Does the company that fired you pay unemployment? California EDD explained

That makes so much more sense. So my employer can't just refuse to pay and leave me hanging?

Exactly, your employer doesn't get to decide whether you get paid. EDD decides that after looking at why you were let go. Your former employer gets notified and can respond, but they're not the ones writing you a check either way.

Yep the state fund thing is real, been on unemployment twice and both times it was just EDD depositing to my Money Network card, nothing from my old job directly.

Wait does that mean if they don't respond I automatically get approved?

Not automatically, no. EDD still decides on your eligibility separately. But the employer giving up their shot to respond and appeal is definitely better for you than them actively contesting.

My old company didn't respond to EDD when I filed after getting laid off and it did seem to speed things along honestly, no phone interview or anything.

The hold times have been killing me, I'll look into that. Did the agent say anything about what your employer had submitted?

The agent could see the status on my claim and what was open, but said the actual employer response content gets reviewed during the eligibility determination. Still way more useful than staring at Pending on UI Online with no context.

Going to try it this week, I've been trying to get through about a discrepancy in my wages they used for my weekly amount and the hold music is just on a loop forever.

Your manager was bluffing or just doesn't know how it works. An employer can respond to EDD and explain their side, but EDD makes the actual call. If they claim there was misconduct, they have to back that up. They can't block you from filing or guarantee a denial.

The EDD line on firings is basically: the employer has to show misconduct happened, it's not enough to just say you were fired. So your manager's threat means very little in practice.

That's such a relief, I was genuinely scared to even file because of what he said.

File regardless, always. Worst case EDD decides you don't qualify and you get a Notice of Determination with appeal rights. Never let a manager's words stop you from at least trying.

Performance and misconduct are genuinely different things in how EDD looks at it. Misconduct is more about intentional wrongdoing or deliberately breaking rules, not just not being good enough at a job. That said, EDD decides after hearing both sides, so just be straightforward about what happened in your interview.

Okay that's helpful, I was scared 'fired' meant automatic denial no matter the reason.

Not at all automatic. The reason behind the firing is exactly what the interview is for. Prepare to explain your side clearly and don't volunteer stuff that wasn't asked.

I did see something about CalJOBS when I was going through the application, glad you flagged this. What actually happens if you miss it?

Payments can get held up. I had to call EDD to sort mine out after I missed the window, it was a whole thing. Register as soon as you get that notice and make sure your resume is posted on caljobs.ca.gov.

The 21 days goes fast especially when you're stressed about everything else with a new claim. Set a calendar reminder the day you get that notice.

Wait I made the exact same mistake, I thought that form meant I was good to go and stopped checking UI Online for like a week.

So many people think that. The real signal that you're eligible is EDD actually processing payments for your certified weeks. If there's a problem they send a Notice of Determination, which is different.

Mine showed $310 a week on the DE 429Z, is that the most I'd get or could it change?

That's your weekly benefit amount for the claim — it's based on the highest paid quarter in your base period. It won't go up during the claim, but EDD has a calculator on their site if you want to double-check how they got there before your interview.

I always wondered what that deduction was for, TIL it's not unemployment at all.

Yeah it's a common mix-up. The paystub deduction goes to SDI/PFL, which covers disability leave and bonding with a new baby and stuff like that. Unemployment is on the employer's tax side completely.

EDD looks at your wages in what they call the base period, usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed. Whichever of those quarters had your highest earnings is what they use to figure the weekly amount. If that doesn't give you enough wages for a valid claim, they can look at an alternate base period automatically.

So inconsistent hours could mean a lower amount but I'd still potentially qualify?

Right, the amount is tied to what you actually earned in that high quarter. And the weekly amount runs from $40 to $450. The EDD Unemployment Benefit Calculator on their site can give you an estimate before you get the DE 429Z.

Worth adding — if your wages went up recently, that raise might fall outside the standard base period window, which is just how the timing works. The alternate base period doesn't automatically give you a higher amount if the standard one already makes you eligible.

The reason you were fired affects the eligibility decision — misconduct can disqualify you, but a firing where EDD doesn't find misconduct means you can collect the same as anyone else laid off. Duration is up to 26 weeks generally, based on your claim's maximum benefit amount.

