EDD still owes me money from 2020-21 - What's the best number to call in 2025?

same boat! they owe me 3k from 2021 too. the system is designed to make u give up tbh

The best number is still 1-800-300-5616, but the trick is calling exactly at 8:01am. Also, try the technical support line at 1-833-978-2511 - sometimes they can transfer you to a claims specialist who can see older claim info. Don't worry about time limits too much. While there's technically a one-year deadline to appeal decisions, if the money was already approved but never paid, they still owe you. You should request a formal appeal in writing though - that creates a paper trail they can't ignore.

try calling at like 4:45pm on wednesday!!!! that worked 4 me last month the lady said end of day is better cuz alot of reps hit their call quotas already

I was in a similar situation with unpaid benefits from late 2020. After months of getting nowhere with regular calls, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an EDD rep in under 25 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Once I finally got through, I learned I needed to file a specific type of retroactive appeal for pandemic-era claims. The rep transferred me to someone who specialized in resolving these older issues. Definitely worth getting through to the right department quickly rather than trying the main line for months.

i know this is kinda off topic but does anyone know if 2020 covid claims still affect your regular unemployment now?? i had issues with mine back then too but gave up & now i need to apply for regular benefits

I finally got my backpay from 2021 resolved last month after filing a formal complaint with the EDD Audit Department. Here's what worked for me: 1. Call the main number (1-800-300-5616) and specifically request a "retroactive certification opportunity" for the missing weeks 2. Get the name and ID number of any rep you speak with 3. Follow up with a fax (yes, they still use fax!) to 916-403-2500 with all your documentation 4. If that doesn't work within 10 business days, file an official complaint through the EDD website under "Claim Issues" 5. Be persistent and keep detailed records of all communications I was owed $5,800 and finally received it after nearly 4 years of fighting. Don't give up!

When I had this problem I went to my state assembly person's office and they helped me fix it in like 2 weeks! They have special contacts at EDD that actually respond. Worth trying!

I have a question . Ok EDD paid me to the bank of America debit account the first like backdated money that came out the first time when they backdated it was Alil over 10,000 . But then ID me started and I had to go get a new drivers license or ID before I could prove my identity and so they deemed me as fraudulent until I got my identification card in order and finally did the ID me thing . So Bank of America has me in there Systems as fraudulent because of EDD entering me in there system that way . but after I fixed myself with the Edd and I certified all new weeks they paid me in paper checks. now I don’t understand why that was but it is how they did me. I asked about my funds i had already received to my debit card. That were locked on the card the moment Edd marked me as fraudulent in there system . They said I need to take it up with Bank of America . And when I call Bank of America they say I’m fraudulent in there system so they have nothing more to discuss With me . eDD is the ones who entered me in there system as frauduant so they would need to be the ones to fix me . I said but they did I have beeen paid my second half of what was owed to me . They said well doesn’t show anything of that sorts in there side so they have nothing more to discus with me again and hung up on me. they didn’t let me finish talking or even explain I was paid in paper checks was the difference this time.So yea can anyone follow ??? I don’t know where to go from there I did call Edd again an again an again an dont seem to through anymore it’s toatally irritating N I feel as if I should just give up. But those funds were in my account I was just able to pull out about 1000 a day because I was waiting for my if to go in the bank to pull out the fukk funds so that was why my money was still in my card when they blocked it . And since it is supposedly not unblocked by Edd Bank of America aren’t fukin with me excuse my language im jus tired and want to give up its probably to late to even get it died still ….. help advice any words of direction with this please

Has anyone tried reaching out to the EDD Ombudsman Office? I just discovered they exist after dealing with my own 2020 claim issues. They're supposed to help with unresolved problems that regular customer service can't fix. The number is 1-800-300-5616 ext. 2511 (different from the tech support line mentioned earlier). I'm planning to contact them this week along with trying the assembly member route that Angel suggested. Figure it's worth hitting this from multiple angles since we've all been waiting way too long for money that's rightfully ours!

