Do I need to report affiliate income under $25/week to EDD? Will it affect my UI benefits?

YES report it! The certification specifically asks if you made ANY money. EDD considers ANY income reportable, no matter how small. I know it seems like overkill for such a small amount, but not reporting it technically counts as fraud. Even though it probably won't affect your weekly benefit amount much (if at all), it's better to be safe than sorry.

i didnt report when i made $30 selling stuff on ebay one time and nothing happened. prob not worth the hassle for small amounts tbh

You absolutely need to report it. Here's how it works: EDD has a formula for partial benefits. The first $25 or 25% of your weekly benefit amount (whichever is greater) doesn't count against you - that's called the earnings disregard. After that, they deduct dollar for dollar. Example: If your weekly benefit is $450 and you earn $23.47, you wouldn't lose any benefits because it's under the $25 disregard! The formula would be: $450 - ($23.47 - $25) = $450 (no reduction). However, if you earned $50, the formula would be: $450 - ($50 - $25) = $425 weekly benefit.

Report it!!! My cousin didn't report some side gig income and got hit with an overpayment notice 8 months later! Now she has to pay back all that money PLUS a penalty. Not worth it!!!

I was in this exact situation last year with my Etsy shop. The rule is ANY income must be reported, but as someone already explained, the first $25 or 25% of your WBA is exempt. So if you're making less than $25/week, you'll report it but your benefits won't be reduced at all. Just make sure you're reporting the income for the week you EARNED it, not when you got paid. That's a common mistake people make. And keep good records of everything.

Trying to reach EDD to ask these kinds of questions is a nightmare. I spent 3 weeks trying to get clarification on reporting my gig work income. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in 20 minutes who explained everything. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The agent told me exactly what others here are saying - report ALL income no matter how small, but the first $25 or 25% of your weekly benefit amount won't reduce your payment.

the whole system is so confusing!! why cant they just make it simple??

One more thing - make sure you're actually counting as self-employed for this affiliate income. You'll need to report it differently than if you're an employee. When you certify, you'll report it as self-employment income. Just thought I'd mention that since it can be confusing.

I went through this with my DoorDash income last year. Called EDD and they confirmed what others are saying here - you must report ALL income but the first $25 or 25% of your weekly benefit amount (whichever is higher) is exempt. So if you're making under $25, your benefit won't change, but you STILL must report it. Better to be honest about small amounts than risk penalties later on. The EDD fraud department is no joke - they can and do cross-reference with tax records.

Just want to add my experience here - I had the same question when I started doing freelance graphic design work while on UI. The key thing I learned is that it's not just about the current week's benefits, it's about protecting your entire claim. Even though reporting small amounts under $25 won't reduce your weekly payment (thanks to the earnings disregard), NOT reporting creates a paper trail issue. When you file taxes next year, that affiliate income will show up on your 1099s. If EDD audits your claim later and sees unreported income on your tax return, they can flag your entire claim period for review. I know it feels like bureaucratic overkill for $20, but think of reporting as insurance against future headaches. The 2 minutes it takes to report during certification is way better than months of dealing with overpayment notices and penalty fees later.

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago with my Amazon affiliate earnings. Here's what I learned from experience: ALWAYS report it, no matter how small. I was making around $15-30 per week and thought about skipping the reporting because it seemed pointless. But I'm so glad I didn't! Here's why: 1. The earnings disregard ($25 or 25% of your WBA) means you likely won't lose ANY benefits for amounts under $25 2. EDD can cross-reference with your tax records later - affiliate programs send 1099s if you earn over $600 per year 3. Not reporting is considered fraud regardless of the amount The certification process is actually pretty straightforward once you get used to it. Just report it as self-employment income for the week you earned it. I kept a simple spreadsheet tracking my weekly affiliate earnings to make certification easier. Trust me, those few extra clicks during certification are worth the peace of mind knowing you're completely compliant with EDD rules!

I'm new to this community but have been lurking and reading through similar questions. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in almost the exact same situation with Shopify affiliate commissions - making around $18-22 per week. Reading everyone's responses has convinced me that reporting is definitely the way to go. The peace of mind knowing I won't have to worry about audits or overpayment notices later is worth way more than the minor inconvenience of reporting small amounts during certification. One question for those who've been through this - when you report affiliate income as self-employment, do you need to provide any additional documentation to EDD, or is just entering the amount during certification sufficient? I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly from the start. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating EDD's confusing system!