EDD multiple income reporting - do I report both jobs or just the one I was laid off from?
I just got laid off today from my main job at a tech startup (was making about $4,200/month there). I also have a side gig as a weekend delivery driver that brings in roughly $800/month. When I file for unemployment, am I supposed to report BOTH income sources on my application, or just the job I was laid off from? This is my first time applying for unemployment and I don't want to mess anything up or get accused of fraud. Also, can I keep doing my delivery job while collecting unemployment from my main job? Completely lost here and the EDD website is confusing me more than helping. Thanks in advance for any guidance!
15 comments
Jamal Wilson
You need to report BOTH income sources on your initial application. EDD needs to know your complete employment history. Then when you certify every two weeks, you'll report any ongoing income from your delivery job. They'll reduce your weekly benefit amount based on what you earn from the delivery work, but you can absolutely keep that job while collecting partial unemployment. It's called partial unemployment, and it's perfectly legitimate as long as you accurately report everything.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thank you so much! That makes sense. Will they just subtract what I make from deliveries from my weekly benefit amount then? And do I need to upload any proof of my delivery income when I apply?
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Mei Lin
def report both!!! they'll find out anyway when they check ur employment records and u don't want them thinking ur trying to hide income!! happened to my brother and he had to deal w/ overpayment headache for months
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Oh yikes, that sounds stressful. Definitely want to avoid that situation. Thanks for the warning!
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Liam Fitzgerald
Yes, report everything. When you certify bi-weekly, you'll need to report any hours and earnings from your delivery job. EDD uses a formula where they deduct a portion of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. You can earn up to $599 per week before completely losing benefits for that week (the exact formula is that the first $25 or 25% of your earnings, whichever is greater, isn't counted against you). Keep very careful records of your delivery income - exact hours worked and amounts earned for each day. This is super important when certifying. I'd recommend setting up a spreadsheet now to track this.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I hadn't realized there was a formula involved. I'll definitely set up that spreadsheet right away to track everything. Do you know if the delivery app's weekly summaries are sufficient documentation?
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Amara Nnamani
When I got laid off last year I totally screwed this up lol. I forgot to mention my weekend bartending gig and then panicked when I realized my mistake. Had to call EDD to fix it which was a NIGHTMARE. Took like 3 weeks of calling non-stop before I finally got through to someone who could help.
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Giovanni Mancini
•If anyone needs to actually reach an EDD rep quickly, try Claimyr (claimyr.com). They've got this system that gets you through to an agent without the endless redial game. Saved me hours of frustration when my claim was stuck pending after reporting some freelance income. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km - definitely worth it when you're dealing with time-sensitive income reporting issues.
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NebulaNinja
REPORT EVERYTHING!!!!! EDD will eventually crosscheck your income with tax records and if they find unreported income you'll not only have to pay everything back but also get hit with a 30% penalty AND possible disqualification for future benefits. The system is designed to catch this stuff eventually.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That sounds really serious! I definitely don't want to get into that kind of trouble. I'll make sure to report everything accurately.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
My situation was kinda similar to yours last year. Had a main job at a retail store and did some online tutoring on the side. Lost the retail job and kept tutoring. What I learned is that you need to calculate your tutoring/delivery income on a *daily* basis when certifying, not weekly. So if you work Saturday and Sunday doing deliveries, you need to enter the specific income for each day separately when you certify. Tripped me up initially.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's a really good point! I wouldn't have thought about breaking it down by day. The delivery app gives me daily breakdowns so I'll use those. Thanks for the tip!
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Jamal Wilson
Just to add one more important detail - when you certify every two weeks, make sure you answer "yes" to the question asking if you worked or earned money, even if you only did your delivery job. Then enter the employer name, hours, and earnings for each day you worked. Some people mistakenly think they only need to report the job they were laid off from, but you need to report ALL work and earnings during certification.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Got it. So even though my delivery job is an app-based gig and not traditional employment, I still list them as an employer and report all those hours. Super helpful, thank you!
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Jamal Wilson
•Exactly! For app-based gig work, you would enter the company name (like DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.) as the employer. EDD understands gig work situations. Just make sure your reported income matches what eventually shows up on your 1099 at tax time, as they will cross-reference.
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