Can school district substitutes qualify for EDD benefits during summer break?

you probably dont qualify if you have reasonable assurance of returning in the fall. EDD considers that not truly unemployed just on break

As a former substitute myself, I can tell you that it depends on your specific situation. The key is whether you have "reasonable assurance" of returning to work after the break. If you've received any written or verbal confirmation that you'll be on the sub list next year, that could count against you. But if you have no guarantee or assurance of future work, you might qualify. Also important - have you worked exclusively for the school district, or have you had other non-education jobs during the past 18 months? If you have wages from non-education work, you might qualify based on those wages even if your school wages are excluded. I'd recommend applying anyway. Let EDD make the determination rather than excluding yourself.

When I applied after my first year as a sub, EDD denied me because of the "reasonable assurance" thing even though I didn't have a contract!! I appealed and STILL got denied! The whole system is rigged against education workers, honestly. They basically told me that being on the sub list counts as reasonable assurance even though there's NO GUARANTEE of actual work. I spent ALL SUMMER with no income and it was absolutely terrible!!

just apply and see what happens different districts handle this differently and edd rules change all the time

There's a specific provision in California unemployment law that addresses school employees during recess periods. Under CA Unemployment Insurance Code Section 1253.3, school employees may be denied benefits during customary recess periods (like summer break) if they have reasonable assurance of returning after the break. However, as a substitute teacher without guaranteed hours, you might have a case. The key factors EDD will consider: 1. Do you have any written assurance of being on the sub list next year? 2. Is your employment pattern very irregular (some weeks with work, some without)? 3. Do you have any non-school employment during your base period? I'd suggest filing your claim online, being very clear about your substitute status and lack of guaranteed work. If denied, definitely appeal and explain that as a day-to-day substitute, you have no guarantee of work even when school is in session. If you need to reach EDD to discuss your specific situation, I've had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent quickly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It saved me hours of redial frustration when I needed to explain my particular employment situation.

I'm going through almost the same thing but I'm an instructional aide, not a sub. I think we're in the same boat though with the reasonable assurance issue. Has anyone tried applying when they had multiple school jobs? I was a sub AND an after-school program worker - wondering if that changes anything??

my cousin was a sub and got benefits but that was back in 2021 during covid so rules mightve been different then

I successfully got unemployment as a substitute teacher during summer 2024. The key was that I worked for multiple districts without any guarantee of future work. When I applied, I made sure to explicitly state that I had no reasonable assurance of work after summer. I also included that my hours varied significantly week to week even during the school year. The EDD rep told me that was an important distinction.

somebody told me you can qualify if you work for a private school but not public is that true????

Update: I submitted my application yesterday and clearly stated that I have no written guarantee of future work and that my assignments are day-to-day with varying hours. Now I'm just waiting to see what happens. Thanks everyone for the advice!