Does everyone’s EDD claim start off with a 0 balance and 0 weekly benefit balance? How does that work?

This is incorrect - a 0 balance means you were denied benefits or had an old claim and the new one has not yet been approved/updated. Check the amount on your award letter - if it states 0, this is a denial.

I’ve learned a lot from Ginny’s channel and you were a thankful person who taught me Claimyr so I could get it resolved after speaking with edd thru Claimyr and a local assembly member involved ( I watched when you called Claimyr directly and got through; test call 😏) and I’ve been a subscriber over a year, I guess. When pandemic started. Maybe over 2 years, not sure but I’ve watched every day and asked you on comment when I had edd claim over pandemic. However, I had a different experience with edd claim. I have an exception experience because of Edd’s error over my claim. I first received 0 balance determination award letter and then I thought I was disqualified.  But then 1-2 weeks later, I received both disqualification letter and an award letter showing updated a benefit amount. So that was super mess experience. I got super confused with two different outcome so I called Edd and tier 2 said I’m qualified so disregard a disqualification notice. So I think if claimant doesn’t mind paying claimyr to speak with Edd tier 2, I still believe it’s best to contact to double check if it’s truly disqualified or not or claimant who mind calling Edd may send a message to Edd to double check. I am thankful edd works very hard but I personally don’t trust Edd 100% because they gave me lots of difficult time over their outdated system and mistake. I still remembered every time I speak with them, edd all responded differently on the same day. One agent told me I got no identity issue and everything looks good but the other agent told me I got an identity issue. I am just trying to learn by watching your channels, Shelly’s, other Edd channels, Edd official website, edd tier 2 directly or thru other claimants who are willing to share their story over edd representatives. So I’ve been your fan for Edd’s specialist ( I was a commenter you are better than Edd 😬and you should work for edd) but, I would like to share there was an exception when Edd made a mistake. I thought I was a victim at that time with two different outcomes. Anyway, have a good night…It’s 3 am in the morning. 😬

Thank you Isabella for this clear breakdown! I'm actually going through this right now and was starting to worry when I saw the $0 balance after filing last week. It's reassuring to know this is normal. Quick question - you mentioned to keep certifying even with the $0 showing. Do you certify through the UI Online portal or is there another way? I want to make sure I don't miss anything while waiting for my claim to process. Also, did you receive any confirmation that your certifications were being tracked even before your benefit amount was calculated?

@Isabella Costa This is super helpful! I m'in a similar situation as @Atticus Domingo - filed about 10 days ago and seeing the dreaded $0 balance. I was getting really anxious thinking I did something wrong or got denied immediately. Your timeline breakdown makes so much sense. I have a follow-up question though - when you say keep certifying, "how often" should we be doing that? Is it weekly or bi-weekly? I logged into UI Online and see the certification option but want to make sure I m doing'it at the right intervals. Also, did your $0 balance update all at once or did you see partial updates as they processed your work history? Thanks for sharing your experience - it s way'more reassuring than the vague info on the EDD website!

@Isabella Costa @Atticus Domingo @Mei Zhang Just wanted to jump in here since I went through something similar last year. To answer your questions about certification - yes, you certify through UI Online and it s every two'weeks bi-weekly . The (system)will show you when your next certification is due on your homepage. Even with the $0 balance, your certifications are definitely being tracked - I could see mine listed under Claim History even "before my" benefit amount was calculated. One thing I learned is to pay attention to any messages in your UI Online inbox during this waiting period. Sometimes EDD will request additional documents or information that could delay processing if you miss it. Also, @Mei Zhang to answer your question - in my case the balance updated all at once. One day it was $0, then after about 3 weeks I logged in and boom - there was my full calculated benefit amount and all my pending certifications had been processed for payment. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking but Isabella is right that it s totally normal! Just'stay on top of your bi-weekly certifications and check for any messages from EDD.

@Isabella Costa @Asher Levin This thread has been incredibly helpful! I m a'first-time filer and was really confused about the whole process. Just to clarify one more thing - when you say to keep certifying bi-weekly, does that mean I should be certifying even if I haven t received'my award letter yet? I filed my claim about a week ago and I m seeing'the $0 balance, but I want to make sure I understand the timing correctly. Should I wait for my first certification period to show up in UI Online, or is there something I should be doing proactively? Also, @Asher Levin, when you mention checking the Claim History "- is" that a separate section from where you do the actual certification? I m still'learning to navigate the UI Online interface and want to make sure I m monitoring'everything properly. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so much more helpful than trying to decode the official EDD website!

