EDD partial benefits question - working 16 hours weekly while on unemployment
So I recently got laid off from my full-time job (worked as an admin assistant for a law firm for 3 years) and qualified for unemployment. I got lucky and found a part-time gig at a coffee shop where I'm working exactly 2 days a week, 8 hours each day. My benefit amount is $375/week but I'm super confused about how EDD will calculate my deductions for these part-time earnings. Will they just subtract my gross earnings from my weekly benefit? Do I lose my whole benefit if I make too much? I'm trying to make sure I report everything correctly during certification so I don't end up with an overpayment issue later. Has anyone here dealt with partial benefits while working part-time?
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NeonNebula
When you certify, you'll report your gross earnings (before taxes) for the specific days you worked in each week. EDD uses a formula where they deduct 75% of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. So if you earn $200 in a week (gross), they'll deduct $150 from your $375 weekly benefit, leaving you with $225 in unemployment for that week. You can still get partial benefits as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount plus $25. Don't worry about the calculation - just report your actual earnings honestly and EDD will do the math.
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Malik Thomas
•Thank you so much! I didn't realize they only deduct 75% of what I earn. That's actually pretty fair. So as long as I'm earning less than $400 per week ($375 + $25), I'll still get something? That's helpful to know.
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Isabella Costa
WRONG INFO ABOVE!!!! They deduct DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR not 75%!!! I went through this last year and they took EVERY DOLLAR I earned from my benefit. The system is designed to screw you over, don't be fooled!!
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NeonNebula
•That's incorrect. EDD definitely uses the formula I described - they disregard 25% of your earnings and deduct the rest. This is directly from the EDD website. Perhaps you had a different situation or there was a mistake in your case that needed to be appealed.
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Ravi Malhotra
just make sure u report earnings for the week u WORKED them not when u got paid. thats wat messed me up and i got an overpayment notice for like $2700 and its a huge headache to fix.
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Malik Thomas
•Omg that's a good point! I wouldn't have thought about that. My pay periods end on Fridays but I don't get the check until the following Thursday. So I need to report based on when I actually worked the hours, not when I receive the money. Thank you!
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Freya Christensen
i have the same situation!! i work tues & thurs at a warehouse, 8 hr shifts. jus be super careful about the certification questions. the one that asks if you refused work always confuses me cus technically im available other days but only agreed to tues/thurs when i took the job lol
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Omar Farouk
•For that question, you should answer "No" as long as you didn't actually refuse any specific work offered to you. The question is asking if you turned down a job offer or additional hours, not whether you have limited availability due to your current work schedule. As long as you're being truthful about your current work situation, you're answering correctly.
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Chloe Davis
I spent 3 weeks trying to get through to EDD when I had almost the exact same situation (I was working 20 hours though). I eventually used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent - they have a service that calls EDD for you and connects you when an agent answers. Saved me days of redial frustration. There's a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. The agent was super helpful and explained exactly how the partial benefits worked for my situation.
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Malik Thomas
•I might check that out if I run into issues. I've been trying to call all week with questions and keep getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message then it hangs up. Super frustrating!
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AstroAlpha
my sister had this happen and she got confused with the reporting and ended up with an overpayment notice so be really careful! she got disqualified for like 5 weeks too as a penalty it was a whole mess
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Malik Thomas
•That's exactly what I'm afraid of! I don't want to mess anything up and end up owing money back or getting penalty weeks.
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Omar Farouk
Make sure you're also still meeting the work search requirements while working part-time. Even though you're working, EDD still requires you to be looking for full-time work. That means you should be making at least 3 job contacts per week and documenting them. Many people miss this and end up having eligibility issues later.
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Malik Thomas
•Thank you for mentioning this! I am still applying to full-time positions in my field (admin/office management). I've been keeping a spreadsheet with all my applications, so I should be covered on that front.
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NeonNebula
Just to add some clarity on the formula EDD uses: 1. You report your gross earnings (before taxes) 2. EDD disregards 25% of those earnings 3. The remaining 75% is subtracted from your weekly benefit amount So with your $375 weekly benefit, if you earn $200 gross in a week: - 25% of $200 = $50 (disregarded) - 75% of $200 = $150 (deducted) - $375 - $150 = $225 (your partial UI payment) You'll still receive benefits as long as you earn less than your weekly benefit amount + $25 (so $400 in your case).
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Ravi Malhotra
•this is super helpful!! i never understood how they calculated my partial benefits but this makes it clear
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