EDD withheld my first week payment but paid second week - normal procedure or issue with my claim?

That's actually normal! The first week of a new benefit year is your "waiting week" - you don't get paid for it but you still have to certify. It basically counts as a deductible week. They should have explained this somewhere but EDD is terrible at communicating this stuff clearly.

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me 3 weeks ago!!! First week = nothing, second week = paid. I freaked out and spent TWO DAYS trying to get thru to someone at EDD. When I finally did they were like "oh yeah that's the waiting period week" 🙄 would have been nice if they TOLD us that somewhere obvious!!!!

Its the waiting week. Its always been a thing except during the height of the pandemic when they temporarily suspended it. But yeh always the first week of a new claim you dont get paid. Stinks but thats how it works. Keep certifying like normal and youll get paid for those weeks.

the waiting week is stupid imo. we're already broke when filing for unemployment why make us wait an extra week for money???

I had the same issue, but in my case it WAS actually a problem. Everyone saying it's the waiting week might be right, but in my situation, my first week stayed pending for over a month. Turns out there was an identity verification issue they never notified me about. I only found out when I finally got through to a rep. If you want peace of mind, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to EDD. It's the only way I could talk to an actual person. Their system calls EDD for you and gets you in line so you don't have to keep redialing. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km) and within an hour I was talking to someone who could actually help. After months of frustration it was worth it just to get a clear answer about what was happening with my claim.

To provide some clarity, this is indeed how the California EDD system works. The first week of a new claim serves as a "waiting period" week (sometimes called a waiting week). You must certify for this week to receive credit for it, but you won't receive payment for it. During the pandemic, this waiting week was temporarily waived as part of emergency measures, but it has since been reinstated. The waiting week is established by California Unemployment Insurance Code Section 1253(d). You should continue to certify as instructed. The fact that you were paid for week two indicates your claim is likely in good standing. If you had eligibility issues, payment would typically be held for all weeks. If you're concerned, you can check your claim status on UI Online for any messages or notices. Under normal circumstances, this is standard procedure rather than an issue with your claim.

Been through this rodeo a few times. Definitely the waiting week thing. But here's a tip - make sure when you certify tomorrow that you answer all the questions EXACTLY as you should. Any inconsistency can trigger a manual review and delay payments. Report ALL income even if it's just a few bucks. And make sure you're doing the required work search activities each week!

My brothers girlfriends cousin works for EDD (not sure which office) and she said theyre super backed up right now and lots of claims have random delays. Could be the waiting week like others said but might be worth calling just to make sure nothing else is going on with ur claim.

Thanks everyone for the responses! Sounds like it's most likely the waiting week, which is annoying but at least it's normal. I'll certify for my next two weeks tomorrow and see what happens. If I notice any more issues, I might try getting through to a rep with that Claimyr thing someone mentioned. Really appreciate all the help!

Just went through this exact same situation last month! It's definitely the waiting week - super confusing because they don't really explain it clearly anywhere on their website. I panicked for weeks thinking something was wrong with my claim too. The good news is once you get past that first week, payments should come through normally if you keep certifying on time and answer all the questions correctly. Hang in there!