EDD waived waiting period? New claim paid immediately without waiting week

You're right to question this. Traditionally, there is a one-week waiting period for all new UI claims where you certify but don't get paid for that first week. However, during certain emergencies or high unemployment periods, EDD sometimes waives this waiting period. The last time they did this was during COVID, and I thought they had returned to the standard waiting week policy by now. Are you sure this is a completely new claim and not somehow connected to the previous one? Sometimes if there's a break in claim filing but you're still within your benefit year, different rules apply.

Thanks for responding! Yes, it's definitely a new claim. His benefit year ended on February 20, 2025 and we had to go through the whole application process again including ID verification. The new claim has a different benefit amount too. I'm wondering if maybe they're quietly waiving the waiting period again without announcing it?

the same thing happened 2 my husband last month!! we thought it was a mistake to but the money showed up on his card. maybe they changed the rules? idk but we took the money lol

Oh that's interesting! So it's not just us. Did you ever find out why it happened?

This is definitely unusual based on current EDD procedures. California still has the one-week unpaid waiting period for new claims under normal circumstances. A few possibilities:\n\n1. There might be a temporary policy change that hasn't been widely announced\n2. If your husband worked and earned wages after the previous claim ended, the system might be treating this differently\n3. There could be a system error (not uncommon with EDD)\n\nI'd recommend documenting everything - take screenshots of the paid status, save any confirmation numbers, and maybe even call EDD to confirm this is correct. The last thing you want is them trying to recover this payment later if it was a mistake.

calling EDD lol good luck with that. i spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone last month when my certification was stuck in pending. kept getting the \

Has anyone else noticed the EDD website is super glitchy lately? My pending payments randomly switched to paid last week after sitting for a month with no explanation. Maybe its just a system error that worked in your favor!

The EDD website and systems have definitely been inconsistent lately. I've heard they're doing some kind of upgrade to their processing systems. Could explain these weird glitches people are experiencing.

I hadn't heard about system upgrades but that would make sense with the strange behavior. I'm still concerned they might try to take the money back if it's a mistake.

After reading your post, I checked my husband's new claim too (filed about 2 weeks ago) and SAME THING! First week shows as PAID not waiting period! I was so sure waiting weeks were still a thing that I even warned him we wouldn't get money for the first week. Now I'm wondering if EDD quietly changed their policy about waiting periods for 2025? Maybe to help with economic conditions? Has anyone seen any official announcement?

wow so its not just us! someone should call and ask whats going on

I HATE THE WAITING WEEK!! It's such a stupid policy. You're already broke when you apply for unemployment and then they make you wait ANOTHER week with no money?? If they really did get rid of it GOOD! About time!!

The waiting week has been controversial for years. While I understand the frustration, it was initially designed to prevent fraud and verify continued eligibility. It's possible they've found better verification methods that make the waiting week unnecessary now.

Maybe but I think its just to save $$$. My rent doesnt have a

If you really want to confirm what's happening with your claim and the waiting period policy, I'd recommend using Claimyr to connect with an EDD representative. I was having a similar issue with my claim status showing something unexpected, and I couldn't get through to anyone for days. With Claimyr (claimyr.com), I got connected to an actual EDD agent in about 20 minutes who explained exactly what was happening with my claim. There's a quick video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km - much better than spending hours getting disconnected!

I've never heard of this service before! I might try it because I really do want to confirm whether this payment is correct or if EDD will try to take it back later. I'd rather know now than be surprised with an overpayment notice.

I just looked into this, and I finally found some information. According to an EDD representative I spoke with last week on an unrelated matter, they ARE waiving the waiting week for certain claims filed in the first quarter of 2025, but it hasn't been widely publicized. It's part of a temporary policy adjustment due to the current economic conditions in specific sectors. \n\nThe criteria seem to be:\n1. Claims filed between January and March 2025\n2. Claimant must have exhausted a previous claim\n3. The separation reason must be the same as the previous claim\n\nThis explains why some people are experiencing it and others aren't. It's temporary and targeted rather than a permanent policy change.

Thank you so much for this information! This makes perfect sense for our situation - claim filed in March 2025, previous claim exhausted, and same employer/separation reason. I feel much better knowing this is intentional and not a mistake they'll try to claw back later.

Just wanted to update everyone - I got through to an EDD rep (after calling 27 times!) and they confirmed that yes, they ARE waiving the waiting week for certain new claims right now! The rep couldn't tell me exactly why or how long this will last, but said it's part of some temporary adjustment they're doing. So enjoy the extra week's payment if you get it!

thx for the update! good 2 know its not a mistake

This is such helpful information! I'm actually in a similar situation - my benefit year ended in January and I had to file a new claim in February. I was really confused when my first week showed as PAID instead of the usual waiting period. I've been worried for weeks that EDD made a mistake and would eventually ask for the money back, but reading all these responses makes me feel so much better. It sounds like this temporary policy change is helping a lot of people who are transitioning between claims. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so valuable for figuring out EDD's confusing processes!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now! Filed a new claim in early March after my previous one expired, and just like you, my first week went straight to PAID status instead of the usual waiting period. I've been checking my account obsessively wondering if this was some kind of system error. Reading through all these comments is such a relief - sounds like EDD is actually doing this intentionally for people in our situation. I guess the lesson here is that EDD changes policies all the time without making big announcements about it. Thanks for posting this question because I never would have known this was happening to other people too!