Can you receive unemployment if you are fired? My California EDD claim just got flagged

So I should definitely do the interview when they schedule it? I was nervous about saying the wrong thing.

Absolutely go to it. The date and time will be on a notice EDD mails you — a DE 4800 — and also on your UI Online homepage. Keep your phone with you at that time because the interviewer phones at the time listed. If you miss it, phone EDD that same day at 1-800-300-5616 or they'll just decide from whatever your employer told them.

The notice also tells you what questions they're likely to ask, which helps a lot to prepare.

Just Pending on every week I've certified so far, nothing else showing. No letters in the mail yet either except the DE 429Z that showed my weekly amount.

The DE 429Z showing up is a good sign — that just means your claim is set up and your weekly amount is calculated. The Pending weeks are because they need to settle the question about why you were fired first. Hang tight for the interview notice.

Same thing happened to me, those pending weeks drove me crazy but it resolved once my interview happened.

Wait so the interview date was actually visible in UI Online the whole time and you just missed it? I'm going to log in right now and look more carefully at my homepage.

Exactly. It wasn't obvious, it was just kind of sitting there below the main stuff. Easy to scroll past.

Good to know that date shows up there. I've been watching my mail and panicking every day it doesn't come.

The DE 4800 notice in the mail has all the details too, including what they'll probably ask you. Both places should have it.

okay but what even counts as misconduct though, like does showing up late once count

EDD's words on this are basically that the employer has to prove there was misconduct — they don't spell out a specific list of what qualifies. That's part of why the phone interview exists, so both sides can tell their version. One late arrival probably isn't going to cut it as misconduct.

My ex-employer claimed 'policy violations' and EDD still approved me after the interview. The interview is really where it gets decided.

This is really helpful, I'm going to write down my timeline tonight. Do I need to have anything like paystubs ready for the interview?

I didn't need paystubs for mine — it was more about explaining what happened. But having your dates straight, like your first day, any incidents they might bring up, and your last day, makes answering their questions much easier.

I brought a whole folder of stuff to my interview and they didn't ask for any of it lol. Notes on what actually happened were way more useful.

this is so important i almost stopped certifying because nothing was happening and my friend told me to keep going, would have been a disaster

Exactly, and when my claim finally resolved they paid out all the pending weeks at once because I'd certified through the whole waiting period. If I'd stopped I would've lost those weeks entirely.

The app makes it easy to remember, I set a reminder on my phone for every two weeks on the same day.

Okay I'm definitely not stopping, I've been certifying every cycle. Good to know it matters even when everything says Pending.

I haven't gotten that notice yet, is it separate from the DE 4800?

Yes, completely separate. The DE 8405 is specifically about CalJOBS registration and it'll say what date you need to do it by. The CalJOBS site is caljobs.ca.gov. Some people don't have to do it and EDD will tell you if you're one of them, but watch for that letter.

I got mine like two weeks after filing. Had to upload a resume which was kind of annoying but it only took like 15 minutes once I had my resume ready.

That's right. If the employer doesn't respond to EDD's notice within the time they're given, they lose their chance to appeal EDD's decision later. But EDD still reviews everything on their end before making a determination either way.

Exactly. So don't assume silence from your employer means you're in the clear. The interview and EDD's review still happen.

did the agent say anything about what your employer told them or is that confidential

She said she could see that my employer had responded but couldn't share what they said. What she did tell me was that the interview was my chance to give my side, and that EDD would look at both when making their determination.

This is reassuring, honestly. I keep imagining EDD just taking my employer's word for it but it sounds like they actually do hear both sides.

wait so if you get approved theres no letter? how do you know its actually approved

Your UI Online Claim History will update and payments will start showing instead of Pending. That's how you know. The DE 429Z you got when you first filed showed your weekly benefit amount — once you're approved that's what starts getting paid for each certified week.

I refreshed UI Online about fifty times a day during this period lol. Payments posted for me within 24 hours of the determination going through.

