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Nia Davis

EDD Address Verification - Which documents actually work in 2025?

I'm in the middle of filing my new UI claim and got stuck at the address verification step. The EDD rep on the phone (after 3 hours waiting!) said I need to submit proof of my address, but wasn't clear about what documents they'll actually accept. Can I just use any bill that has my name and address on it? Like my cell phone bill? Or does it have to be something specific like a utility bill or lease agreement? I'm renting a room from a friend and most bills aren't in my name. Anyone know exactly what documents EDD is accepting for address verification these days? Getting anxious because my claim is already delayed and I really need to get this figured out ASAP.

they dont accept just any bill. has to be official stuff like utility bills, bank statements, car registration, or gov documents like tax forms. cell phone bills usually work tho! i sent in my t-mobile bill and it was fine

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Nia Davis

Author

Thanks for the quick reply! So cell phone bills do work? That's a relief. Did you have to wait long after submitting your phone bill before they verified your address?

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For EDD address verification in 2025, you need to provide one of the following documents that clearly shows your name and current residential address: 1. Utility bill (water, gas, electric, internet, etc.) dated within the last 90 days 2. Mortgage statement or lease/rental agreement 3. Bank or credit card statement dated within the last 90 days 4. Vehicle registration or auto insurance policy 5. State ID or driver's license with current address 6. Property tax statement 7. Cell phone bill (must show physical address, not just mailing address) 8. Official mail from government agencies Since you're renting a room, your situation is common. If bills aren't in your name, you can also submit: - A signed letter from your friend (the primary renter/owner) confirming you live there - PLUS a copy of their utility bill - PLUS some mail addressed to you at that location I recommend uploading multiple forms of verification if possible. The EDD is being extra strict about address verification since the fraud issues of previous years.

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Nia Davis

Author

Thank you so much for this detailed list! I do have my cell phone bill and some mail from my bank. I'll ask my friend for a letter and a copy of the utility bill too just to be safe. This is incredibly helpful.

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i went thru this last month!! such a pain! they rejected my first proof of address cuz it was a screenshot of my electronic bill instead of the PDF version. make sure u submit the FULL document not just the part with ur address. also the date on the document matters - has to be recent (like 60 or 90 days i think

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Nia Davis

Author

Oh wow, I didn't even think about that! I was totally planning to just screenshot the top of my bill with my address. Thank you for the warning - I'll make sure to submit the full PDF!

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The EDD system is RIDICULOUS with their address verification!! They rejected my ConEd bill because it was in my maiden name even though I included my marriage certificate!!! Then rejected my bank statement because it was "too old" (only 4 months). Had to send in 3 DIFFERENT documents before they finally accepted my car registration. The whole time my benefits were on hold and I couldn't pay rent!!! 😡😡😡 Best advice: send MULTIPLE documents at once. Don't waste time trying one at a time because if they reject it, you're back to waiting again.

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omg same!!! they rejected my stuff twice for no reason. the system is broken af

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Nia Davis

Author

That sounds awful! I'm definitely going to submit multiple documents now. I can't afford to have my claim delayed even more. Thank you for sharing your experience even though it sounds like it was horrible.

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I work with EDD claims regularly, and address verification has become much stricter since the new verification system was implemented in January 2025. For your situation (renting a room), here's the best solution: 1. Submit your cell phone bill PDF (must show full billing address and be dated within 90 days) 2. Include a signed and dated letter from your friend stating you rent a room at their address 3. Add a piece of official mail addressed to you at that location (bank statement works well) Make sure ALL documents are complete (not screenshots), clear (300 DPI minimum), and show consistent information. Address format must match EXACTLY across all documents. If you're having trouble reaching EDD to confirm they received your documents, I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an EDD agent in under 20 minutes instead of waiting hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Best of luck with your claim!

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I second Claimyr. Used it twice when my documents got "lost in the system" and I needed to speak to someone ASAP. Worth it to actually get a human on the phone who can tell you exactly what's going on with your claim.

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Nia Davis

Author

Thank you so much for this detailed advice! I'm definitely going to follow these steps exactly. And thanks for the Claimyr suggestion - I just watched their video and might use it if I can't get confirmation that my documents were received. Really appreciate all the help!

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Hey there! Just wanted to add that I was in the EXACT same situation last month - renting a room, no utilities in my name. What worked for me was sending: 1) My cell phone bill 2) A bank statement (even though it was just electronic) 3) My car insurance card I sent all three together through the UI Online portal under "Upload Documents" and labeled it clearly as "Address Verification Documents" in the description field. My claim was processed 4 days later! Also pro tip: call the EDD AFTER you upload to confirm they can see the documents in their system. Sometimes they get uploaded but don't get properly attached to your claim.

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did u have to call the normal edd number for that? i can never get thru!!

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I did have to call the regular number but I called right when they opened at 8am and still waited about 40 minutes. Better than the afternoon when it's impossible to get through!

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Nia Davis

Author

This is so helpful, thank you! I have very similar documents to what you used, so that makes me feel more confident. And great tip about calling to confirm - I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm going to try calling early like you suggested.

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Am I the only one who finds it weird that edd needs address verification now? I filed back in 2023 and never had to do this. Is this something new for 2025? what changed?

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It's not entirely new, but it has become much more stringent since January 2025. The EDD implemented enhanced verification requirements after the state audit revealed over $1.2 billion in potential fraud related to claims filed with unverified addresses. Now they're requiring address verification for nearly all new claims and many continued claims as well.

