EDD payment schedule - are payments always biweekly? Confused new claimant
I finally got my first unemployment payment after waiting for what felt like forever! So relieved to see money in my account. But now I'm confused about when to expect future payments. Do EDD payments always come every 2 weeks? I certified on Sunday and got paid Wednesday. Should I expect my next payment in exactly 14 days? Or is there some other schedule I don't know about? This is my first time on unemployment and I'm trying to budget carefully. Thanks for any help!
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Makayla Shoemaker
Yes, EDD payments are on a biweekly schedule. You'll certify every two weeks for the previous two-week period. The certification period opens on Sunday, and if you certify right away and there are no issues with your claim, payment typically processes within 24-48 hours. Mark your calendar for certification every other Sunday to stay on track.
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Mason Stone
•Thank you! That makes so much sense. Do you know if it's always the same days? Like will my certification day always be Sunday?
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Christian Bierman
The standard schedule is biweekly for regular UI claims. You'll get an email/text notification when it's time to certify again. EDD assigns you to either Group 1 or Group 2 for certification purposes - this determines which Sunday you certify on. You can find your certification date in your UI Online account under 'Notification Preferences' or just check the homepage which will tell you when your next certification is due.
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Emma Olsen
•Wait im confused... i thought everyone certified on the same day? ive been on uneployment for 3 months and i certify every other sunday like clockwork
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Christian Bierman
Actually, not everyone certifies on the same Sunday. EDD divides claimants into two groups to manage the certification workload. Group 1 certifies one set of Sundays, Group 2 on the alternate Sundays. Your certification dates are fixed based on which group you're assigned to when you first file your claim. You can always see your next certification date in your UI Online account.
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Emma Olsen
•oh wow never knew that! learn something new everyday lol
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Lucas Lindsey
my payments are every 2 weeks but sometimes they take FOREVER to show up after i certify. last month i certified on sunday and didnt see money until friday!! its so frustrating when u need the $$ to pay bills on time
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Sophie Duck
•THIS!!! The inconsistency is what kills me. Sometimes it's 24 hours, sometimes it's 5 DAYS! How are we supposed to budget when we never know when the money will actually hit our accounts?? And good luck trying to call EDD to ask why your payment is delayed - you'll get the dreaded "we're experiencing higher than normal call volume" message EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
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Austin Leonard
Just to clarify something important about the payment timing: When you certify on Sunday, the payment typically processes overnight Sunday into Monday. Then it generally takes 24-48 hours for the money to appear in your account, depending on whether you're using the EDD Debit Card or direct deposit. Direct deposit usually takes an additional business day. Bank holidays can also delay things by a day. So while certification is definitely every two weeks, the exact day the money appears can vary slightly.
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Mason Stone
•This is really helpful! I'm using direct deposit and my bank usually processes things pretty quickly. I'll keep an eye out for those bank holidays too - didn't think about that.
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Emma Olsen
oh and btw make sure u dont forget to certify!! they dont automatically pay u!! i missed certifying once and had to call edd to fix it and it was a NIGHTMARE
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Good point! Setting calendar reminders for certification days is essential. You can also set up text/email notifications in your UI Online account under "Contact Information" and "Notification Preferences" to get reminders when it's time to certify.
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Lucas Lindsey
my sister gets disability not unemployment and her payments come every 2 weeks too but on different days than mine. i think all EDD stuff is biweekly but the actual days depend on your specific program and when u first applied
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Austin Leonard
•That's correct. SDI (State Disability Insurance) and PFL (Paid Family Leave) are also administered by EDD but operate on different payment systems than Unemployment Insurance. They all use biweekly payment schedules, but the specific dates vary by program. For UI specifically, your certification dates are determined when you first file your claim and remain consistent throughout your benefit year.
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