EDD base period confusion - which quarters count if claim renews this week?

The base period for your claim is determined by your filing date, not your benefit year renewal date. For claims filed in July-September 2025, the standard base period would be April-June 2024, January-March 2024, October-December 2023, and July-September 2023. If you don't qualify under standard base period, they'll check the alternate base period which is the most recently completed 4 quarters. Since you mentioned you last worked in Q2 2024, your standard base period wages might be too low or non-existent for a regular claim.

went thru this last year. i think the quarters depend on when u APPLY not when yr renews. check your ui acct they might have sent u a message to reapply if ur benefit yr is ending

I can clear this up for you. When your benefit year ends, you need to file a new claim - it doesn't automatically renew. The base period for that new claim will be determined by the date you file the new claim, not your previous claim's end date. If you file in July 2025, your standard base period would be April 2024-March 2025. Your wages from Q2 2022 are unfortunately too far back to be included in either the standard or alternate base period for a claim filed now. If you have limited or no wages in the standard base period, you might qualify under the alternate base period, which would use July 2024-June 2025. But if you haven't worked since May 2024, you might not qualify for a new claim at all unless you've earned wages since your last claim began.

U might not even qualify for a new claim if u haven't worked since may 2024 because u need enough wages in ur base period. When did u first open ur claim?

The EDD base period system is SO FRUSTRATING!!! I went through the exact same thing last year and it nearly gave me an ulcer. I had great wages in early 2022 but by the time I had to refile in 2024, those quarters were gone and my new WBA dropped from $450 to only $180!!! The worst part is you can't even get anyone on the phone to explain it properly because they NEVER ANSWER!!!

When I had trouble understanding my base period calculation last month, I used Claimyr to reach an EDD rep quickly (claimyr.com). They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Got through in about 20 minutes and the rep explained exactly which quarters they were using and why. Saved me days of stress since I was also concerned about older wages dropping off.

If your benefit year is ending, you will have to file a completely new claim - it doesn't just renew automatically. And unfortunately, the base period looks backward from the quarter you file in. Each new claim has its own base period calculation. If you file in July 2025, your standard base period will be: - Quarter 1: April-June 2024 - Quarter 2: January-March 2024 - Quarter 3: October-December 2023 - Quarter 4: July-September 2023 Your wages from Q2 2022 are too far back now. EDD won't consider them for either standard or alternate base period.

make sure u check ur mailbox too cuz edd sends u paper notices about filing new claims when ur year ends

One additional note - if you do file a new claim and don't qualify (or qualify for a much lower amount), don't panic immediately. If you're currently on a federal extension program, sometimes you can continue on that even after your benefit year ends. You should still file the new claim because EDD requires it, but they might determine you can continue on your extension if you don't qualify for a new regular claim. Check your UI Online account regularly for notices after filing.

I went through this exact situation last year and can share what happened to me. When my benefit year ended in August 2024, I had to file a completely new claim - there's no automatic renewal. The frustrating part is that EDD uses a "lookback" system, so they only consider wages from specific quarters based on when you file, not when your original claim started. For a claim filed now (July 2025), they'll look at wages from April 2024 back to July 2023. Any wages from 2022 are completely out of scope, even if they were much higher. I learned this the hard way when my weekly benefit dropped from $320 to $150 because my older, better wages were no longer counted. The key thing to remember is you MUST file a new claim when your benefit year ends, even if you think you won't qualify or will get less money. EDD requires this step. If you don't qualify for a new regular claim, they might let you continue on an extension program if you were already on one. But you won't know until you file the new claim and let them make that determination.

I'm new here but dealing with a similar situation right now. My benefit year is ending next month and I'm terrified about having to refile because my wages from 2022 were so much higher than what I've earned recently. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening - I had no idea that older wages just completely drop off when you file a new claim. It seems like such a harsh system, especially for people who were laid off during good earning periods and then struggled to find comparable work. Has anyone had success finding employment services or retraining programs through EDD that might help get back to higher-paying work? I'm wondering if that might be a better strategy than just accepting a much lower benefit amount.

