Can you still get unemployment after 7 months without filing? California EDD question

Wait so I definitely cannot get paid for April through October? Like those months are just gone?

April through last week, yeah, those weeks are gone once you file now. The claim opens on the Sunday of the week you apply and runs for 52 weeks from that date. No retroactive payments for the time you waited.

Same thing happened to a coworker of mine, she waited like 10 weeks and was so upset when she found out she couldn't get back pay for that time. File ASAP is basically the lesson.

That's really helpful, I was worried that because I waited so long my wages would somehow fall off the radar or not count anymore.

Nope, your former employer's payroll records don't disappear. EDD pulls that data from what employers report. Your April layoff wages and everything before it are still in the system.

This is a good point - my claim actually used wages from like 18 months before I filed and it was fine. The base period thing is about timing your claim, not about when you last worked.

Oh that's actually useful because I do have those small freelance weeks to report. So I report what I earned that week even if the client pays me later?

Exactly - week you did the work, not week the payment arrives. That's what the agent told me and I've been doing it that way since.

The 25 or 25% rule is good to know. So on a $450 weekly benefit amount with $200 of freelance income, they'd disregard $50 (the 25% side since it's higher than $25) and subtract the remaining $150, leaving you $300 for that week?

You've got the math right. $200 gross freelance, disregard $50 (25%), subtract $150 from $450, you'd see $300 for that week.

I hadn't heard about CalJOBS at all. What is that exactly, like a job board?

It's a state job board and resource site, yeah, but for unemployment purposes it's more of a registration requirement. You post your resume there and that satisfies the work search registration piece EDD needs.

The notice is called DE 8405. Keep an eye out for it because EDD doesn't send many reminders and you've got 21 days from the date on that form.

Good to know, I definitely want to report everything correctly. Some of my freelance weeks were only like $80-$100 so not huge amounts but I'll make sure I report them.

Those smaller amounts would mostly get absorbed by the disregard rule anyway. $100 gross - $25 disregard = $75 subtracted from your weekly benefit. Still net positive to have both.

Report wages in UI Online lets you log a week's earnings before you certify btw. Useful for checking your numbers before you submit anything.

It was genuinely just random one-off projects, nothing resembling a real business. No clients under contract or anything like that.

Then you're probably fine. The issue comes up more for people who had ongoing clients, a business license, that sort of thing. Random project work is pretty clearly not a business.

EDD does ask about self-employment on the application so just answer honestly about what you were doing. The phone interview, if they schedule one, is where they'd dig into details if needed.

Oh I had no idea about that. So I'd be paid for one week on my first check basically?

Right, your first certification after EDD processes your application covers those two weeks, but only one of them pays out. After that you're certifying every two weeks and both weeks pay if you're eligible.

Took me a full day of googling to figure out the waiting week thing when I saw my first payment. Should be explained way better in EDD's paperwork.

Waiting doesn't reduce your weekly amount at all. EDD calculates it from your highest-paid quarter in the base period, and that number doesn't change based on when you file within your layoff window.

Okay that makes me feel better, I've been putting off filing for about a month myself and was worried I was somehow hurting my rate.

File now, seriously. Every week you delay is a week of benefits you'll never see. The weekly amount stays the same but the total weeks you can collect keep counting down from the date you apply.

How long does it usually take after you apply before that form shows up?

EDD says to expect claim documents in about two weeks, then around three weeks total before the first payment processes. So roughly a three-week wait from application to first money, give or take.

Mine took closer to four weeks because there was a brief identity verification step. ID.me is what they use - if EDD can't verify you automatically you'll get a DE 1326C asking you to go through it.

Is there a deadline on the identity verification? Like do they cancel your claim if you take too long?

EDD doesn't publish a hard deadline from what I've seen but your claim just sits frozen until it's done. The faster you do it the faster everything else moves.

Doing the ID.me verification through the UI Online link in your myEDD account was pretty smooth for me. Took maybe 15 minutes.

