Can I get California EDD unemployment if my hours are cut?

Wait so I report my hours every week even though I'm still working? How does that work exactly - do I say I'm employed or unemployed on the form?

You tell them you're still employed but with reduced hours. On your weekly certification you report the days you worked and the gross earnings for that week. California EDD then applies the earnings disregard formula and pays you the difference. It's actually designed exactly for situations like yours.

This is right. I went through this two years ago when my retail job cut everyone's hours. Got partial benefits for about 4 months before I found a new full-time job. The weekly cert process is straightforward once you get used to it.

Is there a deadline to file? Like can I file now even though the hours cut happened 3 weeks ago?

You can still file but your effective claim date will be the Sunday of the week you file, not when the hours were actually cut. So yeah file today if you can to avoid losing any more potential benefit weeks.

same thing happened to me and i waited like 2 months to file thinking it would go back to normal. lost out on a bunch of weeks of benefits i could have gotten. file now for sure

Oh I didn't know about the job search requirement. So even though I'm still working I have to be actively looking for other jobs?

Yeah that threw me off too. The logic is that if you're underemployed you should be looking for full-time work. You can request a waiver in some cases but generally expect to need those 3 activities per week. CalJOBS is where you register and log everything.

wait does that mean you have to document like applying for jobs while still employed? what if your current employer sees that lol

Ha yeah it's a bit awkward. Most people just document things like attending job fairs, updating their resume, networking stuff - doesn't have to be literal applications every single time. There are different qualifying activities.

I literally tried calling EDD yesterday and got the 'we cannot take your call at this time' message three times. I'll check this out, thanks.

is this legit? seems weird to use a third party service just to call edd

Completely understand the skepticism - I felt the same way at first. But yeah it's legitimate, they just handle the hold queue part. You still speak directly to the EDD agent yourself for your actual claim questions. Saved me hours of frustration.

I used it too when my partial claim went into adjudication. Got through to someone in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. Worth it just for the time saved.

That's good to know. I was worried about my employer finding out and it causing problems at work.

It's a legal right to file. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for filing a valid UI claim. If they do that's a whole separate legal issue. Most employers just respond to the EDD notice confirming your employment status and hours, that's it.

my manager tried to give me attitude when she found out i filed and HR shut that down real quick. you have every right to do this

Okay that math is kind of confusing lol but I get the general idea. So the more my hours are cut the bigger my partial benefit?

Exactly. If EDD determines your WBA is say $450/week, and you're earning $396/week from your reduced hours, the formula would give you some partial payment. If your hours got cut even more you'd get more from EDD. It maxes out at your full WBA if you weren't working at all.

To add to this - you can check your estimated WBA when you set up your claim. EDD calculates it based on your base period wages so you'll see an estimate before you're even approved.

Gross earnings not net - that's an important detail thanks. So before taxes?

yes gross, before any deductions. this tripped me up the first couple weeks

same mistake i made at first. reported my take home pay and had to call edd to get it corrected. was stressful

Yes EDD can handle salary reductions too. You'd still report your actual weekly earnings - just your actual reduced salary divided by the number of weeks. Same principle applies. As long as your reduced weekly earnings are below your WBA you can receive partial benefits.

oh interesting. I assumed it was only for hourly workers. gonna look into this now thanks

Salaried employees file the same way. You just report your gross weekly earnings from your paycheck and EDD does the rest. Doesn't matter if you're hourly or salaried.

Yeah my coworker who told me about it had to dig to find that info. It's not obvious at all from the EDD website.

Exactly. The website is a mess to navigate. I spent an hour looking for the right section before I just called them - which took forever btw.

they really need to make this more visible. i bet tons of people who qualify just don't file because they don't realize they can

Oh this is really useful. My employer said the hours cut is 'temporary' but didn't give a timeframe. Would that qualify for standby?

Possibly! The employer usually needs to provide some documentation or statement that they intend to restore hours. I'd call EDD to ask specifically about your situation - they can tell you if standby applies. Just be aware standby isn't guaranteed and EDD makes the call on whether it's warranted.

