EDD says I don't have enough wages for new claim but I've worked full-time - can't reach anyone

same thing happend to me! turned out my employer wasnt reporting my wages correctly to EDD. total nightmare

This is actually a common issue. There are a few possibilities of what's happening: 1. Your employer wasn't properly reporting your wages to EDD (happens more than you'd think) 2. You're looking at the wrong base period (EDD uses a specific time period that might not include your most recent work) 3. You worked in multiple states recently and need to file an interstate claim What you need to do is request your wage information from EDD using the DE 4506 form, and get your pay stubs together as evidence. Then you can file a wage investigation if there's a discrepancy. But you NEED to talk to an EDD rep to get this started properly.

I've been through EXACTLY this!!! The most frustrating part is not being able to talk to anyone at EDD to explain your situation. After 3 DAYS of calling non-stop (literally had to redial over 200 times), I finally got through to someone who fixed the issue on the spot. If you're desperate to reach EDD quickly and stop the endless redialing, I used a service called Claimyr last week (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an EDD agent in about 25 minutes without me having to constantly redial. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Once I finally spoke with someone, they said my employer had reported my wages under a slightly different name than what I used on my application, so the system couldn't match them up. Took 5 minutes to fix once I actually talked to a human!

JUST FYI - The base period they use is weird!!! It's not the most recent quarters you worked. For claims filed in March 2025, they look at wages earned from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. The last 5 months don't count! So if you just started this job a year ago, some of your wages might not be in their calculation yet.

I went through this nightmare in January. Here's what you need: 1. Your last 18 months of pay stubs (or whatever you have) 2. A wage print out from your employer (HR or payroll can provide this) 3. Any W-2s you have 4. A DE 4506 form to request your wage info from EDD The key is getting through to an actual tier 2 specialist at EDD who can help with wage investigations. Regular agents often can't help with this specific issue. And don't panic - if it turns out there was a reporting error, they'll backdate your claim to when you first applied, so you won't lose any weeks of benefits. But start the process ASAP as it can take time to resolve.

This sounds like a case where you need to request a wage investigation. Here's the exact process: 1. Complete the DE 4506 form to request your wage information 2. Gather all evidence of your employment (pay stubs, W-2s, etc) 3. Contact EDD and specifically request a wage investigation 4. Submit your evidence as directed by the EDD representative 5. Follow up within 10 days if you don't hear anything The most important part is actually reaching someone at EDD. Try calling at exactly 8:01 AM when they open, or right after lunch at 1:02 PM - slightly better odds of getting through. Be ready to wait on hold for a while once you do connect.

EDD is a total disaster right now, my cousin has been trying for TWO WEEKS to get his claim sorted!!! And he's calling like 50+ times a day!! The whole system is designed to make you give up, I swear. don't stop trying, that's what they want!!

One thing to check - are you sure you filed for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) and not State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Paid Family Leave (PFL)? I've seen people accidentally file for the wrong program and get confused by the responses. Just want to make sure you're in the right system before you go through all the trouble of a wage investigation.

Update: I finally got through to EDD this morning after using the Claimyr service someone recommended here. The rep confirmed my employer had been reporting my wages under a slightly different spelling of my name, so the system couldn't match them to me! She said she's initiating a wage investigation and temporarily entering my wages based on the pay stubs I had. I should have a determination within 10 days. THANK YOU all for the advice - I would have been totally lost without it!

Congrats on getting through to EDD! This is such a perfect example of why it's so important to keep trying. The name discrepancy issue is really common - I've seen it happen with nicknames, maiden names, hyphenated names, or even just simple typos. For anyone else dealing with this, it's worth checking how your name appears on your Social Security card vs. how your employer has it in their payroll system. Sometimes there are differences that cause these matching problems. Really glad you got the help you needed and that the community could point you in the right direction!

This thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar wage issue right now and seeing Isla's success story gives me hope. One thing I wanted to add for others - if you're having trouble gathering all your pay stubs (like if you lost some or your employer uses a payroll service), you can also request a wage and tax statement directly from your employer's HR department. They're required to provide this information to you upon request. Also, if you have direct deposit, your bank statements can serve as additional proof of regular wage payments even if you don't have every single pay stub. Don't let missing paperwork stop you from filing that wage investigation - EDD can work with whatever documentation you can provide!

I'm so glad you were able to get through and get this resolved! This whole thread has been incredibly educational - I had no idea how many different things could cause wage matching issues with EDD. The name discrepancy problem seems to come up a lot, and it's such a simple fix once you can actually talk to someone who knows what they're doing. I'm bookmarking this thread because the step-by-step advice about the DE 4506 form, gathering documentation, and asking specifically for a tier 2 rep is gold. It's frustrating that the system makes it so hard to reach a human, but at least there are resources like this community and services like Claimyr that can help people navigate the process. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really makes a difference for people going through this stressful situation!