No hard deadline like that exists in California. The real consequence is just losing the weeks you don't file for - the claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply, so the later you apply the later your start date. No disqualification just for waiting.

Okay good to know I'll stop spreading that around. I thought it was a rule but maybe I confused it with something else.

Probably confused it with the appeals deadline, which is 30 days from the date on a Notice of Determination. That one is a real hard cutoff. Filing late is just expensive in terms of lost weeks, not a disqualification.

Can you just post like a rough resume or does it need to be really polished?

Honestly mine was pretty basic and it satisfied the requirement. The CalJOBS site (caljobs.ca.gov) walks you through it step by step, it's not complicated.

The resume in CalJOBS just needs to exist and be posted as public. EDD isn't grading it. Get it up and move on.

Is looking for work while still doing some freelance considered available? Like I might keep taking small projects while also applying for jobs.

Generally yes - you can do part-time or freelance work and still be considered available for full-time employment. You just report the earnings and certify honestly that you're looking for work.

The main thing is that if you get called in for a full-time job opportunity you can't be turning it down because of your freelance schedule. Availability means you're genuinely able to accept a job.

How long does pending typically last before something happens?

EDD says about three weeks to process a new application and issue first payment. Pending weeks in Claim History are normal during that window.

If weeks stay pending beyond that initial period it usually means there's an eligibility question EDD is looking into, which is when they'd schedule that phone interview (the DE 4800 notice). Check your mail and your UI Online homepage for the interview date and time if that happens.

Would I get a phone interview just because I did freelance work during the gap months?

Possibly, especially if your application shows self-employment income during the period you're claiming. EDD might want to ask about availability and earnings. Not guaranteed but be ready for it.

Layoffs without complicating factors often skip the phone interview entirely. The freelance work could trigger one though. Either way the DE 4800 tells you everything you need to know if it shows up.

That would be so stressful. Glad you were able to get a straight answer at least.

DE 1446UI - is that the overpayment waiver form? I might need that for a situation on my own claim.

Yeah, that's the Application for Overpayment Waiver. EDD considers it when the overpayment wasn't your fault and repaying would be a real financial hardship. The agent told me EDD weighs both conditions, not just one.

Oh that's really useful to know. So the 52-week benefit year clock matters a lot.

Exactly. The year runs from whenever your claim starts, so filing now means you have until roughly November 2027 within this claim's benefit year. Any new job loss in that window and you reopen rather than refile.

The maximum benefit amount matters too - if you use up all 26 times your weekly rate before the year ends, that's also a cap. Whichever comes first, the year or the max payout.

Good to know, I would have had no idea. Is there a way to change the withholding later or do you decide once?

You choose at each certification whether you want withholding taken out that period. So it's not locked in, you can change it cycle to cycle.

EDD mails a 1099G every January for the prior year's benefits. It's also in UI Online under Payments if you need it before it arrives.

This whole thread has been genuinely helpful, I'm filing tonight. Thanks everyone.

Good luck. Check your mail carefully over the next few weeks for DE 429Z, DE 8405, and anything else that comes from EDD. Don't let anything sit without reading it.

EDD's live chat through the Help button in UI Online is available weekdays from 9 to 2 if you hit any snags during the application. Easier than the phone for quick questions.

I'm going to remember that option if I hit a wall trying to reach EDD after I file.

Does EDD's live chat handle questions like that or does it only do basic stuff?

Chat works for simpler stuff like explaining a status or walking you through a form. Anything involving your actual account - like why weeks are pending or what's flagged - usually needs phone.

I actually let my COBRA lapse because it was costing me more than I could manage. Good to know about Covered California.

Covered California enrollment is worth checking - losing your job or losing COBRA are qualifying events that let you sign up outside the standard open enrollment window.

CalFresh is also an option while your income is low - unemployment benefits count as income for the application but you can still qualify depending on your household. Apply at BenefitsCal or call 1-877-847-3663.