Can I reapply for California EDD unemployment after my benefits end?

Thank you! So they look at a completely new time period of wages? Does the part time work I did count even if it wasn't a full time job?

Yes any W2 wages count toward your base period, part time included. As long as the total meets the minimum earnings threshold you should be fine. The standard base period covers the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file.

How long did it take for your second claim to get approved? I'm worried about a gap in income while waiting.

mine took about 3 weeks from filing to first payment. there was a one week unpaid waiting period at the start which is standard for california edd claims

Ugh adjudication sounds stressful. Did you have to submit any documents to prove the contract ended?

They asked me for the contract end date and my last employer's contact info. Nothing too complicated. And yeah the phone situation with EDD is genuinely awful without some kind of help getting through.

second the claimyr recommendation. i was calling edd for literally a week straight before i used it. got connected within a couple hours

Your cousin is partially right but also wrong. The 26 weeks is the maximum for a SINGLE benefit year claim. But you can absolutely file new claims in future benefit years as long as you have qualifying wages in the new base period. It's not a lifetime limit.

ohhhh okay that makes way more sense. so basically as long as you keep working some you keep rebuilding your eligibility

Exactly. That's the whole point of the system - you pay into it through your wages and you can draw from it when needed. The key requirement is just having sufficient wages in the new base period when you refile.

Same, this thread has been really helpful. Let me know if your new claim goes through!

will do! fingers crossed for both of us

This is really detailed, thank you! I probably made around $4,000 in part time work between my two periods of unemployment. Does that sound like it would be enough?

Based on what you've described that sounds like it could work depending on how it's distributed across quarters. When you file EDD will calculate it and tell you if you have a valid claim. The system is pretty transparent about what wages they found.

the alternate base period thing saved me once. I didn't have enough in my standard base period because I'd been doing temp work but the alternate one captured my most recent wages and I qualified. definitely worth knowing about

You can file the day after technically but you need to make sure you meet the wage requirements first. California EDD doesn't make you wait some arbitrary number of months before filing a new claim - it's based purely on whether you have qualifying wages in the base period, not how recently you had a claim.

nice okay that's good to know. my claim is ending next week and I've been wondering about this

Oh good call, I actually did switch banks recently. I'll make sure to update that before the first payment.

this is a really good practical tip that nobody ever mentions, thank you

Great question. Your CalJOBS registration doesn't expire so if you registered during your first claim it should still be active. However when you start a new claim you're expected to be actively conducting job searches again - typically 3 job search activities per week in California. Make sure you're keeping a log because EDD can audit this. Your old CalJOBS account is still valid though, just log back in and update your resume.

okay so i dont have to redo all the registration stuff just make sure im actually doing the job searches and logging them

Correct. The job search requirement is ongoing and real - EDD does send questionnaires asking about your activities. Just document everything as you go.

That's encouraging to hear, hoping mine goes that smoothly too

just make sure you answer all the questions on the initial claim form carefully especially about why you left your most recent job. that's usually where things get complicated

Adjudication basically means EDD needs to investigate something about your claim before approving it. Common triggers are if you left your last job voluntarily, if there's a dispute with your employer about the reason you're no longer working, or if your situation is unusual. The timeline varies a lot - I've seen people get through it in 2 weeks and others wait 2 months.

ugh two months?? how are you supposed to pay bills during that

I know it's brutal. The best thing you can do is keep filing your weekly certifications even while in adjudication - that way if you're approved the back payments come through. And if you need to actually talk to someone about what's holding things up, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to EDD. The regular phone line is nearly impossible. There's a demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 showing how it works.

keeping your weekly certifications current during adjudication is SO important, this should be rule number one. i knew someone who stopped filing thinking there was no point and then lost all the backpay when they were eventually approved

I'm pretty sure my benefit year ended, not just the 26 weeks. How do I confirm that on UI Online?

Log into UI Online and look at your claim details - it should show your benefit year start and end date and how many weeks/dollars you have remaining. If the benefit year end date has passed and your balance is $0, you're clear to refile a new claim.

Just checked and yes, benefit year ended two weeks ago and balance is zero. So I'm good to file new. Thank you for clarifying this!

Your ID.me verification should persist and not need to be redone unless it expired or there was some security flag on your account. When you log into UI Online it will prompt you if reverification is needed. Some people do have to redo it if they haven't logged in for a long time.

ok good because that process was a nightmare the first time lol

does claimyr actually work or does it just put you on hold the same way

it's different - from what I understand they navigate the automated system and queue for you rather than you sitting on hold yourself. I got a callback when an agent was available instead of sitting with the phone to my ear for hours

can confirm it works. edd phone system is basically designed to frustrate you into giving up, having something that handles the navigation is genuinely useful

This is really helpful to hear, especially about the benefit amount potentially being different. I had no idea it could go up.

Yeah the weekly benefit amount is recalculated based on whatever wages are in your new base period. So if your most recent employment paid more than what you earned back when you first filed, you could end up with a higher weekly amount.

this is actually really good news for me because my wages went up since my first claim

You don't need to wait for a letter. If you know your benefit year has ended and your balance is zero you can just file a new claim through UI Online whenever you're ready. The letters from EDD sometimes take a while anyway.

ok cool thanks, gonna do it now

This is a really important distinction, thank you. My situation was definitely a contract ending, not quitting.

Then you should be fine! Just make sure you use that language on the claim form. EDD's system is very sensitive to how you characterize your separation reason.

I made this mistake on my first claim and it caused a month long adjudication. wish i had known this going in

You can potentially still file and receive partial benefits depending on your weekly earnings. California EDD has earnings rules where they disregard the first $25 or 25% of your weekly earnings (whichever is greater) and then reduce your weekly benefit dollar for dollar beyond that. If your part time income is low enough you might still get some weekly benefit. But you'd need to have qualifying wages in your base period first obviously.

okay so it's not automatically disqualifying if i'm working a little. that's good to know

Right, the system is designed to encourage partial employment. Just make sure you report ALL earnings every week on your certification. Unreported wages are how people end up with overpayment notices.

Great news! Make sure you start filing your weekly certifications starting the Sunday after you filed, even before you get your determination letter. That way your weeks are certified and ready when your claim is approved.

Really? I can file weekly certifications before the claim is even approved?

Yes! You should. It's actually really important to do this. Your weeks won't be paid until approval but once approved all the certified weeks get paid out. If you wait until approval to start certifying you lose those weeks.

good luck! please do update us