EDD 'waiting period' week not paid - normal or should I be concerned?

This is completely normal! The first week of every NEW unemployment claim is a 'waiting period' week. You won't get paid for that specific week - it's basically a deductible week. The good news is you only serve one waiting period per benefit year, so all your future weeks will be paid (assuming you meet all other eligibility requirements). You didn't do anything wrong with your certification.

yep waiting period is standard, sucks but everyone has to go thru it. its like the edd taking a week from everyone lol

The waiting period is a standard part of the unemployment process and has been around for decades. It's actually mandated by California law as a cost-saving measure for the UI system, not something EDD made up to frustrate claimants. Here's what you need to know: - It's ALWAYS the first week you're eligible for benefits - You must still certify for it even though you won't get paid - You only serve one waiting period per benefit year - If you return to work and then file a new claim within the same benefit year, you won't serve another waiting period And just to be super clear: you will never receive payment for that waiting period week. It's not delayed money that comes later.

I HAD THE EXACT SAME QUESTION when I first filed!!! The EDD website is so confusing and they don't explain this ANYWHERE that's easy to find. I spent hours trying to figure out why I only got paid for one week and was totally panicking. Why can't they just put a simple explanation on the UI Online dashboard?? So frustrating!

Just wanted to add that if you received any type of wages during your waiting period week (even partial), you'll still need to report them when you certify. The waiting period requirement is about serving an unpaid week, not necessarily having zero income that week. It's a subtle but important distinction for some people's situations.

If you're having trouble reaching EDD to ask questions like this (took me 43 calls to get through last month!), check out this service called Claimyr - https://claimyr.com. They have this callback system that helps you get through to an actual EDD rep. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

My fren said the waiting period is cuz they need to verify ur eligibility before paying u. But then why do they call it a "waiting period" instead of "verification period" or something? EDD makes everything more confusing than it needs to be lol

Thanks everyone for your help! I understand now that the waiting period is normal and I won't get paid for that week. Definitely wish the EDD website explained this more clearly. At least now I know all my future weeks should be paid as long as I certify correctly and remain eligible. One less thing to stress about!

sorta related but my waiting period was like 6 months ago and i still see it when i look at my payment history. does it stay there forever or does it eventually go away from the payment history screen?