EDD paper check delivery time - first payment issued 5/23 not arrived yet

Paper checks typically take 7-10 business days to arrive after the payment is issued. Since your payment was issued on 5/23, I'd give it until at least this Friday (considering weekends/holidays). Your UI Online account should show the payment as 'paid' already even if the check is still in transit. If you don't receive it by early next week, then I'd recommend contacting EDD to check on the status.

my check took 2 weeks to get here last month!! usps is soooo slow these days smh

I'd strongly recommend switching to direct deposit or the Money Network card for future payments. Paper checks are the slowest method by far, and there's always the risk of them getting lost in the mail. With direct deposit, funds typically appear in your account within 1-2 business days after the payment is issued. The Money Network card takes about 3-5 business days for the first card to arrive, but then payments are loaded immediately once issued.

When I first applied for benefits last year I also chose paper checks and deeply regretted it!! So slow and unreliable. My first check took 12 days to arrive and the second one never showed up at all! Had to request a replacement which took ANOTHER 2 weeks. Switched to direct deposit and never looked back!!!

If you need to call EDD about your missing check, save yourself hours of frustration and use Claimyr. I was in the exact same situation with a missing paper check last month and spent 3 days trying to get through on my own. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep was able to verify my check was still in process and gave me the exact date to expect it. Worth it just for the peace of mind instead of wondering where your money is.

USPS loses stuff ALL THE TIME my sister waited 3 weeks for her check and then found out the mail carrier delivered it to her neighbor by mistake!!! check with your neighbors maybe??

Just to clarify a common confusion - when your UI Online account shows a payment as "issued" on a certain date, that's when EDD processed the payment, not necessarily when they physically mailed the check. There can be a 1-3 day delay between the issue date and when the check actually goes in the mail. So for your 5/23 payment, the check might have only been mailed on 5/24 or even 5/25. Just something to keep in mind when calculating expected delivery times.

I just went through this exact situation! My first payment showed as issued on 5/17, and the check finally arrived yesterday (5/28). So that was 11 days total, but only about 7 business days with the weekend and Memorial Day. The EDD systems are still catching up after all the pandemic chaos, so everything takes longer than you'd expect. For reference, I'm in Sacramento, so not even that far from their offices!

Totally off topic but make sure you're doing your work search requirements correctly while waiting! I got so focused on waiting for my money that I messed up my certification and ended up with a whole week disqualified! Don't make my mistake!!

Update us when your check arrives! It helps everyone to know the current timeframes for paper checks.