EDD penalty weeks - do we receive backpay after serving them?
Been serving penalty weeks on my EDD claim for the past 3 weeks (got 7 total to serve). I made a mistake on my income reporting last year and now I'm paying for it. I'm certifying every week like normal, but obviously not getting paid. My question is - once I finish serving all 7 penalty weeks, will EDD issue backpay for those weeks I certified but didn't get paid for? Or is that money just gone forever? I have bills stacking up and trying to figure out how long I need to stretch my savings. Thanks for any info!
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Dmitri Volkov
No backpay for penalty weeks. That's why they're called penalties. The weeks count against your total benefit amount but you don't get the money. It's EDD's way of punishing people who they determine broke the rules (whether on purpose or by accident). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but better you know now than keep hoping for money that won't come.
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LilMama23
•Ughhh that's what I was afraid of! So frustrating because it was seriously an honest mistake. I didn't understand how to report my gig work correctly. Thanks for the straight answer though.
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Gabrielle Dubois
To clarify what the previous person said, penalty weeks are indeed a punishment where you must certify but receive no payment. These weeks DO still count against your benefit year and reduce your maximum benefit amount. After serving all penalty weeks, you'll resume receiving regular payments for any remaining eligible weeks, but there is no retroactive payment for the penalty period. The system is designed this way to deter misreporting - harsh but that's how it works.
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LilMama23
•Thanks for explaining. I guess I just have to accept it and move on. Do you know if it affects future claims if I need to file again in a few years?
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Tyrone Johnson
this happened to my cousin last yr and ya they dont give u that money back ever!! system is rigged fr
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Ingrid Larsson
One important thing - make sure you're still certifying properly during these penalty weeks even though you're not getting paid. If you miss certifications during penalty weeks, it can cause even more problems with your claim. Keep all your work search records too. After you finish the penalty weeks, your payments should start automatically with your next certification if you still have a balance and are otherwise eligible.
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LilMama23
•I've been certifying every Sunday like clockwork! Thanks for the reminder though - wouldn't want to make things even worse.
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Carlos Mendoza
I got hit with 9 penalty weeks back in January for a similar reporting issue. I can confirm what everyone is saying - that money is gone forever. The only silver lining is that after your penalty weeks are done, your claim should automatically start paying again without you having to call or do anything special. But if it doesn't resume automatically, you'll need to contact EDD.
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Zainab Mahmoud
•when u had to contact edd were u able to get thru? i've been trying for 3 days and keep getting that stupid 'max callers reached' message every time!!
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Carlos Mendoza
•Getting through to EDD was a nightmare. I finally used Claimyr.com to connect to an EDD rep after wasting days trying to call myself. They have this system that calls for you and connects you with an agent when they answer. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km - worth checking out if you're struggling to get through.
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Ava Williams
I know this sounds crazy guys BUT i think sometimes they DO pay you back!!! My boyfriend got penalty weeks in 2024 and after he served them he got a random deposit for half of what he would have got during those weeks. Nobody can explain it but the money showed up!! Maybe they reduced his penalty idk
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Gabrielle Dubois
•That's not backpay for penalty weeks. What likely happened is that your boyfriend had some other adjustment to his claim - perhaps a retroactive certification for weeks before the penalties started, or a recalculation of his weekly benefit amount. EDD sometimes makes these adjustments without clear explanation. Penalty weeks, by definition, are weeks you certify for but receive no payment, and there is no mechanism for those specific weeks to be paid retroactively.
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Ava Williams
•oh maybe ur right... they never sent any explanation so we just assumed it was related to the penalty thing
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LilMama23
Thanks everyone for the info. Looks like I need to accept that this money is just gone as part of my penalty. Wish EDD was more forgiving for honest mistakes but it is what it is. At least I'll be able to receive benefits again after these 7 weeks if I still need them. I'll make doubly sure I'm reporting everything 100% correctly going forward!
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