Can a stay-at-home mom collect unemployment in California EDD?

Thank you so much for breaking this down. So the four years I was home with my kids doesn't count against me at all? That's honestly a relief. I'll start the application tonight.

yeah just file asap waiting only hurts you, edd wont back pay you for weeks you didnt file

One thing to add - when you file, make sure you have your employer's information from the retail store including their EDD account number if possible, your start and end dates, and your earnings. Having this ready speeds up the process considerably.

The 'able and available' part worries me a little. My kids are school age so they're gone during the day, does that count? Or do I need to say I can work any hours?

School-age kids typically means you're available during normal business hours which satisfies the able and available requirement for most jobs. You should be fine as long as you're not restricting yourself to only jobs with very narrow hours.

this is exactly what happened to my sister she was worried about this too but her claim went through fine

Three job search activities per week - ok I didn't know that, I thought it was two. Good to know before I start filing. And I'll check out that Claimyr thing because I already tried calling EDD once and got hung up on.

wait is it 3 or 2 job search activities?? I've been doing 2 and I'm on week 6 of claiming

It's three job search activities per week for most claimants in California. That changed a while back. Make sure your log is accurate going forward.

claimyr is legit I used it when my adjudication was dragging on forever, getting a live person made all the difference

You're right that there's typically a lag. The standard base period excludes the most recent quarter and the quarter before that from when you file. BUT California has an alternate base period option that uses the four most recently completed quarters. So if your recent quarter has more wages, you can request the alternate base period. Definitely worth asking about when you file.

Oh this is super relevant for me too actually. The retail job was mostly in the last 8 months so I want to make sure those months count.

The alternate base period is automatic in California - EDD will check it if you don't qualify under the standard base period. You don't need to separately request it, they calculate both.

lol I know but I'm anxious and need the money so I want to go in prepared

I'd actually push back on just filing blind - understanding your situation beforehand means you can fill out the application accurately and avoid triggering an unnecessary adjudication hold. Being prepared isn't overthinking.

fair point, being prepared is good I just meant dont let fear of maybe not qualifying stop you from filing at all

Good to know. The store definitely closed, it's not like I quit or got fired, so hopefully that part is straightforward.

business closures are the cleanest claims for sure, my friend had the same situation and got approved no problem

what happens if there IS an adjudication though? like does it just mean they're investigating or does it mean you're probably getting denied?

oh ok that actually makes me feel better, I have a claim in adjudication right now for 2 weeks and I thought I was basically denied already

How long does adjudication usually take? I'm hoping to avoid it but want to know what I'm getting into.

Typical adjudication can range from 2-6 weeks but it varies a lot. If yours is going long and you can't get info through UI Online, that's when getting through to a live EDD agent really helps to find out what's going on.

This is so reassuring thank you!! Did you have to do anything special because of the gap or was it just a normal application?

Completely normal application. The gap literally never came up. Just fill out your work history accurately and you'll be fine.

Same experience here. The gap is irrelevant to EDD's calculation. Only the base period wages matter.

No, being a stay-at-home parent is not considered employment for EDD purposes. It generates no wages and no UI tax contributions, so it simply doesn't factor into the unemployment calculation at all - neither positively nor negatively.

ok yeah that makes sense I was just curious

It's actually a surprisingly common question. The short answer is that unpaid domestic work doesn't create any UI wage record, so EDD has nothing to count for it. Your retail job wages are what matter here.

Yes you absolutely must report any earnings when you certify for that week. California uses a partial benefit formula - you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction. Above that, your benefit is reduced dollar for dollar for every dollar over that 25% threshold. So part time work doesn't necessarily kill your benefits, it just reduces them based on what you earn that week.

Oh that's really good to know actually. I might be able to pick up some part time work while job searching. So I'd report it and get a reduced benefit instead of nothing?

Exactly. Just make sure you always report it honestly. Underreporting earnings is what leads to overpayment notices later, and those are a huge headache to deal with.

yeah don't lie about earnings ever, the overpayment penalties are brutal and not worth it

I didn't know about CalJOBS, I'll register there. Does creating a profile count as one of my weekly job search activities?

Creating the initial CalJOBS profile typically counts as one activity in your first week. After that you need ongoing activities each week.

Also worth noting - attending required orientations or workshops that EDD directs you to attend always counts toward your activities and those are mandatory if assigned.

This is why I used Claimyr when I had a question about my benefit amount calculation. You go to claimyr.com and they essentially hold your place in the EDD phone queue and call you back when an agent is available. Saved me from the endless redial nightmare. There's even a video walkthrough at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 if you want to see how it works before trying it.

wait this actually works?? like a real live EDD agent calls you back?

Yes a real EDD agent. Not a callback from Claimyr, they actually get you connected to EDD directly. I was skeptical too but it worked for me.

I'm definitely going to try this if I run into any problems with my claim. The thought of trying to call EDD normally sounds like torture honestly.

Really appreciate this. I want to do everything by the book.

what counts as not being 'available' though? like if I have a doctor appointment one day that week am I not available?

A single doctor appointment doesn't make you unavailable for the week. 'Available' means you're generally ready to accept suitable work during that week - not that you're literally free every single hour. Being briefly unavailable for a few hours is different from being genuinely unavailable to work at all during that week.

No. Unemployment insurance is tied to recent wage-earning employment. If someone has no wages in their base period because they were entirely out of the workforce, there's nothing to file a UI claim against. Unemployment insurance isn't a welfare program - it's insurance funded by employer payroll taxes on your behalf while you were working. No work history, no benefit.

ok that makes sense, like insurance you have to have contributed to it in some form

Exactly right. That's why the OP's retail job is so important - those eight months of wages are what makes her potentially eligible for benefits now.

It was genuinely a closure - the owner retired and just shut the whole thing down. So hopefully no complications there.

That's the cleanest possible scenario for your claim. Should be smooth sailing.

Even if an employer contests, it doesn't automatically mean denial - it triggers a review. But yeah, a true business closure where the employer has no incentive to contest is about as straightforward as it gets.

This is helpful for my specific situation since most of my wages were in the last 6-8 months. Good to know they check both.

I didn't know they check alternate base period automatically, I thought you had to ask for it

It used to work differently but now they compute both and use whichever one qualifies you. It's a consumer protection thing they added.

Seriously try Claimyr - claimyr.com - I know it sounds too good to be true but multiple people in this thread including me have used it successfully to get through to actual EDD agents. The video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 explains it better than I can. It's specifically built for exactly the problem you're describing.

ok fine I'll try it, at this point I have nothing to lose

let us know if it worked!

UPDATE: Actually got connected to an EDD rep within a reasonable time. Cannot believe that worked when literally hours of manual calling got me nothing. Thank you to whoever mentioned this.

Should I be keeping these in a spreadsheet or does EDD have an app or something?

EDD doesn't have a dedicated log app. Most people use a simple spreadsheet or even a Word document. The important thing is the detail, not the format.

I've been keeping mine in the notes app on my phone lol, probably should move it to something more organized

Thank you SO much to everyone in this thread. I filed my claim last night and I feel much more confident about the process now. Will update when I hear something!

Good luck! The EDD process feels overwhelming at first but once you get into the rhythm of certifying every two weeks it becomes routine.

fingers crossed for a quick approval, business closure claims usually move pretty fast

Come back and update us. These success stories help other people in similar situations who find this thread later.