Do teachers get unemployment the summer - California EDD rules explained

Nothing in writing at all. My supervisor just kind of assumes I'll be back, which I also assume, but nobody has handed me a letter or made any formal offer. Does a verbal 'see you in August' from my principal count?

That verbal stuff is exactly the gray zone EDD has to sort out. The phone interview is where you explain exactly what was and wasn't said to you.

EDD will ask about this during the interview - what specifically was communicated, by whom, and how certain it sounded. 'See you in August' from a principal could be treated as assurance depending on how EDD weighs it. Tell them exactly what happened, word for word.

Super helpful. I'm going to screenshot every text I've ever gotten from my supervisor just in case. The interview notice is showing on my UI Online homepage now and it's next Thursday.

Good call saving those texts. Anything that shows what your employer actually told you about fall is fair game to bring up during the interview.

DE 4800 is the notice for the interview - double check the time on that form and also on your UI Online homepage so you don't miss it. Missing it makes everything harder.

This matches what I went through. My position was classified staff, not a teacher, and I was denied the first time. I appealed it and ended up winning because the 'assurance' I'd received was way too vague to count.

How did the appeals process work for you? I'm already thinking ahead in case I get denied.

EDD sends a Notice of Determination with a denial reason and an Appeal Form (DE 1000M) attached. You have 30 days from the mailing date to appeal in writing. At the hearing, an administrative law judge listens to both sides. I just explained exactly what my supervisor said and didn't say. Keep all your texts and emails from anyone at the school.

The employer's response does carry weight, but it's not automatic. EDD still evaluates what specifically was communicated and whether it rises to the level of genuine assurance. That's exactly why the phone interview exists - to get the claimant's side of the story too.

Yeah I know but good luck getting through to EDD to even ask what's happening with your claim lol. I called like 11 times in one day and got disconnected every single time.

The live chat through the Help button in UI Online actually works sometimes if you're logged in - open from 9 to 2 Monday through Friday. Not perfect but better than the phone roulette some days.

I hadn't thought about that - the idea that EDD's denial might be based on wrong information from my employer. That's genuinely useful, thank you.

Read every word of the Notice of Determination when it comes. If anything in the stated reason doesn't match your actual experience, that's your appeal.

Employer responses to EDD are submitted by HR departments and mistakes happen. You're allowed to dispute their account during the interview and during an appeal hearing.

It covers all the gaps between terms - winter break, spring break, summer, all of it. Any period between academic terms where the school worker has reasonable assurance of returning to work in the following term is affected by this rule.

ugh so i probably couldn't claim for spring break either even though it's only a week

A one-week break is usually too short to even complete a full certification period anyway, since you certify for two-week chunks. Summer is typically where this matters most practically.

I actually hadn't heard about the CalJOBS requirement at all. I'll go set that up today. Is a school-focused resume okay or do they want something more general?

Any resume that reflects your actual work experience is fine. The requirement is just that one is posted and your profile is active - EDD doesn't grade the resume content.

CalJOBS is also worth using beyond the EDD requirement honestly - they list actual job openings and you can connect with an America's Job Center of California if you want help with your search over the summer.

So I'll be paid for one week even though I'm certifying for a two-week period the first time?

Exactly right. First cert covers two weeks, one is the waiting week (no pay), one is your first real paid week. After that you're certifying every two weeks for two paid weeks.

I thought the waiting week counted against your total weeks though? Like your 26 weeks?

Nope, that's a common mix-up. The waiting week doesn't count against your 26 weeks of benefits at all. Your total stays intact.

Mine definitely is conditional - aide positions at our school depend on enrollment numbers each year. So my hours could theoretically change. Does that affect the assurance question?

That's exactly the kind of detail that could weaken what the district claims as 'assurance.' Bring that up during your interview. If the job itself isn't guaranteed at the same terms, that's worth EDD knowing.

Conditional offers are specifically one of the factors EDD looks at. 'You'll probably be back if enrollment holds' is very different from 'your position is confirmed for August 28th.

That's not how EDD looks at it. The question isn't whether summers are expected, it's whether the school worker has reasonable assurance of returning to a position in the next term. If there's no such assurance, benefits can be paid. Plenty of school employees collect unemployment over summer.

okay so it's not like a blanket ban, good to know. i'll tell her she was wrong lol

The 'you knew the schedule' argument doesn't hold up with EDD - what actually matters is the specific communication about your return, not what anyone understood about education in general.

My quarterly wages as an aide are pretty modest so I know I won't be getting anywhere near $450. Even $200 a week would help though.