I went through this exact scenario earlier this year and can share what actually happened. When my benefit year ended in March 2025, I was in the same boat - terrified that my high 2022 wages wouldn't count anymore. Unfortunately, everyone here is correct - when you file a new claim, EDD only looks at the most recent 4-5 quarters, so those 2022 wages are completely out of the picture now. What I learned is that you absolutely HAVE to file the new claim even if you know the amount will be lower - EDD won't let you continue on your old claim past the benefit year end date. In my case, my weekly benefit dropped from $380 to $195, which was brutal but at least I still qualified. One thing that helped me was calling right after I filed the new claim to ask about training programs. If your new benefit amount is significantly lower, you might qualify for additional workforce development resources. Also, some people don't realize that if you were on a federal extension program before your benefit year ended, EDD will sometimes let you continue on that extension if your new regular claim amount is lower than what you were getting before. The whole process is definitely confusing and stressful, but you'll get through it. Just make sure to file as soon as your benefit year ends so there's no gap in payments while they process everything.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now and it's so stressful! My benefit year ends next week and I've been losing sleep over how much my weekly amount is going to drop. I had really good wages in Q1 and Q2 of 2022 when I was working at a tech company, but I got laid off in late 2023 and haven't been able to find anything that pays nearly as well since then. From what I'm understanding from everyone's responses here, those 2022 wages are completely irrelevant now when I file my new claim - which feels so unfair since I've been on unemployment this whole time through no fault of my own. It's like being punished twice for the same layoff. Has anyone had any luck with the appeal process if your new claim amount is drastically lower? I know someone mentioned that EDD sometimes considers federal extensions, but I'm not even sure if I'm on one of those programs or just regular state benefits. The whole system is so confusing and EDD's website doesn't make any of this clear until you're actually going through it. I guess my main question is - should I be looking into filing for the new claim early to avoid any payment gaps, or do I need to wait until my current benefit year officially ends? I can't afford to have any interruption in payments right now.

I'm going through this same nightmare right now and honestly, reading everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying! My benefit year ends in 10 days and I've been putting off thinking about it because I know my 2022 wages were SO much higher than anything recent. What's really frustrating is that EDD doesn't give you any heads up about this when you first file. Like, they should warn people "hey, if you're unemployed for more than a year, your benefit amount could drop dramatically when you have to refile." Instead you just get hit with this surprise when your year is up. I'm also confused about something - if you were on a federal extension program, how do you even know which one you're on? My UI Online account just shows my regular weekly amount, but I have no idea if I'm technically on PEUC or regular state benefits or what. Is there somewhere in the account that clearly shows this, or do you have to call to find out? Thanks to everyone sharing their real experiences here - it's way more useful than anything on EDD's website!

I'm going through this exact situation right now and can relate to everyone's frustration! My benefit year ends in about 2 weeks and I've been dreading the reapplication process because I know my wages from 2022 were substantially higher than what I've earned recently. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I called EDD last week using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier, and the rep actually walked me through exactly how they calculate the base period for new claims. She explained that when you file in July 2025, they look at April 2024 through March 2025 for the standard base period, and if you don't qualify, they check the alternate base period which is the 4 most recently completed quarters. The rep also told me something important that I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere - if you were working part-time or had any earnings during your current claim period, those wages DO count toward your new base period calculation. So even if the amounts are small, they still factor into whether you qualify and what your new weekly benefit amount will be. She recommended filing the new claim within a few days after your benefit year ends to avoid any payment delays. Apparently there's a sweet spot where filing too early can cause issues, but waiting too long can create gaps in payments while they process everything. Still nervous about the whole process, but at least I have a better understanding of what to expect now!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My benefit year is ending in about a week and I've been stressed about the wage lookback issue. What's really concerning me is that I worked for a startup in 2022 that paid really well, but after they went under in late 2023, I've only been able to find much lower-paying temporary work. From everything I'm reading here, it sounds like I need to mentally prepare for a significant drop in my weekly benefit amount since those good 2022 wages won't count anymore. The part about having to file a completely new claim rather than just renewing was news to me - EDD really should make this clearer on their website. One question for those who've been through this process: after you file the new claim, how quickly do you typically get the determination letter with your new weekly amount? I'm trying to plan my budget and it would help to know roughly how long I'll be in limbo waiting to find out what my new benefit will be. Also, has anyone had success with the workforce development programs that were mentioned? With benefits potentially dropping so much, it seems like focusing on getting retrained for higher-paying work might be the better long-term strategy than just accepting whatever the new claim amount turns out to be.