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ah that makes sense. fraud ruins everything 🙄

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Nia Davis

Author

UPDATE: I wanted to let everyone know what worked for me, in case someone else has the same question. I ended up submitting: 1) My full cell phone bill (PDF) 2) A letter from my friend/landlord 3) A bank statement 4) My car registration I uploaded all of them together through the UI Online portal. Tried calling the next day but couldn't get through. After reading the suggestions here, I used Claimyr and got connected to an EDD rep in about 15 minutes. They confirmed they received my documents and said the address verification should be complete within 5-7 business days. Will update again once my claim is processed. Thanks everyone for all your help!!

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Awesome! That sounds like more than enough documentation. Glad you were able to connect with EDD to confirm they received everything. Hope your claim gets processed quickly!

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nice! ur so organized lol. i bet itll go thru fast with all that proof!

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Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this nightmare recently! I'm also renting a room and had the same issues. What finally worked for me was submitting my Verizon bill + a notarized letter from my roommate stating I live there + a copy of their PG&E bill with my roommate's name on it. The key thing I learned: make sure the letter from your friend is NOTARIZED! I initially sent just a regular signed letter and they rejected it. Once I got it notarized at the bank (free service), it went through no problem. Also heads up - even after they approve your address verification, there might be additional identity verification steps. They asked me for my Social Security card and birth certificate too. The whole process took about 3 weeks total but my benefits were backdated to when I first applied. Good luck! The system is frustrating but you'll get through it!

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I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Been stuck on address verification for 2 weeks. Reading through all these responses is super helpful - I had no idea about some of these requirements like the notarized letter or making sure to submit full PDFs instead of screenshots. Quick question for anyone who's been through this recently - do they send you any kind of confirmation email when they receive your address verification documents? I uploaded mine through the UI Online portal but haven't heard anything back and I'm getting paranoid that they didn't go through properly. Also seeing mixed info about whether the documents need to be within 60 days or 90 days - does anyone know for sure what the current timeframe requirement is? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. This thread is going to save me a lot of trial and error!

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Hey! I just went through this process and can help answer your questions. Unfortunately, EDD doesn't send confirmation emails when you upload documents through the UI Online portal - super frustrating! The only way to confirm they received them is to call and ask an agent to check your file. As for the timeframe, it's definitely 90 days for most documents (utility bills, bank statements, etc.) but I've heard some reps say 60 days, so to be safe I'd stick with documents from the last 60 days if possible. I'd also recommend calling or using one of those callback services like Claimyr that people mentioned earlier to confirm your docs went through. Better to know now than wait weeks only to find out they never received them!

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This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently stuck in the same address verification nightmare - been waiting 2 weeks with no updates. Reading everyone's experiences here has given me so much insight that I wish I had before I submitted my first attempt. I initially just sent in my phone bill thinking that would be enough, but now I realize I need to submit multiple documents together. Going to follow the advice here and resubmit with: 1. My Verizon bill (full PDF) 2. Bank statement from last month 3. Car insurance policy 4. A letter from my roommate (going to get it notarized based on what DeShawn shared) One question for anyone who's been through this - if I already submitted documents once and they're still "under review," should I upload additional documents or wait to see if they reject the first batch? I don't want to confuse the system by having multiple submissions, but I also don't want to wait weeks only to get rejected for insufficient documentation. Also wanted to say thank you to everyone sharing their experiences so openly - dealing with EDD can feel so isolating and frustrating, but this community support makes such a difference. Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone still waiting!

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Hey Isabella! I was in a very similar situation a few weeks ago - submitted just one document initially and then panicked when I read about everyone submitting multiple docs. I ended up calling EDD (used that Claimyr service people mentioned to actually get through) and asked the rep directly. She told me it was totally fine to upload additional supporting documents even while the first batch was under review, and that it would actually help my case since they could review everything together. She said just make sure to label the new upload clearly as "Additional Address Verification Documents" in the description field. I submitted 3 more docs after my initial phone bill and got approved about a week later! Don't wait - definitely add those extra documents now rather than risk a rejection. Good luck!

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Just wanted to jump in and share my recent experience since I literally just got through this address verification process last week! I was in a panic reading horror stories online, but this thread gave me such clear guidance on exactly what to do. My situation was pretty similar to many here - I'm renting a room in a house where the main tenant handles all the utilities. Here's what worked for me: 1. Verizon wireless bill (downloaded the full PDF from my online account) 2. Bank of America checking account statement from February 3. My California vehicle registration (was about 3 months old but still valid) 4. A notarized letter from my housemate who's the primary leaseholder 5. Copy of the PG&E bill in their name to verify the address I uploaded everything through UI Online with the description "Complete Address Verification Package - Room Rental Situation" and then used that Claimyr service the next morning to get through to an EDD rep. She confirmed they could see all 5 documents and said it looked like a strong submission. Got approved exactly 5 business days later! My benefits were backdated to when I first applied, so definitely don't let the delays discourage you. The notarized letter really does seem to be crucial for rental room situations. I got mine done for free at my credit union - took like 5 minutes and the notary said she does tons of these for EDD claims now. To anyone still struggling with this - you WILL get through it! Just make sure to submit comprehensive documentation all at once. This thread seriously saved my sanity! 🙏

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This is exactly what I needed to see! I've been stressing about this for weeks and your step-by-step breakdown is so helpful. I'm in almost the exact same situation - renting a room where utilities aren't in my name. The fact that you got approved in just 5 days with comprehensive documentation gives me so much hope! I'm definitely going to get my letter notarized and follow your approach of uploading everything at once with a clear description. Thanks for sharing your success story - it really helps to know there's light at the end of this tunnel!

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