Just wanted to add another resource that helped me when I was dealing with a similar wage issue last year - if you're still having trouble after the wage investigation, you might want to contact the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). They have a wage claim division that can help if your employer wasn't properly reporting wages to EDD. It's a separate process from the EDD wage investigation, but it can provide additional documentation and sometimes even recover unpaid wages if that's part of the problem. The DIR website has forms you can fill out online, and they don't charge fees for this service. It's worth knowing about as a backup option if the EDD route hits any snags. Really glad this community exists - the collective knowledge here is amazing!

This entire thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now where EDD is saying I don't have enough wages, even though I've been working consistently. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the name mismatch issue is super common - I'm wondering if that might be my problem too since I go by a nickname at work but my legal name is on my Social Security card. One thing I wanted to ask - for those who successfully got through to EDD, did you have to provide documentation right away during the phone call, or did they give you time to gather everything and submit it later? I have most of my pay stubs but I'm missing a few from early last year and I'm worried they won't be able to help me without having every single one. Also, when you used Claimyr, did you still have to wait on hold once they connected you to EDD, or did you get straight through to a representative? Thanks so much for sharing all this information - it's giving me hope that this can actually be resolved!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my claim two weeks ago and got the "insufficient wages" message even though I've been working steadily for over a year. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so eye-opening - I had no idea there were so many different reasons this could happen. I'm definitely going to check if there's a name discrepancy issue since I use my middle name at work but my first name is on my Social Security card. It's crazy how something so simple can mess up the whole system! For anyone still struggling to get through to EDD, I've been trying the 8:01 AM strategy mentioned here and got through twice this week (though both times I got disconnected before reaching a human). Going to try the Claimyr service next since multiple people here had success with it. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - it's really helpful to know I'm not alone in this mess and that there are actual solutions!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! I'm not dealing with this specific issue myself, but I've been following along because my sister went through something similar last year. The amount of detailed, practical advice here is incredible - from the specific forms to request (DE 4506), to the timing tips for calling EDD (8:01 AM), to resources like Claimyr and even the DIR as a backup option. What really stands out to me is how many different root causes there can be for the same "insufficient wages" error message. The base period confusion, name mismatches, employer reporting errors - it's like a whole diagnostic tree just to figure out what's actually wrong! But seeing Isla's success story and all the follow-up from others who got their issues resolved gives me confidence that persistence really does pay off with these EDD problems. This thread should honestly be turned into a guide for anyone dealing with wage verification issues. The step-by-step advice and real experiences shared here are worth their weight in gold for people going through this stressful situation!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently dealing with a very similar situation - filed for UI three weeks ago and got the "insufficient wages" message despite working consistently for the past two years. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm pretty sure it's a name issue since I legally changed my last name after getting married but my employer might still have my maiden name in their system. I've been trying the early morning calling strategy with limited success (got through twice but was transferred and then disconnected both times). Planning to try Claimyr this week based on all the positive feedback here. I've also gathered all my pay stubs and bank statements showing direct deposits as backup documentation. One question for those who successfully resolved this - did EDD require any specific documentation about the name change, or was it enough to just explain the discrepancy to the representative? I have my marriage certificate and updated Social Security card ready just in case. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a helpful resource - it's making this whole process feel much less overwhelming!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently in a similar boat - lost my job at a retail store last month and EDD is telling me I don't have enough wages despite working there for over a year. After reading through everyone's experiences, I'm wondering if it could be the base period issue since I started this job in late 2023, so some of those early months might not have had full-time hours. I've been trying to call EDD for days with no luck - just constant busy signals or getting disconnected after going through all the menu options. It's so frustrating when you know there's probably a simple explanation but you can't reach anyone to fix it! I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service based on all the success stories here, and I'll make sure to have all my pay stubs ready. Does anyone know if weekend hours at my job (I worked a lot of weekend shifts) get reported differently than weekday wages? Just wondering if that could be another potential source of confusion in their system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's really reassuring to know this can be resolved once you get the right person on the phone!

This thread has become such an amazing resource! I'm dealing with a similar EDD wage issue right now and reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful. I've been stuck in the "insufficient wages" loop for two weeks despite working full-time as a nurse for the past 16 months. What really struck me from this discussion is how many different things can cause the same error message - base period confusion, name mismatches, employer reporting errors. I never would have thought to check if my employer had my name spelled differently in their payroll system! I go by "Alex" at work but my legal name is "Alexandria" on my Social Security card, so that could definitely be the issue. I'm going to try the Claimyr service this week based on all the positive feedback here, and I'll make sure to have all my documentation ready - pay stubs, ID, and anything that shows the name variation. The tip about asking specifically for a tier 2 rep for wage investigations is gold! Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions. It's so reassuring to know that persistence pays off and that there are actual pathways to resolve these issues once you can reach the right person. This community support makes such a difference during what's already a stressful time!