EDD base period confusion - laid off 4 days short of a year, will I qualify?

EDD doesn't require a full year of employment! They use a Base Period system that looks at your highest earning quarters out of the past 18 months. As long as you earned at least $1,300 in your highest quarter or $900 in one quarter + total base period earnings of 1.25x your highest quarter, you qualify. So staying 4 more days has nothing to do with eligibility. What matters is how much you earned in those specific quarters. Your previous benefit year ending 9/24/2022 means you couldn't file a new claim until after that date, but since you're filing in 2023, that's not an issue.

u dont need a year, thats not how it works... i got laid off after 7 months last yr and got benefits no problem. its about how much $ u made not how long u worked

Let me break this down for you with exact details on the Base Period calculation, since there's some confusion here. EDD uses a Base Period that consists of the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. Calendar quarters are: - Jan-Mar (Q1) - Apr-Jun (Q2) - Jul-Sep (Q3) - Oct-Dec (Q4) So if you file your claim in June 2023, your base period would be Q1-2022 through Q4-2022 (the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). You need to have earned either: 1) At least $1,300 in your highest quarter within the base period, OR 2) At least $900 in your highest quarter AND total base period earnings of 1.25x your highest quarter The number of days you worked doesn't matter at all for eligibility. It's purely about earnings in specific calendar quarters. And regarding your previous benefit year - that just means you couldn't file a new claim until after 9/24/2022, which is long past now.

Since you've already been notified of the layoff, you should know EDD will consider this a lack of work situation regardless of whether you stay the full time or not. The important thing is documenting that you were laid off (get it in writing!) rather than quitting. The base period calculation that others mentioned is correct - it has nothing to do with working a full year. I've seen lots of people get confused about this! Btw, if you have trouble reaching EDD to file your claim or check status after you apply (which is VERY common), check out Claimyr at claimyr.com - they helped me get through to an actual EDD rep in about 20 minutes when I was stuck in pending for weeks. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

OMG I went through EXACTLY THIS LAST YEAR!!! They told me i was going to be laid off but could stay on a few more months and I was SO CONFUSED about when to apply for benefits and if i would even qualify!!! EDD is so confusing and the website makes ZERO sense. i ended up jst calling and calling and calling until finaly someone picked up and explaned everything. Turns out the base period was totally diffrent from what i thought!!!

This is EXACTLY why the EDD system is so broken. Why is it this complicated??? Why can't they just make a simple system that normal humans can understand without having a PhD in bureaucracy? I've been through the unemployment process twice and both times I needed to talk to 3-4 different representatives to get the same answer because nobody seems to know how their own system works. The base period calculation is unnecessarily complex and seems designed to confuse people. And don't get me started on their website which looks like it was designed in 1997 and never updated. Other states have much more straightforward systems. California EDD is living in the stone age.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet: make sure you understand the difference between being ELIGIBLE (can you get benefits at all) versus how much you'll RECEIVE. The base period earnings determine both. For someone working at a job less than a year, your benefit amount might be lower than someone with a longer work history. The EDD calculator on their website can help you estimate your weekly benefit amount based on your quarterly earnings. Also, when you certify every two weeks, report ANY income you earn properly. If you pick up part-time or gig work while searching for a new job, you need to report that income during certification. Benefits are reduced accordingly but you might still get partial payments depending on how much you earn.

My cousin works for EDD and says the biggest mistakes people make are: 1) Not filing as soon as they're laid off 2) Not doing the work search requirements properly 3) Making certification mistakes So even though you're working until June, you should file your claim the SAME DAY as your last day of work. Don't wait. And make sure you understand the work search requirements - you need to be looking for work and documenting it each week.

Just wanted to add one more important point that might help you plan better - if you do decide to stay those extra few days until June 13th, it won't hurt your EDD eligibility at all since it's still a layoff situation. But consider that those 4 extra days of pay might actually push some earnings into Q2 2023, which could potentially help your benefit calculation if you end up filing a future claim down the road. The main thing is getting that layoff documentation in writing from HR, regardless of your exact end date. And remember, you can't file your claim until your last day of work, so if you stay until the 13th, that's when you'd file. Good luck with everything! Sounds like you'll qualify without any issues based on what others have explained about the base period requirements.