EDD travel rules - Will looking for jobs in other CA cities affect my unemployment benefits?

You're asking a really good question! The key thing with EDD is being "able and available" for work. As long as you're actively looking for work and available for interviews (even remote ones), you should be fine traveling within California. You don't need to report in-state travel unless it would prevent you from accepting suitable work. The rule about travel is meant to catch people going on vacations when they should be job hunting. Since you're specifically traveling TO job hunt, and aren't turning down interviews, you're meeting your obligations. Just keep certifying accurately about your work search activities each week.

actually u do have 2 report travel even in-state if ur gone for more than 3 days!! my cousin got in trouble for not saying he was in san diego for a week even tho he was still in CA. EDD wants u at ur home address ready to work, not traveling around

I went through this EXACT situation last year! I was a remote worker who got laid off and wanted to look for jobs in different areas. When I called EDD (took forever to get through btw), they told me that as long as I was actively looking for work AND available to accept work, I didn't need to report traveling within California. The key is that you can't use travel as an excuse to turn down job offers or interviews. Also make sure you're doing your required work search activities and documenting them carefully.

This is slightly more complicated than some are suggesting. While EDD doesn't explicitly prohibit in-state travel, the real requirement is that you must be able and available for work each day you claim benefits. If your travel would prevent you from accepting suitable work, you should indicate you were not available on those days when certifying. However, given that you previously worked remotely and are specifically traveling to expand job opportunities, you have a reasonable case for maintaining your "available for work" status. Just make sure you can accept interviews (even virtually) and can start work if offered while traveling.

BTW if ur struggling to get clear answers from EDD directly u might wanna try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation (not about travel but had questions about my remote work history) and couldn't get thru to anyone at EDD for WEEKS. A friend recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an EDD rep in like 30 min. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km I actually asked the EDD rep about travel within CA and they confirmed what others are saying - it's about being available for work, not about where you physically are in the state. Just document your job search activities thoroughly.

RIDICULOUS how confusing EDD makes all this!!!! i got PENALIZED last year because i went to lake tahoe for 5 days (still in california!!) and didn't report it, even though i was applying for jobs the whole time and had my laptop to do interviews!!!! the whole system is designed to trip us up, i swear. now i'm stuck with 6 penalty weeks where i don't get paid even though i qualify. DON'T TRUST WHAT PEOPLE SAY ONLINE - CALL EDD AND GET IT IN WRITING!!!!

hey wanted to share my experience as some1 who traveled for job hunting while on unemployment... i was staying with friends in diff cities for job interviews and networking last year. i didnt report anything about my travel since i was still in CA and was actually MORE available for work since i was literally going to interviews lol. never had any issues with my claim. kept getting my payments no problem. just make sure ur still doing ur job search requirements every week.

wait i'm confused now. so u dont have to tell EDD ur traveling but u still have to say ur available for work? what if ur driving all day to another city?? r u still "available" then?

I want to add an important clarification: When certifying for benefits, one of the questions asks if there was any reason (other than sickness or injury) that you could not accept full-time work each workday. The legal standard is whether you were "able and available" for work. In your case, as someone who previously worked remotely from multiple locations, traveling within California to actively search for work would generally not make you unavailable for work, especially if you remain accessible for communications with potential employers and could start work if offered. Just make sure you're completing all required work search activities and documenting them thoroughly.