Whatever you're eligible for, it's worth going through the process. Just make sure you're certifying every two weeks once payments start - you do that through UI Online or by calling the EDD Tele-Cert line.

How long did it take from when you filed the appeal to when you got the decision?

I honestly don't remember the exact weeks - EDD's appeals timelines aren't something I can pin down for you, but it felt like a couple of months. The judge's written decision eventually came in the mail.

Keep certifying the whole time the appeal is pending. EDD can only pay back the weeks you actually certified for. If you stop certifying while you wait, you lose those weeks even if you win.

Pensions from previous employment can factor in. EDD looks at the pension source and makes the call on how it affects benefits. The safe move is always to report it accurately and let EDD do the math.

Does Social Security count as income you have to report? I've seen people say yes and people say no.

Social Security benefits are specifically not deducted from unemployment and you don't report them when certifying. That one's clear. Pensions are different - those get reported and EDD decides how they affect your payment.

Good to know ahead of time. I'll probably set up the withholding since I don't want to owe a lump sum in April.

It's an option you can choose each time during certification. Worth doing if you don't have another way to set aside money for taxes over the summer.

This context is really useful. The employer response to EDD isn't necessarily neutral or just factual - there's an institutional interest in characterizing whatever was said as a firm return offer.

This is making me feel like I should document everything I haven't received in writing, not just what I have. Like, the absence of an official offer letter is itself evidence.

Exactly. The lack of a formal written offer, the conditional language used, the fact that staffing depends on enrollment - all of that tells EDD's interviewer something about how solid the alleged assurance actually was.

This is probably the most practically important tip in this whole thread. Keep certifying no matter what, got it.

Agreed - certifying through the denial and the appeal is essential. Even if you have zero expectation of winning, keep certifying.

' Eventually is generous lol. I sent a message through UI Online and it took 11 days to get a response. By that point'I d already figured it out through othermeans.

Yeah the message response time is not EDD's strong suit. For anything time-sensitive, the phone or chat is better.

My claim had a question about which weeks were still pending from last summer and I ended up talking to an agent through Claimyr - walked away knowing exactly which week the issue was on and what document EDD was still waiting for. Saved me from sending in the wrong thing.

Someone who worked only in California files a California claim even if they've since moved somewhere else. Your wages are still California wages and the claim goes through California EDD. If you worked in California and also in another state within the past 18 months, that's handled differently - you'd file a combined wage claim, which you'd do by phone, fax or mail rather than online.

Okay I only worked in California so it sounds like I'm fine filing through myEDD as usual even with my new address.

Right, just make sure your current address is correct in your profile so your notices and any correspondence reach you.

I did get a small raise this year and was vaguely hoping that would make my benefit higher. Sounds like it probably won't.

Probably not, unless your standard base period wages don't meet the minimum threshold. The DE 429Z that EDD mails you will show the actual calculated amount.

The benefit calculator on edd.ca.gov can give you a rough estimate if you have your quarterly earnings from your pay stubs or W-2. Worth running through before the DE 429Z arrives just so the number isn't a surprise.

This is something I honestly wasn't thinking about. I was sort of planning to just wait the summer out. I should actually be applying for things?

You have to be genuinely able and available, yes. EDD doesn't publish a specific number of contacts required - just that you're actively looking each week. Keeping your own notes on where you apply is a good habit.

Summer school positions, tutoring programs, childcare, district office work - there are actually often education-adjacent openings in summer that make sense to apply to if you're in that field.

Any weeks you work during an open claim, you report what you earned for those weeks. If you go back to work in August and earn wages, those get reported during certification for those weeks. The benefit amount for weeks you work gets reduced based on how much you earned, and full-time work means no benefit that week. Report wages for the week they were earned.

okay and the report wages thing in ui online, do you do that before you certify?

Report Wages in UI Online is for looking at how wages in a specific week would affect your payment before you certify - it doesn't actually replace the certifying step or change weeks that are already submitted. When you're certifying, you answer the wage questions right there in the certification itself.

That's exactly the kind of information that would calm me down. Knowing whether the hold-up is on my end or EDD's end makes a huge difference.

Pending in Claim History just means EDD is working on something - could be identity, wages, eligibility, anything. Knowing which one it is at least tells you whether you're waiting or whether you need to act.

That's a really important distinction. I would have assumed that form was my approval. Good to know I shouldn't treat it that way until after the interview.

EDD doesn't send a letter saying 'you're approved' - you find out by either getting paid or by receiving a Notice of Determination. If the determination says you're disqualified, that's when you decide whether to appeal.

The 30-day clock to appeal starts from the mailing date on the Notice of Determination, not from when you receive it. Open your mail the day it comes if you're in the middle of a determination.