Can per diem employees collect unemployment in California EDD?

The base period piece is what I keep wondering about. My hours were all over the place so some quarters were strong and some were basically nothing. Really hoping my highest quarter is enough.

Same worry here. Per diem nursing and my Q2 wages were my highest by far. Keeping fingers crossed that quarter falls in the right window.

The base period math tripped me up too at first. Good to know the agent could actually see which quarter was your highest — that's the kind of specific answer I never get from just reading the EDD website.

Does that documentation actually need to go anywhere official or is it just for my own records in case EDD asks?

Honestly I'd keep a simple log with dates and whether you were available. EDD doesn't have a specific form for it but if there's ever a question about a week you can point to something concrete.

I work per diem in construction and had a gap period where I got zero calls for six weeks. EDD never asked me to submit any log, they just looked at whether I was available and searching. But I had notes just in case.

No real exception — every week you certify you need to be able to work, available for work, and looking for work. EDD's pages don't carve out per diem workers on that point. So you'd still be doing a job search even if you're hoping the hospital starts calling again.

Ugh okay. So I'd have to be applying to other places even if I'm waiting to see if my per diem employer picks back up?

Pretty much. The way I understood it when I was going through something similar is that you can't just sit and wait for one employer to call — you have to show you're genuinely in the market. Though honestly I'd confirm that with EDD directly for your specific situation.

This tripped me up with my per diem position. I thought since my employer might call any day I didn't have to look elsewhere. EDD asked about it during my certification and I had to scramble. Just keep looking while you wait.

Oh wow I had no idea. I haven't gotten that notice yet but I'll be watching for it. What if you don't get one at all?

If EDD doesn't send you the DE 8405 then they're telling you that you don't need to register. But don't assume that — wait to see if it comes before you skip CalJOBS.

The CalJOBS thing caught me off guard too. Got the DE 8405, assumed it was junk mail almost, and nearly blew past the deadline. The 21 days goes fast.

You can still file if your earnings dropped significantly enough that your weekly benefit amount minus what you're earning leaves something to pay. And yes, report every dollar earned in the week you worked the shift, not when the check comes. EDD has an earnings formula — the first $25 or 25 percent of what you made that week (whichever is bigger) doesn't count against you, and the rest comes out of your weekly benefit amount. Full-time work in a week means no benefit for that week, but occasional per diem shifts don't necessarily knock you out.

Okay that actually makes me feel better. I was afraid one random shift would just wipe out the whole week.

The 25 percent offset saved me when I was working sporadic shifts during a claim a few years back. Definitely report everything though — hiding even a small shift is not worth it.

Echoing the report everything point. I've seen people on other forums say they didn't report a small day of work and ended up with an overpayment notice months later. Way more painful than just reporting it upfront.

If the shifts ramp back up to full-time, you'd stop certifying for those weeks because you wouldn't be eligible. But if it's still partial or inconsistent, you'd keep certifying and reporting the wages each week. You don't close the claim unless you want to — it stays open for the full 52-week benefit year.

And if things go dry again partway through the year I can just start certifying again?

If the work stops again while your benefit year is still open, you'd reopen the existing claim through UI Online rather than filing a brand new one. The reopen option is right there in myEDD.

That's not how EDD decides it. Having an official layoff notice isn't a requirement — what matters is whether your work dried up through no fault of yours and whether your base period wages are enough. Plenty of per diem and on-call workers get approved without any formal termination paperwork.

Okay good because I was about to not even bother filing based on what she said. Going to submit my application tonight.

File first, let EDD make the actual call. I almost didn't file for a similar reason and I would have left months of benefits on the table.

New claims generally take around three weeks to process before the first payment comes through. The Pending status in Claim History just means EDD is still working through it — doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong.

Two weeks in and the anxiety is real. I keep refreshing UI Online like that's going to change anything.

The refresh anxiety is universal. At the two-week mark mine still showed pending too and then everything cleared a few days later. The wait is brutal but that timeline sounds normal.

If it goes past four weeks with no notice in the mail and no change in UI Online, that might be the time to actually phone EDD and ask what's holding it up.

A phone interview usually happens when there's a question about why you stopped working — most commonly when someone quit or was fired. If your per diem hours just dried up with no dispute, an interview may not be needed. But if EDD has a question about whether the reduction was voluntary on your part, they'll schedule one. The notice is a DE 4800 and it'll show the date and time on it and also on your UI Online homepage.

Okay so I'm not automatically getting one just because of the per diem setup. Good to know. I'll watch for the DE 4800 just in case.

I didn't get a phone interview with my per diem claim — it just processed. But a friend of mine who also worked per diem did get one because her employer apparently told EDD she had turned down available shifts. So the employer's response makes a difference.

EDD sends the last employer a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Claim Filed — it's the DE 1101CZ — and the employer has 10 days to respond with any information they want EDD to consider. So yes, the hospital will likely know you filed. EDD decides eligibility from both sides, and the employer knowing you filed is just part of the process.

Ugh. I figured as much. Hopefully they just don't respond and move on. I really do want those shifts back someday.

My per diem employer found out I filed and it was fine — they didn't contest it. A lot of employers in industries that use per diem pools expect this to happen when hours drop.

That's honestly reassuring to hear. I had the same worry about burning a bridge but I need income right now.

The DE 429Z shows what your claim is set up to pay based on your base period wages — that number doesn't change once it's issued. If anything on it looks wrong, you'd want to appeal it in writing within 30 days of the mailing date. But the weekly amount on that notice is what you'll receive for eligible weeks.

Okay good. I just want to know the number so I can figure out my budget. The uncertainty while waiting is the worst part of this whole process.