I'm dealing with a similar situation from 2020 - EDD owes me about $2,800 from weeks that got stuck in their system during the pandemic chaos. Reading through all these responses is both helpful and depressing because it shows how many of us are STILL fighting for money from 4+ years ago! I'm going to try combining several of these strategies: calling the main number at 8:01am sharp, asking specifically for the "retroactive certification opportunity" that TommyKapitz mentioned, and if that doesn't work, contacting both my assembly member AND the EDD Ombudsman Office that Oliver just mentioned. One thing I wanted to add - make sure you have your old weekly certification records if you still have them. I found some screenshots on my phone from 2020 showing I certified for weeks that never got paid, and I think that visual proof might help when I finally get through to someone who can actually fix this mess. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and strategies. It's frustrating that we have to become experts in navigating government bureaucracy just to get paid what we're owed, but at least we're not alone in this fight!

I've been following this thread and wanted to share something that just worked for me last week! I was owed $3,400 from 2021 and finally got through using a combination of strategies mentioned here. What worked: I called the main number (1-800-300-5616) at exactly 8:01am on Tuesday, and when I got through I immediately said "I need to speak with the Claim Review Unit about retroactive certification for unpaid weeks from 2021." The rep knew exactly what I was talking about and transferred me without any pushback. The specialist I spoke with was able to see my old claim and confirmed that several weeks were certified but never paid due to a system glitch during the pandemic transition. She initiated a "retroactive payment review" right there on the call and said I should see the money within 2-3 weeks. Key things that helped: I had my claim number, the exact dates of unpaid weeks, and reference numbers from any old determination letters. The rep said having specific dates made it much easier to locate the missing payments in their system. Don't give up everyone - it seems like they've finally got people in place who know how to handle these pandemic-era issues!

Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and infuriating - I can't believe so many of us are still fighting for pandemic money in 2025! I'm in a similar boat with about $3,600 owed from early 2021 when my claim got stuck in their system during all the fraud investigations. Based on what I'm seeing here, I'm going to try a multi-pronged approach: calling at 8:01am sharp asking specifically for the "Claim Review Unit about retroactive certification" (thanks Mei for that exact language!), and if that doesn't work within a week, I'll contact both my assembly member and file a formal complaint through the EDD website like TommyKapitz suggested. One thing I wanted to add - I found an old email confirmation from 2021 that shows I completed ID.me verification, which might help prove my claim was legitimate all along. For anyone else digging through old records, check your email for any EDD confirmations or ID.me completion notices from that time period. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in government bureaucracy just to get paid what we're already owed, but I'm not giving up on $3,600. Thanks everyone for sharing your strategies - this thread is more helpful than anything I've found on the official EDD website!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences and strategies! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation as the original post, with EDD owing me around $3,800 from late 2020/early 2021. After reading through everyone's advice, I'm going to try calling tomorrow at 8:01am sharp and ask specifically for the "Claim Review Unit about retroactive certification for unpaid weeks from 2020-2021." I've spent tonight gathering all my documentation - claim number, exact dates of the unpaid weeks, old determination letters, and even found some screenshots of my certifications from that time. If the direct calling approach doesn't work within a week, I'll escalate to contacting my assembly member's office and filing a formal complaint through the EDD website. It's frustrating that we have to become experts at navigating bureaucracy just to get money we're legally owed, but seeing recent success stories like Mei's gives me hope that there are finally people at EDD who can resolve these pandemic-era issues. I'll update this thread with my results - whether successful or not - since this conversation has become such a valuable resource for all of us still fighting for our benefits. We shouldn't have to deal with this in 2025, but at least we can support each other through the process!

I've been reading through this entire thread and it's both reassuring and infuriating to see so many of us still fighting for pandemic-era benefits. EDD owes me about $2,600 from March 2021 when my claim got flagged during their fraud sweep, even though I was legitimately unemployed. What really caught my attention was Mei's success story about using the specific phrase "Claim Review Unit about retroactive certification" - that seems to be the magic words to get transferred to someone who actually knows how to handle these old cases. I'm definitely going to try that approach at 8:01am sharp. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I just discovered that if you still have access to your old UI Online account, you can print out your payment history which shows the weeks that were certified but never paid. This creates a clear paper trail that proves you were owed the money. Look under "Payment Activity" and filter by the date range from your pandemic claim. It's absolutely ridiculous that we're all still dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare in 2025, but this thread has given me more actionable strategies than years of frustrating phone calls. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - we shouldn't have to become EDD experts just to get our own money, but here we are!