EDD Work Sharing Program: Do you still get reduced pay when hours are cut?

Work Sharing is actually designed so you DON'T take the full financial hit. When your hours are reduced, you receive UI benefits for the percentage of wages you lost. So if your hours are cut by 20%, you'd receive regular pay for the 80% you work, plus UI benefits to partially cover that missing 20%. The UI benefit won't be the full 20%, but it helps offset the reduction. Your employer should be filing the forms with EDD on your behalf - you'll need to complete the weekly certification forms they provide.

I went through Work Sharing in 2023 when my company cut everyone to 4 days a week. Here's how it worked: My normal weekly pay was $1250 and they cut me to $1000 (20% reduction). I got about $112 in weekly UI benefits to offset that $250 loss. So I was making roughly $1112 instead of $1250, which meant I was losing about 11% of my income rather than the full 20%. The exact amount will depend on your wage level and benefit determination. Your HR department should give you specific estimates based on your salary.

@profile5 - No, Work Sharing definitely doesn't guarantee full pay. The program is primarily designed to help EMPLOYERS avoid layoffs while reducing their payroll costs. The benefit to EMPLOYEES is that you keep your job, health insurance, and other benefits while taking a smaller financial hit than being fully laid off. It's a trade-off. One important thing to understand is that there's a weekly certification requirement. Your employer will distribute Work Sharing certification forms that you MUST complete and return on time. These are different from regular UI certifications - don't miss these or you won't get the partial UI benefits!

I tried calling EDD directly to get info about my Work Sharing benefits calculation, but kept getting the "we're experiencing higher than normal call volume" message and couldn't get through for THREE DAYS! Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an EDD agent - they got me through in about 45 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. The agent explained exactly how my Work Sharing benefits would be calculated based on my specific wage history.

The WHOLE SYSTEM is RIGGED against workers!!! I was in Work Sharing last year and they CONSTANTLY messed up my benefits. Some weeks I'd get the right amount, other weeks NOTHING, then suddenly I'd get a RANDOM deposit weeks later with no explanation!!!! EDD can't even run a simple program without screwing it up. And my company used it as an excuse to PERMANENTLY cut our hours even after they started making record profits again!!

does anyone know if u can work a side gig while on work sharing? like if my main job cuts me to 32 hrs can i doordash for extra cash on my day off?

Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I feel much better understanding how this works now. Just to summarize what I've learned for anyone else who finds this thread: 1) Work Sharing means reduced hours AND reduced pay, but UI benefits offset SOME of the lost wages 2) The program primarily helps avoid layoffs while reducing the financial impact 3) Weekly certification forms are required and different from regular UI 4) Benefit amounts vary based on your wage history and reduction percentage 5) You can work other jobs but must report those earnings I'll update after our HR meeting next week if I learn anything else important about how the program works!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that Work Sharing programs typically have a maximum duration - usually 26 weeks in California, though this can be extended during economic downturns. Also, your employer has to meet specific requirements to participate, like demonstrating at least a 10% reduction in business activity. If you're concerned about your company's long-term stability, it might be worth asking HR about their timeline for returning to full hours and what metrics they're using to measure when business conditions improve. This can help you plan your finances better during the Work Sharing period.