Does California EDD unemployment stop automatically when you get a job?

Ok that makes way more sense. So I should still certify for Sunday but just report the days and earnings from my new job accurately?

Exactly. Report every dollar you earned during that benefit week. If your gross earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll get $0 for that week. If they're less, you may still get a partial payment. Just be honest on the certification questions.

This is right. The key word is GROSS earnings, before taxes. People get overpayments all the time because they report net pay instead of gross. Don't make that mistake.

What if I just stop certifying without doing anything? Would that cause problems?

Your claim would just go inactive on its own eventually but it's cleaner to just certify through your last week and report your earnings correctly. That way EDD has a clean record showing you returned to work. Just stopping without certifying CAN work but why risk any confusion later.

i just stopped certifying when i got my job and nothing happened but i know some people get letters asking why they stopped so better to just do it right

This is really helpful, so I can get a partial payment for the days I wasn't working that week?

Potentially yes. EDD uses a formula - they subtract 25% of your weekly benefit amount from your earnings and if your wages still don't exceed your WBA, you get something. But honestly for most full time jobs the first week's wages alone usually wipe out the benefit.

wait this is different than what i was told, i thought you had to report it the FOLLOWING week not the same week you work?? now im confused

You report earnings during the certification week they were EARNED, not received. So if you worked Mon-Sun and your certification week ends Sunday, you report that week's gross wages even if your paycheck doesn't arrive until the following Friday.

Oh interesting, I didn't know there was a service like that. My situation is pretty straightforward but good to know in case something weird comes up.

does that actually work?? ive been trying to reach edd for 3 weeks about a different issue

Yeah it worked for me. I was skeptical at first but after trying to call EDD directly a dozen times and either getting a busy signal or sitting on hold for 2+ hours, it was worth it. The agent I spoke to was actually really helpful once I got through.

I've heard of this service too. It basically navigates the phone queue for you which is honestly the biggest barrier to getting EDD help.

Yikes ok that's kind of scary. But I plan to report honestly so I should be fine right?

Yes if you report honestly you have nothing to worry about. The new hire reporting is actually a protection for you in a way - it creates a paper trail showing your return to work date which EDD can use to verify your claim history if there's ever a question.

this is true, my cousin got an overpayment notice 8 months later because she didnt report going back to work. she had to pay back like $4000

There's no form to fill out to 'close' a California EDD claim. Claims have a benefit year - 12 months from when you opened them. Within that year the claim stays open even if you're working. The benefit just goes to $0 when you report full time wages. This is actually useful because if you got laid off again within the same benefit year, you could reopen the same claim without starting over.

oh that's actually really good to know, i had no idea the claim stays open. so i don't need to call anyone?

Correct. No call needed unless there's a specific issue. Just certify honestly during your return-to-work week and report wages. The claim becomes inactive on its own when you stop certifying or when wages zero out your benefit.

That's a really good cautionary tale, thank you. So basically certify even if you know your wages will result in $0 benefit?

Yes exactly. The certification is how EDD officially documents your return to work in their system. Skipping it leaves a gap they may question later.

ugh the EDD overpayment process is such a nightmare. glad you shared this because i would have made the same mistake

This is the single most important piece of advice in this thread honestly. Do not skip that final certification just because you assume you won't get paid. Document your return to work properly through the system.

Yes! This is a critical point. California EDD asks you to report wages for the week they were EARNED, not when you receive the paycheck. So if you work 40 hours the week of the 14th but your company pays bi-weekly and your check comes on the 28th, you still report those hours and estimated wages for the week of the 14th.

Wait how do I know the exact amount if I haven't gotten a paystub yet though?

Use your hourly rate times hours worked to calculate gross wages for that week. Or if you're salaried, divide annual salary by 52 to get weekly gross. You don't need the actual paystub - just your best calculation of gross wages earned that week.

One thing to add - if you slightly miscalculate, EDD typically works it out and it's not considered fraud as long as you were making a good faith estimate. The important thing is to report, not to get the exact dollar amount perfect down to the cent.

