EDD and jury duty pay - will unemployment benefits continue during service?

You absolutely need to report jury duty pay when you certify. EDD considers jury duty pay as income, and you must report it for the week you receive it. Your benefits might be reduced for that week depending on how much jury duty pay you receive. Make sure to answer 'Yes' to the question about whether you received any income when certifying, and select 'Other' as the type of income. Also, don't forget to continue looking for work and documenting your job search activities even during jury duty - the work search requirement doesn't go away.

i did jury duty last year on ui. u gotta report the jury money but its so small it barely affected my payment. just put it under "other income" when u certify

I went through this exact situation about 4 months ago. Here's what I learned: 1. You must report jury duty pay when certifying 2. You still need to be available for work - if a job interview conflicts with jury duty, you can usually get excused for the interview 3. You DO need to continue looking for work - I did my job searches online during breaks 4. Being on unemployment isn't grounds for excusal from jury duty in most counties The most important thing is to be honest when certifying. If you don't report the jury duty pay, it could lead to an overpayment issue later which is a bigger headache. In my case, I only served 3 days and the reduction to my benefits was minimal.

check if ur county has a one-day/one-trial system, mine did and i only had to go in for one day and then was done. wasn't worth the hassle of reporting like $15 lol

Having been through this recently, I want to clarify something important: You need to be very specific when reporting jury duty pay on your certification. Select "other" for type of income, enter the exact amount, and the exact days you received payment. And yes, you must continue your work search activities. I actually completed some of my work search requirements in the jury waiting room when we were on breaks - sending emails, applying to jobs on my phone, etc. If you're having trouble getting through to EDD to ask these questions directly, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an EDD rep quickly instead of calling for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It was worth it to get a clear answer from EDD about my specific situation.

When I had jury duty last year, I was freaking out about the same thing! Here's what happened: I reported the jury pay when certifying (around $60 total for the week), and my weekly benefit amount was reduced by that amount. So instead of getting my full $450, I got $390 that week. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to answer the certification questions correctly: - Were you able and available for work? YES (even though you're at jury duty - legally you're still considered available) - Did you look for work? YES (you still have to do this!) - Did you refuse work? NO (unless you actually did) - Did you receive income? YES Then select "other" for the type of income and enter the jury duty pay amount. Oh, and bring your laptop to the courthouse if you can - those waiting periods are perfect for job searching!

Has anyone tried getting excused from jury duty BECAUSE they're on unemployment? I mean seriously, we're supposed to be looking for work full-time, not sitting in a courthouse all day for $15!!! This system makes NO SENSE.

Just to add some clarity: Jury duty payments are considered income because they represent payment for your time. However, jury duty doesn't make you ineligible for benefits. The key is properly reporting any income and continuing to meet all UI requirements (being able, available, and actively seeking work). One more thing: if your jury duty extends for multiple weeks, make sure you continue certifying every two weeks without interruption. Missing certifications can cause bigger problems than properly reporting jury duty income.

I actually just finished serving on a jury last month while on UI! One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you end up on a lengthy trial (mine was 2.5 weeks), you can still do some job searching during lunch breaks and evenings. I kept a running list on my phone of companies I wanted to apply to and would submit applications when I got home each day. Also, some employers are actually impressed when you mention jury duty in interviews - shows civic responsibility. The income reporting was straightforward like others said, just make sure you report it for the correct week when you actually received the payment, not necessarily the week you served. Good luck with your service!

One thing to keep in mind is that jury duty schedules can be unpredictable - you might get called in for selection and then dismissed, or you could end up on a trial that lasts several days. I'd recommend having backup plans for your job search activities. Download job search apps on your phone, bookmark company career pages, and maybe even draft some cover letters in advance so you can quickly customize and send them during breaks or after court hours. Also, if you're worried about your budget, remember that while jury duty pay is minimal, it's still better than nothing, and your UI benefits will only be reduced by the amount you actually receive. The system isn't perfect, but it's manageable if you stay organized and keep up with all the requirements.