@Felix Grigori @Isabella Costa @Asher Levin Hey Felix! I just went through this exact same process a few months ago as a first-time filer, so I totally get your confusion. To answer your questions: Yes, you should definitely certify even before getting your award letter! The system will automatically prompt you when it s time -'usually about 2 weeks after you file your initial claim, you ll see a'Certify for Benefits "button appear on" your UI Online homepage. Don t wait for'the award letter, because you want those certifications in the system so you get paid for those weeks once your claim processes. And yes, Claim History is "a separate" section from where you certify. In UI Online, look for a link called Claim History or "Payment History" in "the menu" - it shows all your past certifications and their status like Pending or (Paid "." This "is")where you can see that your certifications are being tracked even with the $0 balance. One tip that really helped me: take screenshots of everything during this waiting period - your $0 balance, your pending certifications, any messages. It helps you track progress and can be useful if you need to call EDD later. The whole process is definitely overwhelming at first, but this community has been a lifesaver for navigating it!

@Amina Diallo @Felix Grigori @Isabella Costa This whole thread has been so reassuring! I m currently in'week 2 of waiting with my $0 balance and was starting to second-guess everything. @Amina Diallo, your tip about taking screenshots is brilliant - I wish I had thought of that from the beginning! One question I haven t seen addressed'yet: has anyone experienced their claim taking longer than the typical 3-4 week timeframe that @Isabella Costa mentioned? I m wondering if there'are certain situations that cause delays, like if you worked in multiple states or had gaps in employment. I worked in both California and Nevada over the past year, so I m curious if that'might complicate things. Also, for those who ve been through this'- did you receive any kind of interim communication from EDD during the processing period, or was it pretty much radio silence until the balance updated? I keep refreshing my UI Online account hoping for some kind of status update, but so far it s just been the'same $0 balance and claim under review message. "Thanks again everyone" for sharing your experiences - it s made this whole'nerve-wracking process so much more manageable knowing others have been through the same thing!

@Ezra Beard @Isabella Costa Great question about multi-state employment! I actually had a similar situation - worked in California and Arizona before filing. In my case, it did add about an extra week to the processing time ended up (being closer to 5 weeks total , but)it wasn t too'much longer than normal. From what I understand, when you ve worked'in multiple states, EDD has to request wage information from the other state s unemployment'system, which can slow things down a bit. The good news is that California usually acts as the coordinating state "if you" re filing'here, so they handle most of the legwork. As for communication during processing - in my experience it was mostly radio silence until the balance updated. The only interim messages I got were automated reminders about continuing to certify. However, I did see some small changes in the UI Online interface that showed progress was being made - like the claim under "review message eventually" changed to something like processing wage "information though I" (can t remember'the exact wording . One)thing that helped me stay sane during the wait was setting up text alerts through UI Online so I d get'notified of any account changes instead of constantly refreshing the page. You can find that option in your account settings!

@Lena Müller @Ezra Beard @Isabella Costa This entire thread has been incredibly valuable - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I m currently in'week 3 of my $0 balance waiting period and feeling much more confident after reading everyone s stories. @Lena'Müller, the text alert tip is genius! I just set that up and it should save me from obsessively checking my account multiple times a day. I m also in'a multi-state situation worked in California (and Texas , so it)s reassuring to'know that 5 weeks is still within the reasonable range. One thing I wanted to add for other newcomers who might be reading this: I called EDD yesterday using one of the methods mentioned earlier in this thread, and the representative confirmed that seeing $0 balance initially is completely standard procedure. She also mentioned that even though the balance shows $0, the system is actively processing in the background and reviewing all submitted wage data. For anyone else in the waiting phase - this community support has been invaluable. The official EDD website and phone system can be really confusing, but hearing real experiences from people who ve successfully navigated'this process makes all the difference. Keep certifying bi-weekly and try to be patient easier said than (done, I know! . From what)I m reading here,'it sounds like most of us do eventually see that balance update!