EDD certification confusion: reporting daily rate pay vs. actual hours worked
I'm freaking out about how to report my work hours to EDD! I just did this 2-week side gig in film production where I got paid a daily rate, but here's my problem - I actually worked 45 hours over 9 days, but my paystub shows only 9 hours total (basically 1 hour per day worked). The production company said this is normal for their payroll system with daily rates. When I certify for benefits, should I report the actual 45 hours I physically worked or just the 9 hours shown on my paystub? I'm worried if I report 45 hours, EDD will see a mismatch with what my employer reports to them. But if I only report 9 hours, it seems like I'm underreporting my work. This is a temporary gig, and I'm back to looking for full-time work now. I don't want to trigger an eligibility interview or have my claim flagged. Has anyone dealt with daily rate reporting before? What did you put on your certification?
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Grace Durand
I had the EXACT same issue working in event production last year! It's super confusing. My paystub showed 4 days as 4 hours, but I actually worked like 38 hours total. I called EDD about this (took forever to get through) and the rep told me to report the ACTUAL HOURS I physically worked, not what's on the paystub. They said what matters is how many hours you were unavailable for other work, not how your employer's payroll system tracks it. But honestly, I've heard different answers from different EDD reps so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Connor Richards
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Did reporting the actual hours cause any issues with your claim later on? I'm worried about a discrepancy between what I report and what the employer reports to EDD.
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Steven Adams
This is a common issue in industries that use day rates. EDD's primary concern is tracking how many hours you were unavailable for other work, not the payroll accounting method. You should report the actual hours you physically worked (the 45 hours). EDD uses this information to determine if you were fully or partially employed during the week. If you only report 9 hours, it would appear you were available to work much more than you actually were. Make sure to keep documentation of your actual work schedule in case there's any question later. Your employer reports wages to EDD, not hours worked, so there's less chance of a discrepancy than you might think.
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Connor Richards
•That makes a lot of sense, thank you! I'll report the actual 45 hours then. I do have my call sheets and some emails that show my actual schedule, so I'll hang onto those just in case.
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Alice Fleming
uhhh I always just reported what was on my paystub and never had a problem... but maybe Im doing it wrong too lol
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Hassan Khoury
•You might get flagged eventually. My friend did the same thing and ended up with an eligibility interview where they asked for her actual work schedule. EDD figured out she was reporting fewer hours than she actually worked and she almost got hit with a false reporting penalty!
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Victoria Stark
Similar thing happened to me in construction - got paid piece rate but had to report actual hours. The whole system is designed to SCREW us over!!! I reported my actual hours one week and then got my benefits cut the next week even though I didn't work AT ALL. Took THREE MONTHS to fix and backpay me. EDD is a disaster!!!
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Benjamin Kim
•This happened to my brother too! He spent weeks trying to get through to someone at EDD to fix his claim. He finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an EDD rep quickly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km He said it was worth it because he got his issue resolved in one day instead of weeks of calling.
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Samantha Howard
I'm going through something similar! Did anyone have their employer question what they reported to EDD? My boss said to just report the hours on my paystub (which is way less than I actually worked), but that feels wrong... 😬
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Steven Adams
•Your employer should not be telling you how to report your hours to EDD. They're likely trying to avoid questions about why they're recording fewer hours than you actually worked. Remember that reporting accurate information to EDD is your legal responsibility, regardless of what your employer suggests.
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Connor Richards
Update: I called EDD this morning (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned below - it actually worked!) and got through to a really helpful rep. They confirmed I should report my ACTUAL hours worked, not what's on the paystub. The rep explained that the hours question on certification is about time unavailable for other work, not payroll accounting methods. Apparently, this is super common in industries with day rates, per diems, etc. The rep said as long as I report my gross earnings correctly, the hours discrepancy won't be an issue since employers report earnings to EDD, not hours. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!
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Grace Durand
•Thanks for the update! Glad you got a clear answer. The whole EDD system is so confusing sometimes...
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Alice Fleming
wait so do I need to go back and fix my old certifications where I only reported the hours on my paystub? or just do it right going forward?
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Steven Adams
•You're not required to go back and correct previous certifications if you reported your earnings correctly. For future certifications, just be sure to report your actual hours worked. If you're concerned about past certifications, you can always call EDD to discuss your specific situation.
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