Mine came about two weeks after I applied. The weekly amount was lower than I expected because one of my stronger quarters fell just outside the base period window. Worth double-checking your quarters once you have the form.

Benefits count as federal taxable income, so you'll owe federal tax on whatever you receive. California doesn't tax them at the state level though. When you certify, you can choose to have 10 percent withheld for federal taxes so you're not hit with a bill at the end of the year. EDD also sends a Form 1099G each January, and it shows up in UI Online under Payments.

I had no idea California doesn't tax them. Everyone at my hospital was saying to set aside 25 percent — good to know 10 percent federal withholding through EDD itself is an option.

The federal withholding option saved me a headache when I did a claim a couple years back. Much easier than trying to remember to set money aside yourself.

The wage discrepancy thing worries me because my agency sometimes reports hours in weird ways. Good to know messaging through UI Online with documentation actually works.

Had a similar discrepancy issue and it took forever to sort out. Getting an agent to see the specific problem on the account made all the difference — otherwise you're just guessing at what's holding it up.

Bookm — wait, no. The specifics here are actually helpful. So the agent could see the mismatch right on their end? That would have saved me weeks of wondering.

The calculation is the same for everyone — EDD takes your highest-paid quarter out of the standard base period and uses a formula that produces a weekly amount somewhere between $40 and $450. The type of employment arrangement doesn't change the formula. If the standard base period doesn't get you to a valid claim, EDD automatically checks an alternate base period using the last four completed quarters instead. You don't have to request that.

Wait so EDD does that automatically? I didn't know I could end up on the alternate base period without asking for it.

Yeah it's automatic — they check it only if the standard base period leaves you with not enough wages to qualify. You'd know something was off if you got a denial, but EDD runs the check on its own.

The alternate base period came into play for me after a year of really patchy per diem work. EDD figured it out without me doing anything extra.

Turning down available shifts while claiming unemployment can create an eligibility issue — EDD expects you to be available for work in the weeks you certify. If the employer reported that you declined shifts, that could be what's behind the disqualification. The DE 1080CZ will have an Appeal Form (DE 1000M) with it — you have 30 days from the mailing date to appeal in writing if you think EDD got it wrong.

There was a real reason I couldn't take those shifts — a medical appointment that couldn't be moved. Does that count for anything in an appeal?

The appeal is exactly where you'd lay that out. Write it up clearly, include any documentation you have about why you weren't able to accept those specific shifts, and get it in within the 30-day window. An administrative law judge will hear it.

Keep certifying even while the appeal is going — EDD can only pay back weeks that were certified. Missing certifications during an appeal can cost you those weeks even if you win.

An overpayment notice comes with appeal rights too — 30 days from the mailing date to appeal in writing. If you genuinely reported everything correctly and there was an entry error, lay that out clearly with your records. There's also an overpayment waiver process for cases where the overpayment wasn't your fault and paying it back would be a real hardship — the form is a DE 1446UI.

I do still have all my pay stubs and I remember which weeks I worked. At least I kept everything. This is so stressful.

The documentation you kept is exactly what you need. I went through an overpayment dispute for a similar reason and having dated pay stubs made the difference in showing what actually happened week by week.

Not right at all. Working for a nonprofit doesn't disqualify you from unemployment. Nonprofit employees file and get paid just like workers at any other employer. The 501(c)(3) status affects how the employer pays into the system on their end, but that has nothing to do with whether a worker qualifies for benefits.

Okay that's a relief. I was genuinely starting to believe I was somehow excluded because of where I work.

I work per diem at a nonprofit clinic and filed with no problem. Never came up as an issue.

Seeing this confirmed multiple times in this thread has genuinely made me less anxious about my claim. Filed without an official notice and I feel better about where it stands.

Glad I saw this before I didn't file. Would have walked away from benefits I was entitled to.

Had no idea the live chat was an option. I've been dreading calling. Definitely going to try that window.

The chat window is narrow but I've used it twice. Second time took longer but I still got an actual answer. Way less stressful than the phone.

Used the chat last Friday and it worked. Agent confirmed my CalJOBS registration had been received and cleared a question I had about a pending week. Faster than I expected.

For every week you certify, EDD expects you to have been able and available for work that week. If you marked yourself unavailable to your employer during a week you also certified for unemployment, that's a week where your eligibility could be questioned. EDD's standard is that you need to genuinely be available, not just technically able.

So I shouldn't certify for weeks where I blocked myself off? Even if I could have taken work if something came up?

The honest answer is to only certify for weeks where you were genuinely available. Certifying for weeks you blocked yourself off could create an overpayment situation down the line.

This is actually a common trap with per diem setups. The flexibility that makes per diem appealing is the same flexibility that can complicate unemployment eligibility. Keep it honest week by week.

$387 is actually encouraging to hear for an inconsistent work history. My hours were similarly up and down and I've been expecting the number to be really low.

Float pool work counting fully for unemployment was something I wasn't sure about either. Good to have a real example.

The base period math can work in your favor when you had a really strong quarter even if other quarters were thin. Sounds like you hit the threshold in one good stretch.

Still waiting on my DE 429Z and this gives me hope. Per diem PT and I had a solid Q3 last year. Fingers crossed the math lands somewhere near that range for me.

ID.me is what I'm stuck on right now. Good to know calling can actually give you a status on where the verification stands rather than just waiting and hoping.

The pending limbo without any explanation is the worst. At least you got a real answer about what step it was stuck on.

Three weeks pending with no notice is exactly where I am. Might try to get through to an agent to see if it's the same ID.me thing holding mine up.