EDD certification dilemma: Received unexpected Holiday Pay during first UI week - how to report retroactively?

Yes, you need to report this to EDD. The holiday pay counts as wages for the week received, and not reporting it is technically considered income misreporting. You have a few options: 1. Call EDD directly to explain the situation and have them note your account. They can help you file the correct adjustment. 2. Submit a message through your UI Online account explaining the mistake and requesting guidance on how to report the previously unknown income. 3. If you receive a notice of overpayment later, you can appeal it with an explanation that it was unintentional. The most important thing is to be proactive about this before they flag it during their quarterly income verification with employer records.

omg this happened to me too last year!! my company gave me vacation payout after i was already on unemployment and i didnt report it. EDD found out during their quarterly review thing and sent me a notice saying i owed them money back. it was a whole mess. def report it now save yourself the headache!!!

The exact same thing happened to me and I called EDD right away to report it. The rep told me they would note my account but that I should wait for the Notice of Overpayment to come in the mail before doing anything else. They said it was common and not to worry about penalties since it was clearly unintentional. Just be honest and proactive.

Former EDD employee here. This happens all the time, especially with holiday and vacation pay that comes after separation. The proper procedure is to contact EDD and report the income for adjustment. Here's what will likely happen: 1. They'll calculate if the holiday pay would've reduced your benefit amount for that week (partial payment) or eliminated it entirely (no payment). 2. You'll receive a Notice of Overpayment for the difference. 3. You'll need to repay that amount, but since this was clearly unintentional, there shouldn't be penalties. Most importantly, this won't affect your claim going forward as long as you address it promptly. It's just an adjustment to that specific week. Definitely handle this before your employer reports the wages quarterly, as a proactive report from you looks much better than EDD discovering it later.

I tried calling EDD about a similar issue for WEEKS and couldn't get through. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing that frustrating phone number. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Totally worth it for peace of mind on something like this where you need to talk to an actual person. The rep I spoke with was able to make notes on my account immediately about my situation.

DONT EVEN BOTHER CALLING THEM!!! The EDD system is designed to confuse people and then punish them for honest mistakes!! I reported extra income a week late last year and they HIT ME WITH A FALSE STATEMENT PENALTY WEEK which means you have to WORK and CERTIFY for a whole week but GET ZERO MONEY for it!!! Its HIGHWAY ROBBERY what they're doing to struggling californians!!!!!

Not to get off topic but im curious - is holiday pay always reportable? i thought if u were already laid off before the holiday you dont have to report it? my understanding was that only severance counts as income for edd but holiday pay is different?

Update your information through UI Online as soon as possible. Log in to your account, go to "Contact EDD" and select "Questions about my existing claim." Choose "Payments" as the category and "Report wages not previously reported" as the subject. Explain the situation with exact dates and amounts. Then check your inbox regularly for a response. They'll likely tell you to wait for the Notice of Overpayment or may give you specific instructions. The important thing is creating a paper trail showing you voluntarily reported this as soon as you discovered it.

just wondering did u get ur first payment yet? i'm also in production and waiting on my first payment still but its been 2 weeks.

I'm dealing with something similar right now! I received a final paycheck from my previous employer about a week after I'd already certified for my first UI week. The timing was awful because I had no way of knowing it was coming. From what I've learned lurking in this community, the key is being proactive about reporting it. I ended up calling the EDD technical support line early in the morning (around 8:02 AM) and actually got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The rep was really understanding and said this happens constantly, especially in industries like ours where final payments can be delayed. She told me to keep detailed records of when I discovered the payment versus when I received it, and that they'd likely send an overpayment notice but wouldn't penalize me since I reported it voluntarily. Definitely don't wait - the sooner you contact them, the better it looks on your case. Good luck!

This is such a common issue in our industry! I went through something almost identical last year when I got laid off from a production company. They sent me accrued sick pay about 10 days after I'd already certified for two weeks. I was panicking thinking I'd screwed up my whole claim. What really helped me was keeping screenshots of my bank account showing the exact date the deposit hit versus when I certified. When I called EDD (took forever to get through), the rep said having that documentation made everything smoother. They were able to adjust my claim retroactively and I just had to pay back the difference - no penalties since I reported it as soon as I noticed. The film industry layoffs have been brutal this year, so EDD reps are definitely seeing this scenario a lot. You're doing the right thing by addressing it now rather than hoping they won't notice. Document everything and be prepared to explain the timeline clearly when you contact them.

