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Sergio Neal

EDD certification timing confusion - do forms always come on weekends?

I'm totally confused about the certification schedule with EDD. My understanding was that certification forms are released every two weeks, but do they specifically come on weekends? My benefit year started last month and I've been certifying, but I'm scheduled to start a new job next Wednesday. What happens if my certification form comes the day before I start working? Do I still certify for that period? Will I get partial benefits? This is my first time on unemployment and the timing is really freaking me out.

EDD certification weeks run Sunday through Saturday. Your certification is available on Sunday after each two-week period ends. So you'll certify for the weeks ending on the previous two Saturdays. If you start work on Wednesday, you'll still certify for that week and report any earnings for the days you worked. EDD will calculate partial benefits based on what you earned. As long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive some partial payment for that week. Make sure to report your gross earnings (before taxes) for the days you worked, even if you haven't been paid yet.

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Ok that helps, but I'm still a little confused. So if I start work on Wed and my certification comes on Sunday, do I have to report those Wed-Sat earnings even though I haven't gotten paid yet? And will I get anything at all for that week?

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ya its always Sunday mornings when the certification thing opens up. Edd is super strict about reporting ALL work even if u havent been paid yet... learned that the hard way lol

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Thanks! Do you know if they'll still give me anything for that partial week? I'm really tight on money right now and was counting on that full payment.

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The certification system follows a consistent schedule. You can certify starting at midnight on Sunday for the previous two weeks. If your new job starts midweek, you'll report earnings for those days even if you haven't received a paycheck yet. For partial weeks, EDD uses a formula: If you earn less than $100, they deduct 25% of earnings from your weekly benefit. If you earn more than $100, they deduct 75% of anything above $100 plus the first $25. As long as you don't earn more than your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive something. For example, if your weekly benefit is $450 and you earn $300 that week, your calculation would be: $300 - $100 = $200 $200 × 75% = $150 $150 + $25 = $175 deduction $450 - $175 = $275 payment for that week

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Wait, that's not right. EDD deducts dollar for dollar after the first $25 you earn in a week. So in your example, if you earn $300, they deduct ($300 - $25) = $275 from your weekly benefit amount. So if your WBA is $450, you'd get $450 - $275 = $175 for that week. The 75% formula hasn't been used in years.

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You're absolutely right - thank you for the correction. I was referencing outdated information. The current formula is indeed dollar-for-dollar deduction after the first $25 of earnings. I apologize for the confusion.

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I had this EXACT same issue last month!!! Started my new job on a Thursday and got my certification the Sunday after. Reported the hours even tho I hadn't been paid yet and still got partial benefits for that week. Just make sure you put the EXACT hours so there's no problems later!!

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That's so helpful to hear someone went through the same thing! I'll definitely report everything accurately. How long did it take for your payment to process after you certified with those partial earnings?

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It went through normal time for me, like 24-48 hours. The partial payment actually processed faster than my usual ones for some reason!

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if ur trying to reach EDD to ask questions b4 u certify, good LUCK lolol... took me like 50 calls before i gave up. then i found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to a rep in like 20 min. they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. it saved my sanity when i had questions about reporting earnings from my new job

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Thanks for the tip! I have a few specific questions about my situation so might try that if I can't get through on my own. Getting through to EDD seems almost impossible.

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EDD is NOTORIOUS for penalizing people who don't report earnings correctly!!!! I knew someone who didn't report ONE DAY of work and they hit him with a false statement penalty week which meant he couldn't get benefits for like 5 extra weeks!!! Their system eventually catches everything so don't risk it.

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That's terrifying! I definitely don't want any penalties. I'll make sure to report everything correctly.

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To clarify on the original question: Yes, certification is always made available on Sunday mornings at midnight for the previous two weeks. Mark your calendar for certification Sundays to stay on track. For your specific situation, you'll certify on the Sunday following your first workweek. When you certify, you'll answer "Yes" to question #6 about working, and report your gross earnings for Wednesday through Saturday (before any deductions). EDD will calculate your partial payment automatically. As others mentioned, accurate reporting is critical - report hours worked even if you haven't been paid yet. You'll get some benefits as long as you earned less than your weekly benefit amount.

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just make sure u dont miss ur certification cus then its a whole other headache trying to do a late certification!

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Just wanted to add some reassurance - I went through this exact same situation when I started my new job! The timing felt really stressful but it worked out fine. When you certify that Sunday, just be super honest about everything. Report your exact hours and estimated earnings for Wed-Sat even without a paycheck yet. One thing that helped me was writing down my daily hours and estimated daily pay rate so I had everything ready when the certification opened up Sunday morning. EDD's system is actually pretty good at handling partial weeks - you'll definitely get something as long as your earnings don't exceed your weekly benefit amount. The partial payment helped bridge the gap until my first real paycheck came in. Good luck with the new job!

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