Ha same, glad I posted. Good luck with your job too!

thank you!! starting Monday. fingers crossed EDD doesn't send me any weird letters

This breakdown is exactly what I needed, thank you. My start date is Monday so I'll have a full week of work to report next certification.

What counts as 'working' though? Like if I do orientation on the first day does that count as a day worked?

Yes, orientation counts as working. Any day your employer compensates you for your time is a day worked. If you receive wages for orientation you report those wages.

What about training days where they pay you less than your normal rate?

Still counts as wages earned - report whatever gross amount you were paid for that training day regardless of the hourly rate.

I was on regular UI so the main thread applies to me, but good to know there's a difference for standby situations.

Yeah standby is a whole different situation where EDD is expecting you to return to your original employer so the job search and return-to-work reporting works differently. Regular UI returning to a NEW job is more straightforward.

Oh this is a good point actually. What if my start date gets pushed a week?

Keep certifying honestly. For the week the job was supposed to start but didn't, you were still unemployed and looking. Just don't report wages you didn't actually earn.

This happened to me last year!! My start date got pushed by 2 weeks and I had already told myself I was done with EDD. Almost lost 2 weeks of benefits I was entitled to.

This isn't an overpayment if you certified correctly. If you reported your wages accurately during certification and EDD still sent you money, that's an EDD processing delay not fraud on your part. However you should hold onto that money because they may catch the error and request it back. Don't spend a payment that you're not sure you were entitled to.

That's what I was worried about. So just keep it in my account and wait to see if they catch it?

And if they do send a notice, you can show your certification history to demonstrate you reported honestly. The issue would be on EDD's end.

ALWAYS screenshot your certification confirmations for exactly this reason. Keep records of everything you submitted to EDD.

Unfortunately yes there's a chance you could get a notice. The new hire reporting requirement means EDD may eventually cross-reference and notice your claim went inactive around the same time your new employer reported your hire. If your last few certifications were for weeks you were already working, that could be a problem.

oh no. is there anything I can do proactively?

You might consider consulting with an unemployment benefits attorney or calling EDD to get ahead of it. If you voluntarily disclose before they contact you it may be viewed more favorably than waiting for an overpayment notice. This is a situation where actually getting through to an EDD rep could be really important.

For getting through to EDD on something sensitive like this, Claimyr at claimyr.com is worth looking at. Getting an actual agent on the phone for something that might turn into a dispute is way better than just waiting for a letter. Their video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows you what the service does.

That sounds awful I'm definitely going to just do it right. Thanks for sharing.

Seriously just take the 5 minutes. My situation has required 3 phone calls and 2 written responses to resolve and it's still not fully closed.

Oh good call, my phone number is the same but let me double check my address in UI Online just in case.

Yeah just log into your myEDD account and verify everything is current. Better to do it now before the account goes inactive.

That's really good to know from the employer side of things. Appreciate the confirmation.

so they definitely know when you start a new job?? I thought maybe smaller companies didn't bother with that

All employers are legally required to report new hires regardless of company size. Non-compliance results in fines for the employer. It's primarily used for child support enforcement but the data is shared with EDD as well.

TIL this is the reason my sister got caught when she kept claiming after going back to work. thought she was being sneaky but EDD found out 4 months later

Perfect summary, exactly the direct answer I needed when I first posted. Thank you.

Good luck with the new job! And remember for the first few paychecks, if your hours ever drop below full time for any reason, you can still potentially file for partial benefits within your benefit year.

this is the clearest answer in the whole thread lol should be pinned

My claim has been totally clean thankfully, no adjudication or anything pending. But this is a good warning for others.

Glad your situation is clean! The straightforward advice in this thread should serve you perfectly then. For anyone else reading this with pending issues - the struggle to reach EDD by phone is real, but for complicated situations it's worth exhausting every option to get a live agent. There's a service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that a lot of people in this community have used to actually get through - check out their demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 before giving up on reaching someone.

Wishing I had found this thread before my situation happened last year... going to try Claimyr to proactively reach someone about my issue before EDD contacts me first.

That sounds like the right move. Getting ahead of it is always better than responding to a notice. Good luck.