Got EDD call in notice but can't reach anyone to respond - phone keeps saying too busy

Call in notices are no joke - they will absolutely cut you off if you don't respond in time. I got one last month and it took me 3 full days of calling to get through. Start calling at 7:55am before they even open, that's your best shot.

Whatever you do, don't call between noon and 1:30pm. The entire call center goes to lunch and absolutely nobody answers during that time. Learned this the hard way after wasting hours.

Had the same issue with a call in notice last week. After 2 days of unsuccessful manual calling, I used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. Sometimes when you're on a tight deadline, paying for the service is worth it to avoid losing benefits.

Call in notices usually mean they need to verify something about your claim or weekly certifications. Make sure you have all your employment records and ID ready when you do get through. The conversation will go much faster if you're prepared.

I've been calling EDD for different issues and the success rate is absolutely terrible. Out of 50 attempts yesterday, I got through to hold exactly zero times. The 'too busy' message is basically their standard response now.

Pro tip: press the menu numbers before the prompts finish. You can save 30-45 seconds per call attempt, which adds up when you're redialing 100+ times. Also make sure you're hitting 1-wait exactly 1 minute 10 seconds-1-1-***

Just want to second what others said about Claimyr. I used it twice now when I had urgent issues and couldn't waste days calling. First time took 18 minutes, second time was about 35 minutes. Way better than the 2+ hour holds when you can even get through manually.

Don't waste time calling after 4pm on any day. They seem to stop answering new calls even though they're technically open until 5pm. And definitely avoid Friday afternoons unless you want to wait until Monday to potentially resolve anything.

The EDD phone system drops about 30-40% of calls even when you do get on hold. I've been disconnected after waiting 1.5 hours twice this week. It's absolutely maddening when you're dealing with a time-sensitive call in notice.

Make sure you're calling the right number. Both 800-300-5616 and 833-978-0953 go to the same place, so don't think switching numbers will help. Also, there's no special 'agent line' or secret number despite what some people claim online.

When you do get through, be ready to verify your identity immediately. Have your Social Security number, claim number, and the last employer on your claim ready to go. They usually ask for this right away during call in notice responses.

I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now. Got my call in notice Tuesday and it's now Friday with zero success getting through. Starting to panic about the 10-day deadline. This system is completely broken.

Wednesday and Thursday between 2pm-4pm seem to be the sweet spot for getting through. I've had the most success during those windows, though it still usually takes 40-60 attempts to even get on hold.

Make sure your phone is fully charged and you have a charger ready. Nothing worse than your phone dying after hours of calling attempts. Also consider using a landline if you have one - sometimes the connection is more stable.

Don't let anyone tell you about special extensions or supervisor lines for call in notices. Those don't exist anymore post-pandemic. Everyone goes through the same main number with the same terrible wait times.

Update: Finally got through using Claimyr after reading everyone's suggestions. Took about 32 minutes and the agent was able to resolve my call in notice issue in under 10 minutes. Wish I'd done this from the start instead of wasting 3 days calling manually.

Just wanted to share my experience with call in notices - I had one a few months ago and was in the same panic mode. After reading all these responses, I'm convinced that the manual calling approach is basically broken at this point. The system seems designed to make it nearly impossible to get through when you're on a deadline. I ended up using one of those callback services too (not Claimyr but a similar one) and it saved me so much stress. The actual conversation with the agent was literally 5 minutes - they just needed to verify some basic info. The real challenge is just getting connected to a human being. Don't feel bad about paying for help when your benefits are on the line. Sometimes you have to work around a broken system rather than fight it.

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now! Got my call in notice three days ago and I've been calling nonstop with zero success. The stress is unreal when you know your benefits could get cut off. After reading through all these responses, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try one of those callback services. It sounds like the manual calling approach is just not realistic anymore when you're working against a 10-day deadline. Has anyone had experience with services other than Claimyr? I want to make sure I'm picking a reliable option since this is so time-sensitive.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Got my call in notice on Wednesday and have been calling religiously since Thursday morning with absolutely no luck. The "too busy" message is like a broken record at this point. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring (knowing I'm not alone) and terrifying (realizing how broken this system really is). I'm seriously considering trying Claimyr or one of those callback services because I can't afford to lose my benefits over something this ridiculous. It's insane that we have to pay extra just to reach a government agency that's supposed to serve us, but when you're facing a hard deadline like this, what choice do we have? Has anyone tried calling on weekends or is that completely pointless? I'm running out of time and getting desperate here.