The standby provision is really helpful for situations like seasonal slowdowns or temporary business dips. If your employer is being genuine about restoring hours it can save you the hassle of job search logging.

I'm definitely going to call EDD and ask about this. The job search thing is awkward while I'm still employed so avoiding it would be great.

How do you even check what your employer reported to EDD? Is that information available to you?

Your award letter will show the wage amounts EDD used to calculate your WBA. Compare those to your own W2s or pay stubs for the same base period quarters. If they don't match you need to contact EDD to dispute it.

This is a really important point. Employer wage reporting errors are more common than people think and they directly affect your benefit amount. Always verify.

okay I tried it and it actually worked. talked to an EDD rep about my salary reduction claim situation and got answers i couldn't find anywhere online. thanks for sharing this

Good to hear it worked for you. I've used it twice now for EDD calls and both times it was way easier than trying to call on my own.

It adjusts automatically when you certify. Each week you report your actual earnings for that specific week, so if your hours drop further your benefit for that week increases accordingly. You don't need to call EDD to report it separately, just certify accurately.

Oh that's great, much simpler than I thought. So the weekly cert is really just report what you actually earned that week and EDD does the math?

Exactly. That's why accurate weekly reporting is so important - it's how EDD determines your benefit for each specific week. Keep your pay stubs so you can verify what you reported.

just make sure you certify on time. if you miss your certification window you have to call EDD to request a late cert and that's a whole pain

That's a different situation than just a business-driven hours reduction. If EDD determines you were partially responsible for the reduction in hours - like the employer cut your hours as a disciplinary measure - they could issue a disqualification. You'd have the right to appeal but it adds complexity to the claim. For a standard business-driven reduction like the OP's situation that shouldn't be an issue.

okay so as long as the hours cut was the employer's business decision and not disciplinary you should be fine?

Generally yes. EDD will contact your employer and ask about the reason for the hours reduction. If employer confirms it was a business decision you're in good shape. If there's any disciplinary angle it gets more complicated and you might want to consult with a worker's rights organization.

Good to know. So one claim can cover the whole spectrum from partial to full unemployment?

Yep exactly. California EDD's system handles both through the same weekly certification process. A lot of people panic and think they need a new claim when they go to zero hours but you don't.

I actually made that mistake and filed a new claim when I went to zero hours. EDD had to merge them and it delayed things. Don't do what I did lol

I've been at this job full time for two years so I assume my base period earnings would be sufficient?

Almost certainly yes. Two years of full-time earnings at $22/hr you'd have more than enough in your base period. The minimum is around $1,300 in your highest quarter, which you'd exceed easily.

yeah base period qualification is rarely the issue for people who've been steadily employed. it's more of a concern for seasonal workers or people who just started a job

Yes, now you wait for EDD to process and approve. Typically 3-5 weeks for a determination. In the meantime, don't start certifying until your claim is approved - you won't be able to anyway through UI Online until it's set up. Once you get your award notice you'll be able to do weekly certifications.

Okay thanks. The site said something about a 'pending' status which I wasn't sure about.

Pending just means they're reviewing it, totally normal. If it goes to adjudication you'll get a notice asking for more information - make sure to respond quickly if that happens because delays in responding can hold up your claim.

So glad Claimyr helped! And great news on the standby status - that makes partial UI so much less stressful when you're still working at your current job.

Awesome update! Standby is ideal for your situation. Just remember it's only approved for up to 8 weeks at a time, so if the hours situation drags on you may need to have it renewed or transition to standard job search requirements.

Good outcome. Make sure to document everything - save that confirmation email, note the date and time you called and what the agent told you about standby. Just in case anything comes up later with your claim you want a paper trail.

Thanks for updating us! Really helpful to see how this played out for someone in the same boat as me.

Great summary. Should be pinned honestly. So many people don't know partial UI is a thing.

agreed this thread has more useful info about partial unemployment than anything on the actual EDD website

Can confirm all of this as someone who just went through it. File early, report accurately, know your options on job search requirements. Good luck to everyone in similar situations!