EDD considers 1099 income differently now than during pandemic - confused about reporting requirements

YES - you ABSOLUTELY must report ALL income when certifying, including your Uber 1099 earnings! During the pandemic, there was a special program called PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) specifically for self-employed and gig workers, but that ended in September 2021. Now we're back to regular UI rules. Your Uber income won't automatically disqualify you, but it will reduce your weekly benefit amount. EDD uses a formula where they deduct 75% of your earnings from your weekly benefit. So if you earned $200 from Uber in a week and your weekly benefit amount is $450, they'd deduct $150 (75% of $200), leaving you with $300 for that week. Not reporting income is considered fraud and can result in penalties, including having to pay back benefits plus penalties and potentially being disqualified from future benefits. Be 100% honest on your certifications!

i was in same boat last yr. if u make too much from uber in a week u get $0 from edd that week but ur claim stays open. just report exact earnings each week when u certify. dont hide anything they will catch u trust me lol

Just to clarify what others have said with precise information: 1. You must report all 1099/self-employment income during the week you EARN it (not when you get paid) 2. The formula EDD uses: They subtract 25% of your weekly benefit amount from your gross earnings, then subtract that result from your weekly benefit amount 3. If your earnings are too high in any week, you'll get $0 for that week, but your claim remains open and you can receive benefits in future weeks 4. For Uber specifically, report your gross fares MINUS the platform fees (but before your expenses) 5. PUA ended in September 2021 - that program specifically covered self-employed workers during the pandemic Keep good records of your Uber earnings by week. During the pandemic, being self-employed qualified you for special benefits, but now regular UI rules apply.

I went thru EXACTLY this in January!!! Was working instacart while collecting unemployment from my restaurant job. YOU MUST REPORT EVERY PENNY or they will come after you later, trust me!!!! But here's a PRO TIP: if you're having trouble getting thru to EDD to ask about this (I tried for 3 WEEKS), use Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me thru to an actual EDD rep in under 20 minutes! They have this system that keeps dialing and holds your place in line. Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km - totally saved me when I was freaking out about how to report my gig work correctly.

As an important clarification, there's a distinction between how you report your earnings from Uber and traditional employment: • For Uber/gig work: Report the net amount after platform fees (what Uber deposits to your account), but before your expenses like gas or maintenance • For W-2 work: Report gross wages before any deductions If your weekly benefit amount is $450, and you earn $400 net from Uber in a week, EDD would deduct $300 (75% of $400), leaving you with a $150 payment for that week. The PUA program was specifically created during the pandemic for self-employed individuals who wouldn't normally qualify for regular UI. Now that it's ended, you're receiving regular UI based on your W-2 job, but still need to report your self-employment income against it. Document everything carefully - save screenshots of your Uber earnings by week in case you're audited later.

when I was on unemployment last summer I reported my doordash earnings wrong and they hit me with an overpayment notice for $2700!!!!! i had to do an appeal and everything. such a nightmare. the PUA and regular UI have totally different rules so be careful!!!

The EDD system is DESIGNED to confuse people about this exact issue! They want you to mess up reporting so they can hit you with penalties later. I've been dealing with this corrupt system for years and it's all the same - during pandemic they pretended to help gig workers but now they're back to treating us like garbage. Good luck getting a straight answer from them about anything!

To answer your original question directly: The main difference between now and during the pandemic is that the pandemic had a special program (PUA) created specifically for self-employed/1099 workers. That program had its own rules and qualifications. Now, we're back to traditional unemployment insurance (UI) which is primarily designed for W-2 employees, but still requires you to report all income including self-employment. Your UI benefits are based on your W-2 work history, but reduced by your current 1099 earnings. As long as you accurately report your Uber income when certifying, you'll be fine. Your benefits will adjust automatically based on how much you earn each week. Just be honest and keep good records!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - I'm currently doing Uber Eats while on UI and I use the Uber driver app to track my weekly earnings. In the app, go to Earnings > Weekly Summary and it shows you exactly what you made each week after Uber's fees, which is what you need to report to EDD. I screenshot this every Sunday before I certify so I have the exact amount. Way easier than trying to add up individual trips! Also remember that tips are included in what you report - don't just report the fare portion. The system definitely feels different than during COVID when gig workers had their own program, but once you get the hang of reporting it becomes routine. Just be consistent and accurate every week.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! The key thing to understand is that during the pandemic, gig workers like your friend were on PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) which was a completely separate program with different rules. PUA allowed people to collect benefits even if their only income was from gig work like Uber. Now that we're back to regular UI, the rules are totally different. Since you qualified for UI based on your W-2 job, you can still collect benefits but you MUST report your Uber earnings every week when you certify. The good news is that it won't completely disqualify you - EDD will just reduce your weekly benefit amount based on what you earn. Keep detailed records of your weekly Uber earnings (the app makes this easy to track) and always report the gross amount you earned that week, not when you got paid. Better to be overly honest than risk an overpayment notice later! The rules definitely changed from pandemic times, but once you get used to the reporting process it becomes pretty straightforward.

I'm dealing with something similar right now! Just got laid off from my regular job last month and have been doing DoorDash on the side for extra income. The whole reporting process definitely seems more complicated than what I heard about during the pandemic. From what I've learned so far, the key difference is that during COVID there was PUA which was specifically for gig workers, but now we're back to regular unemployment rules. I've been reporting my DoorDash earnings each week when I certify - it's nerve-wracking at first but you get used to it. One thing that's helped me is setting up a simple spreadsheet to track my weekly earnings from DoorDash. I note the week dates and exactly what I earned (after platform fees but before my gas/car expenses). Then when I certify, I just reference that spreadsheet. The good news is that as long as you're honest about your earnings, you should still get some benefits even if they're reduced. It's way better than risking fraud penalties by not reporting! Hope this helps - we're all figuring out the post-pandemic rules together.

I've been in a similar situation and want to emphasize something that might not be totally clear from the other responses: the earnings threshold that triggers $0 benefits isn't just your weekly benefit amount. EDD has a specific formula: if your gross weekly earnings exceed 130% of your weekly benefit amount, you get $0 for that week (but your claim stays active). So if your weekly benefit is $450, you'd get $0 if you earn more than $585 from Uber in a week. Below that threshold, they use the 75% deduction rule others mentioned. This is very different from pandemic PUA rules where you could earn quite a bit more before losing benefits entirely. Also, make sure you understand that EDD considers the week you WORKED, not when you got paid. So if you drove Uber Monday-Sunday, report those earnings on the certification for that same week, even if Uber doesn't pay you until the following Tuesday. Keep screenshots of your weekly earnings summary from the Uber app - this will save you if there are any questions later!