Confused about reporting 1099 and multiple W2 jobs from film industry on EDD claim

I worked in entertainment before becoming a full-time editor. Here's how to handle your situation:\n\n1) Only include W2 employers on your initial claim application. Your 1099 work is considered self-employment and doesn't count toward UI eligibility. EDD determines your benefits based on W2 employment only.\n\n2) For multiple projects with the same production company, list the total combined time you worked. Example: If you did 3 projects that were 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 5 weeks, you'd enter 19 weeks total employment with that employer.\n\n3) When certifying, you must report ALL income including 1099 work. For 1099/self-employment income, you report it under self-employment and use your own name and address. Report the gross amount before taxes.\n\nBe very careful with this - many film industry folks get confused and either under-report or over-report income, which can lead to overpayment notices or penalties later.

Thank you so much for breaking this down! One follow-up question - for the W2 employers, do I need to list each individual project as a separate job entry, or just list the production company once with combined dates? The application seems to want specific job info for each entry and I'm not sure how to handle multiple short gigs with the same company.

lol ur overthinking this. just put watever W2s u have on there. the 1099 stuff dosnt count for ur unemployment benifits anway. and the EDD dosnt care about each tiny job, just list the company once

Thanks for responding. I'm worried about getting it wrong since I heard EDD is really strict. I definitely don't want to get flagged for fraud or have to deal with overpayment issues later. So to be clear, I should just list each production company once, even if they issued multiple W2s?

My situation was similar to yours (grip work - mixture of W2/1099). I got totally screwed when I filed my claim because I didn't separate everything correctly. Had to deal with an eligibility interview and they froze my payments for TWO MONTHS while they sorted it out. Make sure you list each unique employer (EIN number) from your W2s. For the employment dates, I just did the first day I ever worked for them to the last day I worked for them in the 18-month base period.

Oh wow, that sounds like a nightmare! So you think I should look at the EIN on each W2 and consider different EINs as different employers even if it's technically the same production company? I'm definitely trying to avoid getting my claim frozen.

I work with entertainment industry clients regularly. Here's the accurate information:\n\n1) List each W2 employer separately with their unique EIN (tax ID number). Production companies often have different legal entities for different productions, so check each W2's EIN carefully.\n\n2) For employment dates, use the first day you worked until the last day you worked for each specific EIN/entity. \n\n3) For certifications, report ALL income from all sources when you worked during a certification period. For 1099 work, report under self-employment using your name/address. Report income in the week you performed the work, not when you were paid.\n\n4) Keep detailed records of all your 1099 work during your claim - dates worked, hours, amounts paid. EDD may request this information.\n\nWith multiple short-term jobs, it's likely EDD will schedule an eligibility interview. This is normal for our industry, and being prepared with documentation will help everything go smoothly.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I didn't realize I needed to check each W2's EIN separately - that makes sense why the application seemed confusing for my situation. I'll gather all that documentation before I complete my application.

OMG I went through this EXACT same thing last year when all my film gigs dried up! The 1099 stuff was such a headache to figure out. When I finally got someone on the phone at EDD (after trying for WEEKS), they told me that for certification purposes I needed to report all 1099 work as self-employment income during the weeks I actually did the work.\n\nThe most confusing part was figuring out which earnings would count toward my benefit amount. Only the W2 wages counted for determining my weekly benefit amount, but then when certifying, all income (including 1099) had to be reported and could reduce my weekly payment.\n\nHonestly, it's almost impossible to get anyone at EDD on the phone to explain this clearly. I tried for ages with no luck.

If you're having trouble reaching EDD by phone, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you get through to an EDD representative much faster than calling on your own. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km\n\nI used it when I had questions about my mixed W2/1099 situation, and it saved me hours of frustration. Was able to speak with someone who actually understood entertainment industry employment and got my claim sorted properly.

Wish I'd known about this last year! I spent literal DAYS trying to get through. Will definitely keep this in mind if I need help again. Thanks!

make sure u calculate ur total hours right. i did film production and they messed up my claim cuz i didnt add up the hours correctly. each project has different hours so u need to add them all up for the same company. and ya the 1099 stuff is different they dont count it for ur benfit amount. so frustraating how edd doesnt explan any of this for us in the industry!!!

Thanks for the tip about hours! I'll definitely double-check all my hours for each employer. Did you have to do an eligibility interview? I'm hearing that's common for entertainment industry workers.

One additional important note: If you've worked both W2 and 1099 jobs, make sure you carefully track which income was which when certifying.\n\nWhen certifying bi-weekly, report your 1099 income according to when you PERFORMED the work (not when you got paid). EDD considers you \

THIS. I messed this up and reported my 1099 income when I got paid (which was weeks after I did the actual work). Got hit with a massive overpayment notice and had to go through the whole appeal process. It was a nightmare.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the detailed advice! I think I understand now:\n\n1) List each W2 employer separately, checking EINs to see if they're truly different entities\n2) For each employer, use the total combined time across all projects\n3) Only W2 wages count for establishing my benefits\n4) When certifying, report ALL income including 1099 work as self-employment, based on when I performed the work\n5) Keep detailed records of everything\n\nI'm going to gather all my paperwork and W2s before starting the application. This community has been incredibly helpful - the EDD website really needs better guidance for those of us with non-traditional employment!

You've got it exactly right! One last tip - when you complete your application, there's a section for additional comments at the end. I recommend briefly explaining your employment situation there (film industry, multiple short-term W2 jobs, mixed with 1099 work). This can help flag to EDD that your employment pattern is normal for your industry. Best of luck with your claim!