Does California EDD unemployment know when you get a job?

Okay that's actually really helpful thank you. So I should keep certifying but report my wages until I no longer qualify? Or do I just stop certifying entirely?

You keep certifying and report all wages earned during each benefit week. EDD will automatically stop paying you once your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount. Once you have consistent full-time income you'll naturally stop qualifying and can stop certifying at that point.

This is correct. The NER system is one of the primary ways EDD cross-checks employment data. They also get W-2 and quarterly wage report data from employers so there are multiple ways they can verify your employment status.

This happens way more than people realize. EDD does quarterly audits of wage records and they WILL catch it. The overpayment + 30% penalty is brutal.

Yeah that's terrifying honestly. Definitely going to do this the right way.

Okay I might try this because I'm a little worried about my specific situation. I worked like 2 days this week so I'm not sure exactly how to report partial week wages.

same I could never get through to EDD on the phone. gonna look into that claimyr thing

Reporting partial week wages is straightforward - you just enter the gross amount you earned during that benefit week, not the net. EDD then calculates whether you're still eligible for partial benefits.

Does this mean EDD can see like real-time when I start a job? Or is there a delay?

The NER report can come in within 20 days of your hire date, so there's a short window but it's not instant. However that doesn't mean you should wait - report your wages every week you certify.

yeah the quarterly wage reports are what gets most people. they think they're safe and then boom overpayment notice months later

Good call. Honestly the overpayment process is so stressful - better to just report correctly from the start.

Yeah same, I had no idea the employer had to report me. Thought it was all on me to self-report.

If your original benefit year is still open you can reopen that claim rather than filing a brand new one. You'd report the wages you earned from the temp job and once you're laid off again you'd restart certifying. If your benefit year has ended you'd file a new claim and they'd calculate a new weekly benefit amount based on your recent earnings.

Okay that makes sense. And my base period wages from the temp job would factor into a new claim right?

They would factor in if you file a new claim after your current benefit year ends. Within the same benefit year you'd just reopen the existing claim.

Worth noting for temp work - make sure the agency or employer gives you a clear separation reason when it ends. 'Lack of work' is the cleanest reason for UI purposes.

Yes you should contact EDD about this. Reporting net instead of gross wages would result in EDD overpaying you because the gross amount is higher. You'd want to get ahead of this before they catch it through wage records. Calling to self-report an error is much better than waiting for them to find it.

Oh no. So how bad is this going to be? Like will they penalize me even if I contact them first?

Self-reporting errors generally results in just an overpayment balance to repay rather than additional fraud penalties. EDD distinguishes between mistakes and intentional fraud. Document that you're calling to correct an unintentional error.

If you're having trouble getting through to EDD to sort this out, try Claimyr at claimyr.com - they help you get through to a live agent. Given your situation you really need to talk to someone directly rather than trying to handle it through the website.

Real talk. And EDD has been investing in fraud detection tech since the pandemic. They're not playing around anymore.

Yeah I'm definitely not trying to get away with anything, I was just confused about the process. Good to know the system is this thorough though.

You can receive partial UI benefits in California. EDD reduces your weekly benefit amount based on earnings. The formula: they subtract 25% of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount, then deduct the rest dollar for dollar. So if your WBA is $400 and you earned $200 in a week, you'd still receive some partial benefits. Once earnings exceed your WBA plus 25% you receive nothing for that week but don't lose your claim entirely.

Okay that makes way more sense. So it's not all-or-nothing.

Correct. This is actually really important for people taking part time work while job searching. You can often still collect partial benefits and should still certify and report accurately.

I had no idea about this partial benefit thing. I turned down some part time gigs thinking I'd lose my benefits. ugh

This is reassuring. So you just naturally phased out of benefits as you earned more?

yep exactly. no drama, no letters, no overpayment. just stopped qualifying organically.

Wait the week earned not the week paid? I might have been doing this wrong. So if my paycheck hits on a Friday but covers the previous week I report it in the previous benefit week?

Correct. Wages are attributed to the week the work was performed, not the pay date. This matters especially for people paid biweekly or monthly.

This is another thing I might have gotten wrong. This is stressing me out. I really need to call EDD.

Honestly for a situation like this where you might have multiple reporting errors, getting a live agent on the phone is really the best move. Claimyr at claimyr.com worked really well for me when I needed to sort out a complicated wages question - the video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows how it works if you're skeptical. Got through in a reasonable amount of time vs. the nightmare of calling directly.

The 'able and available' question relates to whether anything prevented you from working during that benefit week. Accepting a job offer generally doesn't make you unavailable - you're still available, just committed to start on a future date. Once you actually start working you'd report the wages for that week.

Agreed. Accepting an offer doesn't disqualify you from benefits for the weeks before your start date as long as you were genuinely available for work. The disqualification would only kick in from the week you actually began working.

Your claim stays open for your benefit year (12 months from when you filed). If you're laid off again during that period you can reopen the claim and continue collecting from your remaining balance as long as the benefit year hasn't expired. After the benefit year ends the remaining balance goes away even if you haven't used it all.

oh okay so it's not permanent. good to know. appreciate it

yeah found this out the hard way. thought I had weeks saved up and then my benefit year expired before I could use them after a second layoff

So glad you got this resolved! That's really good news about no penalty.

this is really encouraging to hear. EDD agents can actually be helpful when you reach them

Honestly yes. The hardest part was getting through on the phone. Took me about 90 minutes of calling before I got someone.

Does the 8am tip actually work? I've been calling at like 10 or 11 and just getting busy signals.

It's not guaranteed but your odds are better. Call volume builds throughout the day. 8am sharp when lines open is the standard advice.

Even with the 8am trick I sat on hold for over 2 hours before getting cut off twice. Eventually just used Claimyr at claimyr.com and got through without all that. Worth knowing the option exists.

Thanks! Yeah I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything right. I've already certified for this week and reported my wages accurately. Feeling way better about the whole situation now.

congrats on the job! and yeah reporting honestly is so much less stressful than the anxiety of hoping you don't get caught lol

Good point, I wouldn't have thought about that. I'll make sure to keep the account active.

Also make sure your mailing address is updated in your EDD account if you move. Physical mail notices sometimes don't forward properly and missing a deadline on an overpayment appeal or audit request can create huge problems.

This is such good practical advice. EDD will send physical mail for a lot of things even if you have online notifications set up.