EDD reporting Uber Eats/DoorDash income during unemployment - will this affect my benefits?

You absolutely must report ALL income when certifying, including gig work like Uber Eats or DoorDash. EDD considers this self-employment income. When you certify each week, you'll report your gross earnings (before expenses/taxes) for the week you performed the work, not when you got paid. EDD will reduce your weekly benefit by subtracting 75% of your earnings. So if you make $100 delivering food, your weekly benefit would be reduced by $75. Example: $450 weekly benefit - $75 (75% of $100 earnings) = $375 unemployment payment for that week. As long as you report accurately, you won't get penalized. Just be aware that if your earnings are too high in a given week, you might not receive any benefits for that week, but you'd still remain on your claim.

did doordash all last yr while on ui. its ok but u gotta report every penny or they WILL catch u later trust me. my friend didnt report like $340 from instacart and got hit with fraud penalty + had to payback everything. not worth it!!

I did UberEats while on unemployment in 2022. Here's what you need to know: 1) You'll need to report your GROSS earnings (what you make before expenses) 2) Report earnings in the week you WORKED, not when you get paid 3) You can still receive partial benefits as long as you don't earn more than your weekly benefit amount 4) Make sure to track ALL your expenses (mileage, hot bags, etc.) for tax purposes 5) You'll need to certify that you're still looking for full-time work I personally found it worthwhile. I typically did deliveries Friday-Sunday and still had plenty of time for job searching during the week. My benefits were reduced some weeks, but the combined income was better than unemployment alone.

@profile7 No, I never had an eligibility interview specifically about the gig work. As long as you're available for and actively seeking full-time work (and can document your job search activities), doing some gig work on the side shouldn't trigger issues. The key is being honest on your certification that you're available for work and not turning down any suitable job offers.

Just to add another perspective - I tried doing DoorDash while on unemployment last year, and honestly the hassle of reporting, the benefit reductions, and the stress about possibly making mistakes wasn't worth it FOR ME. After gas, car wear and tear, and taxes, I was barely making anything extra once my benefits were reduced. I found a part-time temporary job with fixed hours instead, which was easier to report and track. One thing to be super careful about - don't accidentally claim you're "self-employed" on your certification. There's a difference between having self-employment income and being fully self-employed (which could disqualify you).

To answer your question about the threshold - you won't receive benefits for any week you earn equal to or more than your weekly benefit amount ($450 in your case). If you earn $449 or less, you'll receive at least some partial benefits. Also, any week you receive even $1 in benefits, it counts as a full paid week for your claim and you'll get the additional $25 Supplement Benefit Payment that EDD recently started adding to weekly payments.

I've been trying to reach EDD for 3 weeks to ask questions about reporting my DoorDash income and it's IMPOSSIBLE to get through. I keep getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and then it hangs up. So frustrating! Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a human at EDD? I have specific questions about my situation that aren't answered on their website.

@profile6 Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out. Just need to get clear answers about my situation before I mess something up on my certification.

Im so confused 😫 Does anyone know if we're supposed to report the ACTUAL amount deposited in our bank account from Uber or the amount before they take out their fees? The EDD website is so unclear and I've been reporting the deposit amount. Now I'm worried I've been doing it wrong.

Has anyone had their account flagged for an eligibility interview after starting gig work? That's my biggest fear - that somehow EDD will think I'm not looking for full-time work anymore just because I'm doing some deliveries on weekends.

One more important tip: I recommend setting aside at least 25-30% of your gig earnings for taxes. Unlike regular employment, taxes aren't withheld from gig work, so you'll owe self-employment tax plus income tax when you file next year. Keep track of your mileage too (use an app like Stride) - that's your biggest deduction.

@profile5 yea its a pain but u get used 2 it. i just take screenshots of my earnings every week n save them in a folder so if EDD ever asks i got proof. better safe than sorry.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - laid off from my tech job in San Francisco and the cost of living here is brutal. Based on everyone's advice, it sounds like doing some weekend delivery work could be worth it as long as I'm super careful about reporting everything correctly. A few follow-up questions: Does anyone know if EDD has access to the gig platforms' records? Like, can they cross-check what I report against what Uber Eats or DoorDash reports to the IRS? Also, I'm curious about the timing - if I work on a Sunday but don't get paid until the following Tuesday, I report it for the week I actually worked, right? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. It's reassuring to know others have navigated this successfully without getting into trouble with EDD.

This entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in the exact same boat as the original poster - laid off from marketing and struggling with LA rent on $450/week. Reading everyone's experiences has given me confidence to try some weekend delivery work. Based on all the advice here, my plan is to: - Start with just Friday/Saturday nights to test the waters - Use Everlance for mileage tracking like Hunter suggested - Set up that Google Sheet template to track everything - Take weekly screenshots of earnings - Set aside 30% of gig earnings for taxes - Keep detailed job search records to show I'm still actively looking for full-time work One question I still have: if I'm doing delivery work in LA traffic, are there any specific safety considerations or insurance issues I should be aware of? I know some personal auto insurance policies don't cover commercial use, and I don't want to get stuck with a huge bill if something happens while I'm delivering. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences and actual numbers - it makes this feel much more manageable knowing others have successfully balanced gig work with unemployment benefits!

This is such a comprehensive thread - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! As someone who's been dealing with EDD for a few months now, I wanted to add one more important point that I learned recently. If you're planning to do gig work while on unemployment, make sure you understand the difference between "working" and being "available for work" on your certification. EDD asks both questions separately for a reason. You can answer YES to working (and report your gig earnings) while still answering YES to being available for full-time work, as long as you're genuinely available to accept suitable employment in your field. I was initially confused about this and almost answered NO to "available for work" just because I was doing some weekend Instacart deliveries. Thankfully I called EDD (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it really works!) and they clarified that as long as you're not turning down job offers and you're still actively job searching, doing limited gig work doesn't make you "unavailable." Also, to answer @Diego Castillo's insurance question - I use GEICO and they have a pretty affordable gig work add-on that covers the gaps between personal and the app's commercial coverage. Definitely worth checking with your insurance company before you start driving! Keep detailed records, be honest on your certifications, and you should be fine. The extra income really does help, especially with California's cost of living being so brutal right now.