because SSDI has its own rules about being able to work and that can conflict with EDD's requirement that you be able and available for full-time work. For straight Social Security retirement though, no conflict.

Thank you I will check this out. Two days of trying to call and getting nowhere has been maddening.

does claimyr actually work? seems too good to be true lol

I was skeptical too honestly. But yeah it worked for me. Got a callback from an actual EDD rep within a few hours instead of waiting on hold for ages.

ive seen this mentioned a few times on here. gonna try it tomorrow my claim has been sitting in adjudication for 3 weeks

Yeah the phone situation is brutal. I'll try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned above.

Let me know if it works because I need help with my claim too lol

Good point, I've already been keeping notes on my applications. I actually want to work so this part isn't a problem for me.

how many job search contacts is it currently? i thought it was 3 but my friend said it might be different

It's typically 3 per week but the exact number should be on your UI Award Notice letter from EDD. Some claimants get a different number based on their situation. Always go by what your specific notice says rather than what you hear from others.

This is a really common misconception. 'Retired' is just a label - what matters is your actual situation. If you were laid off involuntarily, you're actively looking for full-time work, and you're able to accept a job offer, you meet EDD's able and available requirement. Plenty of people draw Social Security retirement while still working full time. EDD cares about your work availability, not whether you're technically a 'retiree.' The SS retirement age and EDD eligibility are completely separate systems.

ohh ok that makes way more sense. so you could technically be 67 and on full SS and still get unemployment if you got laid off and want to keep working?

Exactly right. Age is not a factor in UI eligibility in California. As long as you meet the base period wage requirements, were separated through no fault of your own, and are able/available/actively seeking work, you're eligible regardless of age or Social Security status.

Smart thinking. I took mine a little early and wish I'd waited a bit longer honestly. But yeah for California EDD purposes it shouldn't matter either way.

Good financial instinct. And for what it's worth, you can always file for UI now and make the SS decision separately - they really are completely independent of each other as far as California EDD is concerned.

I didn't know any of this. So my weekly benefit will be based purely on what I earned at the warehouse job? That's actually good since I was making decent money there.

Exactly. California UI has a max weekly benefit of $450 currently. Given 11 years of warehouse supervisor wages you'll likely hit near that maximum. The formula is roughly 60-70% of your weekly wage up to the cap.

wait the max is only $450?? that seems really low. is that right?

Do you think I should try to reach EDD proactively to explain before they reach out to me, or just wait and see what happens with my claim?

I'd recommend being proactive if your claim goes more than 2-3 weeks without movement. EDD's adjudication process can stall on these SS-related questions if no one manually reviews it. Getting an agent on the phone to confirm your SS situation is legitimate can speed things up significantly.

yeah being proactive with EDD is always better than waiting in my experience. waiting just means more waiting lol

That's really reassuring, thank you. Did he have any trouble with the EDD phone system or did it process automatically?

it mostly processed automatically but he did have to call once to clear up a question about his SS income. took him forever to get through on the regular number though

second time I've seen claimyr mentioned in this thread. must actually work

I actually went and checked out the video and I think I'm going to try it. I just want to get confirmation directly from EDD that my claim is good to go with the SS income reported.

Good question and yes this is different from Social Security. California EDD DOES offset unemployment benefits for pension income in some cases - specifically if the pension comes from a base-period employer (one of the employers whose wages count toward your UI claim). If the pension is from an old employer outside your base period it generally doesn't affect things. This is worth asking EDD directly about your specific situation.

oh wow okay that's definitely something I need to ask about. thank you

To add to this - the pension offset rule is in UI Code 1255.3. If your base period employer contributes to the pension, EDD can reduce your weekly benefit dollar for dollar based on the prorated weekly pension amount. It's one of the more complicated offset situations EDD deals with.

Thanks, this whole thread has made me feel a lot better about everything. Going to try Claimyr to get actual confirmation from EDD and then just focus on my job search.

good to know!! trying it for my adjudication issue tomorrow

thanks for coming back to update this is helpful

This is great to hear! I'm trying it for my SS + unemployment question today

Really appreciate this reminder. I definitely don't want any issues down the road. Better to over-report than under-report.

this is good advice. i never reported something i thought didn't matter and got an overpayment notice months later. always report everything and let EDD sort out whether it affects your claim

Thank you for reporting back!! This is exactly the confirmation I needed. Going to finalize my claim today.

Great outcome. This is one of those situations where getting direct EDD confirmation is worth the effort even when you're pretty sure you know the answer. Glad it worked out.

super helpful thread. bookmarking this for my mom who is in almost this exact situation

wow okay. yeah that's pretty low for CA. better than nothing I guess

agreed. and keep in mind the maximum is $450 but most people get less than that. it's based on your wages. the $450 is really only for people with pretty high quarterly earnings.

The California max has been $450 for a while. There have been legislative efforts to raise it but nothing has passed yet as of 2025. Federal UI programs sometimes supplement during recessions but right now it's just the state benefit.