Film industry worker - EDD holding benefits after delayed payment from 5 months ago

omg the film industry is THE WORST with EDD! i had the same thing happen with a post-production gig last year. they took forever to pay me and then EDD freaked out thinking i was working and not reporting it. such a headache!

During your phone interview, you need to clearly explain that this money was for work performed 5 months ago and was properly reported at that time. Bring documentation showing: 1) When you actually did the work 2) Your certification from that period showing you reported it 3) Proof of the arbitration showing why payment was delayed. The interviewer can add notes to your claim indicating this isn't new income. Film industry payment delays are actually fairly common issues EDD deals with, but you need to be extremely clear about the timeline.

I work in TV production and had this EXACT PROBLEM! It's because production companies use weird payroll systems and the dates on your paystubs don't match when you actually worked!!! EDD's system is NOT designed for our industry AT ALL. When they finally called me for the interview, the representative had no clue about how film/TV payment schedules work and I had to explain everything like 5 times. So frustrating!!!!

This is a common issue for gig workers and especially in the film industry. Here's how to handle it: 1. EDD views income when it's paid, not when it's earned - that's why they're confused 2. In your interview, explain this was already reported as expected income during certification for the weeks you actually worked 3. Bring documentation showing work dates vs. payment dates 4. Reference the arbitration that caused the delay 5. Ask them to note in your file that future payments from this company may also be delayed You're right to be concerned as this is a common reason for benefit holds, but with proper documentation, they should release your payments.

film industry is nuts with payments lol good luck getting edd to understand anything about how we get paid. took me 3 interviews last year to explain what a day player is vs staff position. some reps get it but most dont

After dealing with EDD for years as a film industry worker, I finally found a way to actually get through to someone who understands our unique situation. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD representative in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. Once I got through, I asked for someone familiar with entertainment industry claims. Total game changer for explaining these weird payment situations.

This happens all the time in film. When you have your phone interview, make sure you emphasize two important points: 1) You DID report the income during the weeks you actually performed the work, and 2) This is back pay for work already completed, not new work. I always keep a separate spreadsheet showing when I worked vs. when I actually got paid because the two almost never match in our industry. I've had to explain this to EDD multiple times over my career. They're not trying to penalize you - their system just isn't built for our weird payment schedules and they need to understand the situation fully.

One more important thing: when you get your phone interview, ask the EDD representative to add a permanent note to your file indicating you work in the film industry with irregular pay schedules. This can help prevent these holds in the future. Also request that they notate specifically that this payment was already reported in your original certification. Be sure to get the representative's ID number and note the date/time of your call. If there are any issues later, you can reference this specific conversation.

EDD doesnt care about are industry they just want to deny benefits lol. ive been on sets where NOBODY got paid for 3+ months and then EDD acts like we're commiting fraud when we finally get the $$$. system is rigged against gig workers

UPDATE: Had my phone interview today! The rep was actually really understanding once I explained everything clearly. They added notes to my account about the film industry payment structure and are releasing all my held payments! Thanks everyone for the advice - especially about having all my documentation ready and asking for a permanent note in my file about irregular industry payments. Such a relief!