Oh that's a really good point, I wouldn't have thought about the mailing date vs when I actually got it.

It matters a lot. I got my notice three days after the mailing date so I technically had 27 days left, not 30. File as soon as you can.

Can you just send a regular letter for the appeal or does it have to be the specific form

Either works — you can use the DE 1000M that comes with the denial, or write your own letter. It just has to be in writing and mailed to the address printed on the notice.

No real way to speed up EDD's review itself. What you can do is make sure you haven't missed anything on your end — the CalJOBS registration if you got the DE 8405, your certifications every two weeks, and your identity verification through ID.me if EDD asked for it. Sometimes delays happen because something is waiting on the claimant and they don't realize it.

oh i didn't know id.me was separate, i thought that was part of filing. good to know

I haven't gotten mine yet but I'll read it really carefully when it shows up. Good tip about that specific section.

The questions are tailored to your situation — mine were specifically about why my employer said I was fired versus what I said happened. It's not random, they know the dispute going in.

wait they tax unemployment? that feels wrong

Federal government taxes it, yes. California doesn't — it's exempt from state income tax. So you won't owe California anything on it, but you might owe federal depending on your situation. The withholding option at certification is there if you want to handle it as you go.

I opted for the 10 percent withholding from the start and it was the right call, made tax season way less painful.

My employer might try something similar since they never documented any of their complaints. I'll make sure to be clear and specific about what was actually said when they let me go.

Be specific with dates and conversations if you can. 'He told me on this date that I was being let go effective immediately and gave no written reason' is way more useful than just 'they fired me.

Notes really are your best friend going into that call. Even just a timeline written on paper helps you stay on track when you're nervous.

i didn't know you could get both at the same time

CalFresh treats unemployment benefits as income for the application, so it doesn't automatically disqualify you — the county determines what you're eligible for based on your situation. Worth applying for if things are tight while you wait on EDD.

211 is also good for finding other local help if you need something faster while EDD sorts itself out.

That's honestly really good to hear. Five weeks total from interview to resolution, was that pretty typical?

I honestly don't know what's typical — mine felt long but I've seen people say two weeks and others say longer. Everyone's situation seems to be a little different depending on what the employer says and how backed up EDD is.

Eight months of history is a lot to remember off the top of your head during a stressful call. Writing it down sounds like a smart move, I'm going to do that this week.

Even rough notes are better than nothing. Dates especially — if you can say 'from this month to this month I had no issues and no written discipline' that's a concrete thing the interviewer can note.

EDD bases your weekly benefit amount on wages from your base period, which covers roughly the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. For the question of why you're out of work, they look at your most recent employer — but if the reason you left a previous employer is relevant they may ask about it. The main focus is the job you just left.

okay so the fact that i quit the first one might not come up? i left that one for legit reasons

If you quit the job before the most recent one, EDD's main concern is the most recent separation — the firing. The earlier quit would only come up if EDD was looking at a combined wage situation or if you were reapplying after that quit. For a standard claim after a firing, the recent one is what matters most.

got it thanks, was stressing about that

I didn't get severance but good to know that's a thing to report if someone does. I wouldn't have thought to ask about it.

Yeah, the certification asks about all wages and income for each week — EDD's list includes severance, vacation pay, holiday pay, all of it. When in doubt, report it. EDD figures out what it means.

Oh wow, I would have never thought to ask specifically about identity verification steps. I thought that was a one-time thing.

Turns out there can be more than one step depending on how EDD processed your application. Worth asking if your claim is stuck and you can't figure out why.

i should check if i have a letter like that sitting around, i don't always open everything right away

Hopefully it doesn't come to that but good to know it's not like a courtroom drama situation.

Not at all. It's usually done by phone now and it's structured but not aggressive. The judge just wants to understand what happened.

If you do end up at a hearing, keep certifying through the whole thing. That's really important — if you win on appeal, EDD can only pay weeks you actually certified for.