EDD claim stuck on pending after certification - approved but no payment?

its normal for first payment to take longer than the others. mine was stuck on pending for like 10 days before it switched to paid. just wait a few more days

Actually, if it's been more than 7 days since certification and you're still stuck on pending, that usually indicates an eligibility issue that needs resolution. Common reasons include identity verification, separation reason review, or work search requirements. I'd recommend checking if there's an alert under "Notifications" on your dashboard that you might have missed, and looking for any outstanding tasks in the "History" section.

If there are no pending tasks and your claim is approved but stuck on pending payment, you're in what's called 'payment limbo.' Unfortunately, this is becoming common with first-time claims in 2025. The system automatically flags many new claims for manual review - especially if you were terminated rather than laid off. You'll need to speak with a tier 2 specialist at EDD to lift the pending status and release your payment.

OMG i went through EXACT same thing in January!!! my first payment was stuck 4 WEEKS!!! i called like 57 times got hung up on by the stupid robot voice every single time. eventually i just stopped trying and it randomly switched to paid. EDD IS THE WORST

I had this same issue back in January. After wasting days trying to get through on the regular line, I finally used Claimyr to connect with an EDD agent. Took about 20 minutes instead of days of redialing. My pending payment was resolved in one call - turned out there was a flag on my account because my employer contested the termination. The agent was able to remove the hold immediately after I explained my situation. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km or just go to claimyr.com. Totally worth it compared to the stress of not knowing what's happening.

DONT WAIT!! If its in pending for more than 5-7 days you NEED to call, especially for first payment. Something is flagged on your claim. Might be simple, might be complicated, but it won't resolve itself. I waited 3 weeks thinking it would fix itself last year and when I finally got through, the agent fixed it in 2 minutes. Turned out my employer had reported different wages than what I claimed. Could be anything!

Here's what to do when you call: 1) Call early (8:01am), 2) Select the option for existing claims, 3) When asked why you're calling say "payment status", 4) If you get a tier 1 rep, politely explain you need a tier 2 specialist to resolve a pending payment on an approved claim. Only tier 2 agents can actually release payments. Remember to ask for a reference number for your call in case you need to follow up.

One more thing to try before calling: check if you have any notifications in your UI Online account that might indicate why your payment is pending. Also, sometimes resubmitting your certification can help. Go to History, find your certification, and see if there's an option to resubmit or correct it. Sometimes there's a simple error in how work search requirements were reported.

typical EDD... they approve u then make u wait forever for the actual money 🙄 good luck getting through on the phone... let us know if that claimyr thing actually works

UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD this morning! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got connected within 15 minutes. The agent said my claim had been flagged for an eligibility interview because my employer reported I was terminated for attendance issues (which isn't true - I had documented medical reasons for all absences). She removed the pending status and said my payment should process within 24-48 hours! She also scheduled me for a phone interview next week to resolve the eligibility question permanently. So relieved to have answers finally!