EDD approved UI claim showing 'waiting period served' - Is this normal with vacation payout?
My husband lost his job on March 29th and just got his unemployment claim approved, but it has a start date of 4/14/24 instead of when he actually became unemployed. We're confused because when we certified, there's nothing available before 4/14, and the week of 4/14-4/20 shows 'waiting period served' with no payment. Is this normal? He did receive 2 weeks of vacation payout in his final check - could that be why there's this gap between his last day and when benefits start? I thought EDD was supposed to backdate to when you actually became unemployed? Anyone dealt with this before? We were counting on getting payments from when he actually lost his job.
19 comments
Join the conversation
ApolloJackson
Yes, there is a one-week waiting period for UI benefits in California, where you don't get paid for the first week you're eligible. That's what the 'waiting period served' status means. As for the gap between March 29 and April 14, that's likely because of the vacation payout. When you receive vacation pay, EDD typically doesn't consider you unemployed for that period since you're still technically receiving wages. So the April 14 start date is probably correctly calculated based on when his vacation pay ended.
0 coins
Grace Patel
•Oh I see! So the 2 weeks vacation pay basically pushed his eligibility date back? That makes sense but it's frustrating since we budgeted expecting benefits from his last day. Do you know if there's any way to appeal this or is this just how it works?
0 coins
Isabella Russo
yep this is totally normal!! when i got laid off i got 3 weeks severance and edd made me wait till that was done b4 i could get any $. they dont pay u twice for the same time period...its annoying but thats how they do it
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
•Not quite the same thing. Severance and vacation pay are treated differently by EDD. Severance doesn't always delay benefits, but vacation payout that's specifically allocated to certain weeks will. The critical thing is how the employer reported it on the final paycheck and what dates they assigned to the vacation pay.
0 coins
Aria Washington
THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!! They do this ON PURPOSE to save money!! I bet if you call them (good luck getting through) they'll give you some BS explanation about "allocation periods" for the vacation payout. EDD DELIBERATELY makes these rules complicated so people miss out on benefits they deserve. They're basically STEALING two weeks of benefits from your husband!!!!
0 coins
ApolloJackson
•This isn't accurate. The vacation pay rules exist because you can't legally receive full wages and unemployment for the same period - it would be double-dipping. The waiting week is annoying but it's been policy for decades and is actually waived during state emergencies (like during the pandemic).
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
I dealt with this exact situation last year. Here's what's happening: 1. The 'waiting period served' is normal - everyone has a one-week unpaid waiting period for UI claims. 2. For the gap between March 29 and April 14: When you receive vacation pay, EDD considers you still receiving wages during that period. So your husband's claim effective date started after his vacation pay period ended. You might want to verify how his employer reported the vacation payout. Sometimes employers report it differently, which affects when EDD starts your claim. The key would be to check his final pay stub to see how the vacation payout was categorized. This is all standard procedure, not an error. Your next certification should result in payment if everything else is in order with the claim.
0 coins
Grace Patel
•Thank you for the clear explanation! His paystub just shows "vacation payout - 80 hours" but doesn't specify dates. I guess we'll just have to accept the later start date. At least now we understand why it happened.
0 coins
Chloe Delgado
my cousin had this happen to him when he got fired but he never got any vacation pay so i dunno if thats really why. maybe its just how long it takes them to process stuff? the edd is super slow with everything
0 coins
Ava Harris
•It's not the same situation then. The delay for your cousin was probably for a different reason. Maybe eligibility verification or identity verification. There are lots of reasons claims can be delayed besides vacation pay.
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
The answers here are mostly correct, but I want to clarify a few things: 1. Yes, there is a mandatory one-week unpaid waiting period for all UI claims in California. This hasn't changed. 2. Vacation pay is considered wages, and EDD will delay your claim start date until after the period covered by vacation pay. This is different from severance, which is handled differently. 3. For a March 29th job loss with 2 weeks vacation pay, an April 14th start date lines up perfectly (that's exactly 2 weeks later). One important thing - if you think there's been a mistake in how they calculated this, you should try to speak with an EDD representative. The problem is getting through on their phones...
0 coins
Ava Harris
•If you need to get through to EDD, I was in the same boat last month and couldn't get anyone on the phone after trying for days. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Totally worth it when you need answers on something this important.
0 coins
Isabella Russo
does ur husband have to look for work during the waiting period? i always get confused about when the work search requirement starts
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
•Yes, work search requirements begin from the effective date of the claim (April 14th in this case). You need to be looking for work during the waiting period week even though you won't be paid for it. Make sure to keep records of job applications and other work search activities.
0 coins
Aria Washington
Does anyone know if this vacation payout rule is new??? I swear when I was on unemployment in 2020 they didn't delay my claim for vacation pay! The system keeps changing the rules to make it harder for us!!
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
•This rule has been in place for many years, but during the pandemic (especially March 2020-September 2021), many standard EDD rules were modified or waived due to the emergency situation. The waiting week was waived during that period, and some other rules were applied differently. We're back to standard procedures now.
0 coins
Grace Patel
Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I appreciate all the explanations. It makes sense now why the claim starts on April 14th - the 2 weeks of vacation pay essentially pushed the start date. Frustrating, but at least we understand the system now. We'll adjust our budget accordingly and look forward to the regular payments starting after the waiting week.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
I'm new here but going through something similar right now. My company laid me off last week and I also got vacation payout, so this thread is really helpful! One question - does the vacation payout delay apply even if your employer pays it out as a lump sum rather than allocating it to specific weeks? My HR said they're just putting it all on my final paycheck without specifying dates. Will EDD still push back my claim start date?
0 coins
Talia Klein
•Welcome to the community! From what I've learned here, EDD typically looks at how many hours or days of vacation pay you received, not necessarily how it's reported on your paycheck. So if you got, say, 2 weeks worth of vacation hours as a lump sum, they'll likely still delay your claim by those 2 weeks. The key is the actual amount of vacation time you're being paid for. You might want to ask your HR department exactly how many vacation days/hours are included in that payout - that should give you an idea of how long the delay might be. Good luck with your claim!
0 coins