EDD waiting week not paid after rep told me to delay filing - did I lose money?

The waiting week ALWAYS unpaid no matter when u file. Its how EDD works for everyone.

The EDD representative gave you correct information. The first week of any unemployment claim is considered a "waiting period" and is unpaid by law. This is true regardless of when you file your claim. Filing on May 2nd was actually good advice because your claim effective date would align closely with your last day of work. If you had filed earlier, you wouldn't have received any additional money - you would still have an unpaid waiting week. The only difference would be when your claim started. Your benefit year begins the Sunday of the week you file your claim, so filing on May 2nd means your benefit year started on April 28th (the prior Sunday). The waiting week serves as a kind of deductible on your claim, and everyone has to serve it once per benefit year. You didn't lose any money by following the rep's advice.

I had the EXACT same issue in February! The EDD phone rep told me to file right before my last day but didn't mention anything about the waiting week. I panicked when I saw $0 for my first week. Turns out it's normal but jeez they should explain this better when you talk to them!! Btw, when you called EDD, were you on hold forever? I spent like 4+ hours trying to get through just to talk to someone. My cousin used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to EDD without the wait. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Saved him hours of frustration when he had questions about his certification.

everyone pays the waiting week tax lol... been that way forever

The waiting week confusion is something I see a lot as an employment lawyer. Here's what's happening: 1. Every new UI claim has a one-week unpaid waiting period (CA Unemployment Insurance Code § 1253) 2. Filing on May 2nd (before your last day on May 3rd) was actually correct advice 3. You did NOT lose any money by following the rep's advice 4. Had you filed earlier, your claim would have started earlier, but you still wouldn't get paid for the waiting week 5. If you had filed later (after separation), you might have lost benefits because claims are not backdated automatically The waiting week serves multiple purposes: it reduces costs to the UI system, deters claims for very brief periods of unemployment, and gives EDD time to process your claim. During the height of COVID, CA temporarily suspended the waiting week, which might be causing some confusion if you or friends filed during that period. You're on the right track - just keep certifying every two weeks and payments should start with your second week.

The waiting week is SUCH BS!!! I got laid off in March and nobody told me about this stupid waiting week. I budgeted thinking I'd get paid for that week and then had to scramble to cover bills. EDD should make this way more obvious when you file!!! It's not fair to people who are already struggling after losing a job!!!!

When I filed in January my waiting week was showing as "pending" for over a month after all my other weeks were paid. Had to call EDD three different times before someone fixed it and explained it would always show as $0 even after it switched from pending to "waiting period" status. Their system is so confusing! But yeah, the rep gave you correct info about when to file.