Hey there! I went through almost the exact same situation about 6 months ago - got laid off from a tech startup and then received unexpected PTO payout during my first certification week. I was so stressed about it! Here's what I did that worked: I logged into UI Online immediately and used the "Contact EDD" feature that @Ava Harris mentioned earlier. I explained the situation with the exact dates and dollar amounts, emphasizing that I discovered it after certification and wanted to report it voluntarily. Within about 10 days, I got a message back through the UI Online inbox saying they noted my account and that I should expect an overpayment notice in 2-3 weeks. Sure enough, the notice came and I just had to pay back the difference - no penalties whatsoever because I was proactive about it. The whole process was way less scary than I thought it would be. The key really is getting that paper trail established showing you reported it as soon as you became aware. You're handling this exactly right by addressing it now instead of hoping it goes unnoticed. Film industry layoffs have been rough - hang in there!

I had a very similar experience when I got laid off from a production company last year! I received an unexpected bonus payment about 5 days after I'd already certified for my first week. Like you, I had no idea it was coming since I was already terminated. Here's what worked for me: I immediately contacted EDD through the UI Online messaging system (under Contact EDD > Questions about existing claim > Payments > Report wages not previously reported). I was completely honest about the timeline - when I certified, when the payment hit my account, and when I discovered it. The EDD rep who responded was actually very understanding and said this happens frequently, especially in entertainment industry layoffs where final payments are often delayed or unexpected. They noted my account and told me to expect an overpayment notice, which I received about 3 weeks later. I just had to pay back the difference - no penalties since I reported it voluntarily. The most important thing is creating that paper trail showing you discovered and reported this as soon as possible. Take screenshots of your bank account showing the deposit date, and keep records of when you submit your report to EDD. You're doing exactly the right thing by being proactive about this. The film industry situation has been brutal lately, but EDD seems to understand that these timing issues aren't intentional fraud. Good luck!

This exact situation happened to me when I got laid off from my media company job earlier this year! I received unexpected holiday pay that I had completely forgotten about, and it hit my account right after I'd already certified for my first week. What really saved me was being super organized about documenting everything. I took screenshots of my bank account showing the exact deposit date, saved my original certification confirmation, and wrote down a timeline of when I discovered the payment versus when I certified. When I contacted EDD through the UI Online messaging system, having all that documentation ready made the whole process smoother. The EDD rep who handled my case actually thanked me for being so thorough and proactive. They said it made their job much easier and showed clear evidence that this was an honest mistake rather than intentional misreporting. I ended up with a simple overpayment adjustment - no penalties, no impact on future benefits. One tip: when you contact them, be very specific about the dollar amount and emphasize that you want to "voluntarily report previously unreported wages." That language seems to trigger the right response from their system. The entertainment industry layoffs have been insane this year, so they're definitely familiar with these scenarios. You're handling this perfectly by addressing it now!

I'm going through almost the exact same thing right now! Got laid off from a VFX studio last month and received unexpected vacation payout about a week after my first certification. I was completely panicking when I saw it in my bank account because I had no idea it was coming. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been super reassuring though. It sounds like this is way more common than I thought, especially with all the production shutdowns happening. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about using UI Online messaging system rather than trying to call - that seems like the most reliable way to create a paper trail. The documentation tips are really helpful too. I already took screenshots of my bank account showing the deposit date, and I saved my certification confirmation email. Planning to submit my report through UI Online today using that specific language about "voluntarily reporting previously unreported wages" that @Zoe Papadakis mentioned. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's made this whole situation feel way less overwhelming. The entertainment industry has been brutal lately but at least EDD seems to understand that these timing issues happen frequently with our type of work!

This is such a timely thread - I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! Got laid off from a streaming company two weeks ago and just discovered they deposited my unused sick time into my account yesterday, which was during a week I'd already certified for. I had no clue this payment was coming since HR never mentioned anything about sick time payouts during my exit interview. Now I'm sitting here stressing about whether I need to report it and how to handle the fact that I already certified without knowing about it. Reading through everyone's experiences here is honestly such a relief - it sounds like this happens way more often than I realized, especially with all the entertainment industry layoffs. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about using the UI Online messaging system to report it voluntarily. The documentation tips are super helpful too - taking screenshots of bank deposits and keeping certification confirmations seems like the smart move. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the specific guidance about language to use when contacting EDD. This community has been incredibly helpful for navigating these unemployment issues that seem to come up constantly with industry work!