So it's not like fired people get fewer weeks automatically, it's binary eligible or not?

That's basically it. If you're eligible, you get the same structure as anyone else. The firing just determines whether you get through that gate.

Pending at this stage is pretty standard. EDD takes around three weeks just to process a new application and get the first payment out. If there's an eligibility question like a firing, they'll schedule a phone interview and you'll get a DE 4800 notice with the date and time.

Okay so the waiting is just the process, not necessarily something being wrong. How will I know when the interview is scheduled?

The DE 4800 comes in the mail and the interview time also shows up on your UI Online homepage. Keep your phone nearby at that time — the interviewer phones at the scheduled time, so make sure you're reachable.

Also keep certifying in UI Online every two weeks even while everything is pending. If you stop certifying and EDD later approves you, they can only pay weeks you actually certified for.

Probably comes down to which specific quarters each person's base period falls in. If one person started a few months before another, their wage history lines up differently with EDD's quarter calculations. Same hourly rate doesn't mean the same quarterly earnings if the timeframes don't match.

That actually makes sense, one of them had just switched from part-time to full-time fairly recently so her earlier quarters were probably lower.

Unemployment benefits don't show on a credit report and EDD doesn't report your claim status to employers. Standard background checks don't include it. Your cousin is thinking of something else.

That's a relief, was a little nervous to file thinking it would follow me somehow.

Definitely a myth that gets passed around. File without worrying about that piece of it.

Genuinely didn't know you could appeal, I thought a denial was final.

Not at all final. An administrative law judge handles the hearing, you can represent yourself, and you testify under oath about what actually happened. It's a real second look at the decision.

Has anyone here actually won an appeal after being denied for a firing situation?

There are people who've had it go their way, especially when the employer couldn't substantiate a misconduct claim. No one can tell you odds, but the appeal right is real and worth using if you think EDD got it wrong.

The base period timing thing is exactly what caught me off guard too. Good to have an agent confirm it rather than just guessing from what you read online.

Yeah the agent was clear it wasn't an error, just the calendar math. Knowing that made me stop second-guessing whether I needed to do something to fix it.

Every California UI claim has a one-week waiting period, it's just how it works regardless of why you're out of work. It's served on your first eligible week and doesn't reduce the total your claim can pay overall — it just delays the first payment.

Okay so it's not like I lose a week of benefits permanently, I just get paid one week later in practice?

That's the right way to think about it. The maximum benefit amount doesn't shrink because of it.

This is reassuring to read a second time. Filed last week finally and my interview is scheduled. Going to tell my side straightforwardly like others said.

That's the move. Stick to facts, don't exaggerate, don't downplay. The interviewer is trying to get a complete picture, not catch you out.

Mine is in a few days and I'm building exactly that kind of reference sheet right now. Any other specifics you had to recall on the spot?

They asked about my job duties and whether I'd been warned about anything before the termination. Having the HR emails saved on my phone helped me give accurate answers without fumbling.

This is probably the most practically useful thing in this whole thread for me right now honestly. Building that sheet tonight.

Yeah someone did correct that earlier, good to see it said plainly again though. I'd already noted it.

Accurate. EDD's eligibility decision and the employer's right to appeal are two separate things running in parallel. Never assume one means the other.

I haven't gotten any card yet, is it automatic or do I have to request it?

It's automatic — EDD mails it to the address on your claim. Just watch for it in the mail and activate it when it arrives. If your address changed since you filed, update it in myEDD sooner rather than later.

Payment info updates daily in UI Online under Payments too, and you can also check by calling 1-866-333-4606 anytime, that line runs 24 hours.

Hearing from someone where it actually worked out is helpful. How long between your interview and payments starting?

About ten days after the interview my pending weeks flipped and the first payment came through. Faster than I expected honestly.

This whole thread has been genuinely helpful, going into my interview with a lot more confidence than I had a week ago. Thanks everyone.

The identity verification piece is so easy to miss — the ID.me step can hold up payments silently without it being obvious from UI Online.

Exactly, nothing on UI Online told me that was the holdup. The agent was the one who saw it.