Can I temporarily pause my EDD claim during short-term freelance work?

You don't need to pause or close your claim! Just report your earnings honestly when you certify for those weeks you're working. If you earn too much in a week, you'll get $0 for that week, but your claim stays open. Then when your gig ends, you just certify as usual showing no income, and your payments will resume automatically (assuming you still have benefits remaining in your benefit year). Just make sure you keep certifying EVERY two weeks, even for weeks you work. If you stop certifying, your claim can go inactive after 2 weeks of no certification.

WRONG! I did this last year and it was a NIGHTMARE. EDD flagged my account for "income verification" when I started reporting earnings again and my payments got stuck in pending for like 2 months!!! They said I needed to do a phone interview to confirm my work ended, but could never get through to anyone. Total disaster. Be careful with this!!

the key thing is that u need 2 report ALL ur earnings during the week u worked (not when u get paid). so if u work mon-fri but dont get paid til the following friday, u still report those hours for the week u actually did the work. i made this mistake once and got a letter about potential fraud lol

To expand on what others have mentioned, when you certify for weeks with freelance work, you'll need to answer "yes" to the question about whether you worked, and then provide the following details: 1. Total gross earnings (before taxes) for that week 2. The hours you worked 3. The name of your employer/client If your weekly earnings exceed your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA), you'll receive $0 for that week, but your claim stays active. If you earn less than your WBA, you may receive partial benefits calculated with this formula: Weekly benefit - (earnings minus $25). Also important: You must continue to be able and available for full-time work and actively seeking work during weeks you're certifying, even while doing your freelance gig.

I had something simular happen last year with seasonal work. When it ended I couldnt get ahold of anyone at EDD for weeks!!! Kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and getting disconnected. My roomate told me about this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual EDD rep in like 20 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com. It was a lifesaver when I needed to explain my work situation changes.

Make sure you understand how your freelance earnings will affect your claim. If you're paid as a 1099 contractor, you'll report gross earnings before any expenses. If your freelance work is irregular (like some days full-time, some days nothing), report the hours and earnings for the specific days worked within each certification week. Also, important note: California's benefit year is 12 months from when you first applied. As long as you're still within that year, your claim stays open even if you don't certify for a while (though it becomes inactive after 2 weeks of no certification). Just remember that you only get a maximum of 26 weeks of benefits during that 12-month period, so if your gig doesn't work out, you'll still have whatever weeks you haven't used yet.

honestly the easiest thing is just keep certifying every 2 weeks no matter what. even if youre making too much money to get benefits during your freelance gig, just report it all accurately. the system will figure it out and youll get whatever youre eligible for. then when the gig ends your regular benefits pick back up automatically. its actually way simpler than most people think!

One thing to keep in mind is that if your freelance work is in the same field as your regular job search (design), it actually strengthens your case with EDD since you're staying active in your profession. When you certify, you can mention that the freelance work is helping you maintain your skills while you look for permanent employment. Also, make sure to keep good records of your hours and earnings for each week - take screenshots of your certifications showing the reported income in case you need to reference them later. The system usually handles these temporary work situations smoothly as long as you're transparent about everything.

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation last year! I was on UI and got a 5-week contract gig. I kept certifying every two weeks and reported all my earnings honestly. For the weeks I worked full-time, I got $0 in benefits, but my claim stayed active. When the contract ended, I just went back to certifying with no income and my regular payments resumed immediately - no delays, no interviews, nothing. The key is really just being consistent with your bi-weekly certifications and accurate with your income reporting. Don't overthink it! The system is actually designed to handle temporary work situations like this pretty smoothly.

Just to add another perspective - I've done this multiple times over the past two years with various short-term contracts and gigs. The process really is as straightforward as everyone's saying. Keep certifying every two weeks, report your earnings accurately, and don't stress about it. One tip I learned: when you're reporting your work hours, make sure you're counting ALL hours worked that week, including prep time, revisions, client meetings, etc. EDD wants the total hours you spent on the work, not just "billable" hours. Also, if your freelance rate is high enough that even part-time hours put you over your weekly benefit amount, you might get $0 for some weeks - that's totally normal and your claim will still be there when the gig ends. Good luck with your project!

Hey everyone! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in since I'm in a very similar situation. I've been on unemployment for about 2 months after my marketing job was eliminated, and I just got offered a 6-week consulting project that would start in a couple weeks. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I was also worried about "pausing" vs closing my claim, but it sounds like the system is actually set up to handle these temporary work situations pretty well. The consensus seems to be: keep certifying every two weeks, report earnings honestly, and don't overthink it. I'm definitely going to bookmark that Claimyr service someone mentioned just in case I run into any issues down the road. Thanks for all the detailed advice everyone - this thread probably saved me hours of stress and research!

Just wanted to share my experience as another data point! I'm a freelance graphic designer who was on UI last year and took several short-term projects ranging from 2-8 weeks. The process really is as simple as everyone's describing - I kept certifying biweekly and reported all my project income honestly. Never had any issues with payments resuming when projects ended. One thing I learned: if you're working variable hours (like some weeks 40 hours, some weeks 10 hours), just report exactly what you worked that certification week. The partial benefit calculation actually worked out pretty well for lighter work weeks. Also, since you're in design like me, definitely frame your freelance work as staying current in your field when you certify - it shows you're actively maintaining your professional skills while job searching. Don't stress about it, the system handles this stuff way better than the horror stories make it sound!

I'm going through something similar right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been on UI for about 4 months after my tech job was eliminated, and I just got offered a 3-week contract that pays really well but I was terrified about messing up my benefits. Reading everyone's experiences here has put my mind at ease - it sounds like as long as I keep certifying every two weeks and report my earnings honestly, the system will handle everything automatically. I especially appreciate the advice about counting ALL work hours (not just billable ones) and documenting everything with screenshots. It's amazing how much clearer this all seems when you hear from people who've actually been through it rather than trying to decipher EDD's website! Definitely saving this thread for reference and will keep that Claimyr service in my back pocket just in case. Thanks everyone for sharing your real-world experiences!

This thread has been such a goldmine of information! I'm a web developer who just got laid off last month and started my UI claim. I was actually turning down small freelance projects because I was scared they'd mess up my benefits, but after reading all these experiences, I realize I was being way too cautious. The key takeaways seem to be: 1) Keep certifying every two weeks no matter what, 2) Report ALL earnings and hours honestly, 3) The system automatically calculates partial benefits or $0 if you earn too much, and 4) Your claim stays active throughout. It's so helpful to see that multiple people have gone through this successfully without any major issues. I'm definitely going to start taking on some of these smaller gigs now that I understand the process better. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical advice you can't find on the official EDD website!

I'm a freelance photographer who went through this exact situation twice last year! Both times I had 4-6 week gigs while on UI, and the process was exactly as everyone described - keep certifying every two weeks and report your earnings honestly. The system handled everything automatically. One additional tip I'd add: if your freelance work involves equipment expenses (like if you need to rent gear), you still report your GROSS earnings before any business expenses when certifying. Don't try to deduct expenses on your certification - that can trigger reviews. Save expense documentation for tax time instead. Also, since you mentioned it's design work, definitely emphasize in your certifications that you're maintaining professional skills in your field. EDD actually views this positively as part of your overall job search strategy. You've got this - the system really is designed to handle temporary work situations smoothly!