I'm in exactly the same situation and feeling so overwhelmed! Got my call in notice yesterday and have been calling since 8am today with nothing but the "too busy" message. After reading everyone's experiences here, it's clear the manual calling approach is basically impossible when you're working against a 10-day deadline. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow - the $20-25 cost is painful when money is already tight, but losing my benefits would be devastating. Thank you everyone for sharing your strategies and experiences. It's both comforting and scary to know how many of us are dealing with this broken system. For anyone else in this situation - don't wait too long to try alternative options if manual calling isn't working. These deadlines are real and they will cut you off.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Got my call in notice on Monday and it's now Friday with absolutely zero success getting through despite calling hundreds of times. The stress is overwhelming knowing my benefits could get suspended while I literally cannot reach a human being. After reading through all these experiences, I'm convinced the manual calling approach is basically broken when you're on a tight deadline like this. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr this weekend - the $20-25 cost is painful when money is already tight from being unemployed, but it's nothing compared to losing my entire benefit stream. Thank you everyone for sharing your strategies and experiences - this community is seriously saving my sanity right now. It's both terrifying and oddly comforting to know so many of us are trapped in this same broken system. For anyone else dealing with call in notices, don't wait too long to try alternative solutions if manual calling isn't working. These 10-day deadlines are no joke and they absolutely will cut you off.

I'm in the exact same desperate situation right now! Got my call in notice three days ago and I've been calling nonstop with absolutely no success - just the endless "too busy" message. The stress is unreal knowing I have less than a week left on my 10-day deadline and I literally cannot reach a human being. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced that paying for Claimyr or a similar callback service is the only realistic option when you're facing a hard deadline like this. The $20-25 cost stings when you're already unemployed and struggling, but losing my entire benefit stream would be catastrophic. Thank you everyone for sharing your strategies and real experiences - this thread has been a lifesaver in helping me understand that I'm not alone in this nightmare and that there are actually solutions beyond the broken manual calling system. For anyone else dealing with call in notices, don't waste precious days trying to get through manually if it's not working - these deadlines are absolutely real and they will cut you off without mercy.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare and the anxiety is overwhelming! Got my call in notice 4 days ago and have been calling constantly with zero success. After reading everyone's experiences here, I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow - the manual calling approach is clearly broken when you're racing against a 10-day deadline. The $20-25 cost hurts when you're already unemployed, but losing all my benefits would be catastrophic. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences and strategies. This thread has been a lifesaver in showing me I'm not alone and that there are actually solutions beyond this impossible phone system. For anyone else dealing with call in notices, don't waste precious days on manual calling if it's not working - these deadlines are absolutely real.

I'm in the exact same boat right now - got my call in notice yesterday and have been calling since 7am this morning with nothing but the "too busy" message. The stress is unreal knowing I only have 9 days left to respond. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear that the manual calling approach is basically impossible when you're working against this kind of deadline. I think I'm going to have to try Claimyr or one of those callback services everyone's mentioning. The $20-25 cost is painful when you're already struggling financially, but losing my entire benefit stream would be devastating. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful in understanding that I'm not alone in this nightmare and that there are actually viable solutions beyond this broken phone system. It's infuriating that we have to pay extra just to reach a government agency that's supposed to serve us, but when your livelihood is on the line, what choice do we really have?

I'm dealing with this exact nightmare right now too! Got my call in notice on Tuesday and have been calling obsessively for three days straight with absolutely zero success - just that soul-crushing "too busy" message over and over. The anxiety is eating me alive knowing I'm already halfway through my 10-day deadline and literally cannot reach a human being no matter what I do. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced that Claimyr is going to be my only realistic option at this point. It kills me to spend $20-25 when I'm already scraping by on unemployment, but losing my entire benefit stream would be financial disaster. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and strategies - this thread has been a genuine lifesaver in showing me I'm not going crazy and that there are actually solutions beyond EDD's completely broken phone system. It's absolutely insane that we have to pay a third party service just to access a basic government agency, but when your livelihood is literally on the line, what choice do we have? Don't let anyone tell you to "keep trying" with manual calling when you're facing a hard deadline like this - these 10-day limits are not negotiable and they absolutely will cut you off without mercy.