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The Boss

EDD certification question - how long will I keep getting weeks to certify? Can I just stop if I find work?

I've been on unemployment for about 3 months now after my construction job ended. My claim is active and I'm certifying every two weeks like clockwork. But I'm confused about the timeline - will EDD keep sending me weeks to certify until my benefit year ends? Also, I've got a few promising job leads that might pan out in the next couple weeks. If I do get hired, do I have to formally close my claim with EDD or can I just stop certifying and move on with my life? Don't want to mess anything up and get hit with an overpayment later.

As long as your claim is active, you'll keep getting weeks to certify until you either exhaust your claim balance or reach the end of your benefit year (whichever comes first). If you get a job, you have two options: 1. Report your earnings when you certify for the weeks you worked, and if your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive $0 for those weeks. 2. Simply stop certifying. You don't need to formally close your claim - the system will just make your claim inactive after a while if you stop certifying. Personally, I think option #1 is cleaner because it creates a clear record of why your benefits stopped. But technically either way works.

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The Boss

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Thanks for the clear explanation. So there's no special button to push or form to file to "end" my claim? That's a relief. And I'm guessing if I ever needed to reopen it within the benefit year I could do that too?

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just stop certifying when u get a job. thats what i did last summer when i finally got work after 5 months of nothing. EDD doesn't care they just stop sending $ lol

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Jasmine Quinn

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This is TERRIBLE advice. Always report your earnings properly when you find work. If you just stop certifying without reporting those final weeks correctly, EDD might flag your account for an eligibility interview later on. Why risk it?

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Oscar Murphy

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You NEED to tell them when you get a job!!! My cousin just stopped certifying when he found work and six months later EDD sent him a notice saying he was disqualified for all his weeks because he didn't respond to some form they sent about why he stopped claiming. They wanted all the money back plus penalties!!! Don't make that mistake.

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Nora Bennett

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While I understand your concern, your cousin's situation was likely different. That sounds like he might have missed an eligibility interview notice or eligibility questionnaire that was sent separately. When you certify for the weeks you worked (even if you earn too much to receive benefits), you're properly closing out those weeks. There is no specific "I quit my claim" form - you just report earnings accurately.

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Ryan Andre

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My claim has been stuck in pending for 3 weeks now. I've been calling EDD every day but can't get through. Anyone know what to do??

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The Boss

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That sounds frustrating but it's a different issue than what I was asking about. Maybe start your own thread?

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Lauren Zeb

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If you're struggling to get through to EDD, you might want to try using Claimyr. It helped me get through to an agent when I was dealing with pending payments. They basically connect you with EDD without you having to redial hundreds of times. Saved me days of frustration. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

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Nora Bennett

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To directly answer your questions: 1. Yes, you'll continue to receive certification weeks until either your benefit year ends or your claim balance is exhausted. Your benefit year lasts for 12 months from when you opened your claim. 2. If you find work, the proper procedure is to continue certifying for any weeks where you were still unemployed or partially employed. When you certify, report any earnings for work performed during those weeks. 3. Once you're fully employed, you can simply stop certifying. While there's no formal "closing" process required, it's a good practice to certify for those final weeks with your new employment information included. 4. If your employment situation changes again within your benefit year, you can resume certifying for benefits (subject to eligibility based on your circumstances). This approach ensures your claim record is complete and accurate, which helps avoid potential issues down the road.

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The Boss

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This is really helpful, thank you! I think I'm getting a clearer picture now. So even when I get a job, I should certify for those last couple weeks and just report my earnings, then I can stop after that. Makes sense!

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Jasmine Quinn

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One thing nobody's mentioned - if you stop certifying for a while and then need to start again within your benefit year (like if the new job doesn't work out), you'll need to reopen your claim. This is different from filing a new claim - it's just reactivating your existing one. You do this through your UI Online account. The system will prompt you if you try to certify after a gap.

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The Boss

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Good to know! Hoping the new job works out, but always good to understand the system. Thanks!

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Kylo Ren

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Just wanted to add from my recent experience - I was in a similar situation last year. When I found work, I continued certifying for the final two weeks and reported my new job earnings. Even though I earned more than my weekly benefit amount (so got $0 in benefits), this created a clean record that I had returned to work. A few months later when that job ended unexpectedly, I was able to reopen my claim easily through UI Online without any complications. The EDD rep I spoke with actually complimented me on keeping proper records. It's definitely worth taking the extra 5 minutes to certify those final weeks properly rather than just disappearing from the system. Good luck with those job leads!

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This is exactly the kind of real-world example I was hoping to hear! It sounds like doing it the "right way" by reporting your earnings actually made things smoother when you needed to reopen later. I'm definitely going to follow this approach - better to be overly cautious with EDD than risk any headaches down the road. Thanks for sharing your experience and the encouragement about the job leads!

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Oliver Schmidt

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I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! Here's what I learned: EDD will keep sending you certification weeks until your benefit year expires (12 months from when you first filed) OR until you've used up all your allocated benefit dollars - whichever comes first. When I found work, I followed the advice to keep certifying for those final weeks where I had started working. I reported my new wages honestly, got $0 in benefits for those weeks (since I was earning more than my weekly benefit amount), and then just stopped certifying after that. No drama, no forms to fill out, no "official" closure needed. The key thing is being transparent about your earnings during that transition period. It protects you from any potential overpayment issues later and keeps your record clean. Plus, if something happens with the new job within your benefit year, you can easily reopen your claim without complications. Best of luck with those job leads - construction work can be feast or famine, so it's smart to understand how the system works!

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Chloe Green

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This is super reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing! Construction work really is feast or famine - you get it. I'm feeling much more confident about the process now. It sounds like the consensus is pretty clear: keep certifying those final weeks with honest wage reporting, then just naturally stop after that. No need to overthink it or worry about some mysterious "closure" process. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience - it's exactly what I needed to hear!

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Hey there! I just went through this whole process myself a few months back after being laid off from my retail job. The advice everyone's giving here is spot on - you'll keep getting certification weeks until either your benefit year ends or you exhaust your claim balance. When I landed my new job, I was nervous about messing something up too, but it's actually pretty straightforward. I kept certifying for the weeks where I had started working and reported my earnings honestly. Since I was making more than my weekly benefit amount, I got $0 for those weeks, but like others mentioned, it created a clean paper trail. The peace of mind is worth it - you don't want to be looking over your shoulder wondering if EDD is going to come after you later. Plus, if your new job doesn't work out (which happens more than we'd like to admit), having that clean record makes reopening your claim super smooth. Sounds like you're handling everything the right way. Hope one of those job leads works out for you!

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