EDD benefit year ending - any extensions available in 2025?

Unfortunately, the news isn't great. Since the pandemic programs ended, California doesn't have any automatic extensions anymore. Once you exhaust your regular UI benefits, that's it - regardless of whether your benefit year is still active. The only exception would be if California's unemployment rate gets high enough to trigger something called "Fed-ED" but we're nowhere near those levels right now. Your best bet is to look into other assistance programs like CalFresh for food benefits or rental assistance programs through your county.

same thing happend to me last year ran out after 6 months and thats it nothing else

I went through this exact situation earlier this year. Once your regular UI benefits exhaust, there are currently no extensions available in California. This is different from during the pandemic when we had PUA, PEUC, etc. What you should do: 1. Make sure you're certified for all weeks available to you 2. Double-check your maximum benefit amount on your UI Online homepage 3. Contact EDD to verify there are no remaining benefits or programs you qualify for 4. After your benefit year ends in February, you can file a new claim, but you'll need to have earned enough wages in the base period to qualify For your immediate situation though, look into CalFresh, CalWORKs (if you have children), and county-specific general assistance programs. When I needed to reach EDD to ask about my options, I couldn't get through for days. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It was worth it to get definitive answers about my situation.

To answer your question about applying for a new claim - yes, you can apply for a new claim when your benefit year ends in February, BUT you need to have earned enough wages during your base period to qualify. The base period for a February 2025 claim would be roughly October 2023 through September 2024. If you haven't worked since February 2024, you likely won't have enough wages in your base period to establish a new claim. You need to have earned at least $1,300 in your highest quarter within the base period.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO FAIL US!!! I went through this last summer. Hit my max benefit amount with 6 weeks still left in my benefit year. Called EDD 37 TIMES before getting through and the rep basically laughed and said "that's it, you're done" when I asked about extensions. Meanwhile the rent keeps going up and these employers want to pay $17/hr for jobs requiring 5 years experience. They WANT us desperate so we'll take garbage wages. The billionaires running this state DON'T CARE if we end up homeless!

My sister works for EDD (not speaking officially just what she's told me) and she said sometimes people qualify for State Disability Insurance or Paid Family Leave after UI runs out if they have a medical condition or need to care for someone. Just something to consider if either of those apply to your situation? Otherwise yeah no extensions since COVID programs ended sorry :/

I just went through this exact situation and wanted to share what I learned after extensive research and speaking with EDD representatives: 1. Regular UI benefits in California are capped at 26 weeks (or until you reach your maximum benefit amount, whichever comes first) 2. Extensions only become available if the state unemployment rate triggers specific thresholds - which hasn't happened since the pandemic programs ended 3. After exhausting benefits, you'll still have access to your UI Online account where you can view payment history and tax forms 4. You cannot file a new claim until your benefit year ends (your February 2025 date) 5. For a new claim to be valid, you must have earned at least $1,300 in your highest quarter during the base period One thing I recommend - call EDD before your benefits exhaust to confirm your final payment date and ask about any other programs you might qualify for. I had to call dozens of times before I got through. If you're struggling with the phones, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) which connected me to an EDD rep quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. In the meantime, I'd recommend applying for CalFresh and reaching out to your county's social services department about emergency assistance programs.

wait i'm confused...i thought if you have a benefit year that means you get benefits for the whole year? why would they call it a "benefit year" if the benefits don't last a year? edd makes no sense

I dealt with this back in April. Applied for everything I could - got on CalFresh which helps with groceries at least. Also look into the Affordable Connectivity Program for internet discount and CARE/FERA programs if you have utility bills. It's not much but every bit helps when the UI runs dry. Good luck out there.

Just to follow up on your question about qualifying for a new claim after your benefit year ends - you mentioned you haven't worked since February. To qualify for a new claim, you need to have earned wages in your base period. For a claim filed in February 2025, your base period would be October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. If you haven't worked since February 2024, you might not have enough wages in that base period to qualify. So yes, getting some work between now and then, even part-time, could help you qualify for a new claim when your benefit year ends.