Holiday pay and EDD unemployment certification - will they deduct for non-worked days?

ya u gotta report the holiday pay or its fraud. they'll just reduce ur benefits for that week not disqaulify u completely. i had the same thing for 4th of july last yr

You definitely need to report the holiday pay as income for the week you received it (not necessarily the holiday week itself - depends on your pay schedule). EDD uses a formula where they deduct part of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. The first $25 or 25% of your earnings (whichever is greater) doesn't count against you, then they reduce your weekly benefit by the remainder. For example, if your weekly benefit is $450 and you got $200 in holiday pay, they'd deduct about $150 from your benefit, so you'd still get around $300 for that week. They don't count it as days worked since you didn't actually perform any services - it's just considered income.

Glad someone explained it! I had THE EXACT same question last month when my company paid us for President's Day. I was afraid to enter it wrong.

I've been through this several times with holiday pay. Here's what happens: you report the holiday pay for the week you certify, but you answer "NO" to the question about whether you worked, because you didn't physically work. Then report the income in the earnings section. EDD reduces your benefits using their partial formula, but they DON'T count it as days worked. This is important because some benefits are calculated based on days, not just money. One thing to watch for - make sure you enter the holiday pay on the certification that covers when you were PAID it, not necessarily the holiday date itself. My company sometimes pays holiday pay a week before the actual holiday.

The whole EDD system is DESIGNED to be confusing so they can deny benefits whenever possible! Holiday pay, severance, vacation payout - they all have different rules that aren't clearly explained ANYWHERE. I had to call them 37 TIMES last month just to get someone to explain how to report my retroactive holiday pay correctly. The system is completely BROKEN and they don't care!!!

If you're having trouble reaching EDD to get clarification on holiday pay or any other issues, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was in the same position last month with questions about reporting various types of income and couldn't get through the phone system. Claimyr connected me to an EDD representative in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com. It saved me hours of frustration and constant redialing.

To summarize for anyone else with the same question: 1. Yes, you must report holiday pay as income on your certification 2. No, holiday pay does NOT count as days worked since you didn't perform services 3. EDD will reduce your weekly benefit amount using their partial unemployment formula: - They don't count the first $25 or 25% of your earnings (whichever is greater) - They subtract the remainder from your weekly benefit amount 4. Report the holiday pay for the week you RECEIVED it, not necessarily the week of the holiday 5. Answer "NO" to the question about whether you worked on those days Hope this helps! The EDD handbook actually explains this, but it's buried in the fine print.

my uncle got in big trouble for not reporting some holiday pay so def report it!!!! they check with employers n everything

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I'll definitely report the holiday pay correctly as income but not as days worked. It's such a relief to understand how this works now. I'll make sure to report it for the week I actually received the payment too. I might try that Claimyr service if I run into more questions since calling EDD directly has been impossible.

Just went through this exact situation last month! One thing I'd add is to keep documentation of everything - screenshot your certification when you submit it and keep a record of the holiday pay amount. I also learned that if you're getting holiday pay from a previous employer (like if you left the job but they still owed you holiday pay), you still report it the same way but it might affect your claim differently. The key thing everyone mentioned is spot on - it's income, not work days. Don't stress too much about it, just be honest and report everything accurately!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with something similar but with a twist - my company gives us "floating holidays" that we can use throughout the year, and I used mine right before I got laid off. Now I'm wondering if I need to report that differently than regular holiday pay since I actually chose when to take it? The pay amount was the same as a regular day, but since it was my decision to use the floating holiday, does EDD consider that differently? I've been reading through all these responses and it sounds like any pay for non-worked time should be treated as income rather than work days, but wanted to check if anyone has experience with floating holidays specifically.

I'm new to this whole unemployment process and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea there was such a specific distinction between "income" and "days worked" - I probably would have made the same mistake of reporting holiday pay as work days if I hadn't found this discussion. One question I have after reading through everything: if your employer pays you holiday pay but then later in the same week asks you to come in for a few hours of actual work, how do you handle reporting both the holiday pay AND the actual work? Do you report the holiday pay as income and then separately report the hours you actually worked? I'm trying to understand how to handle mixed situations like that on the certification form. Also, I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service mentioned earlier - it sounds like a lifesaver for when you can't get through to EDD directly. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, this has been so much more helpful than the official EDD website!

This whole conversation has been a goldmine of information! As someone who just started collecting unemployment benefits last month, I had no clue about the difference between reporting income vs. work days. I actually have holiday pay coming from my previous employer for Martin Luther King Day, and I was completely stumped about how to report it. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that the key is understanding that holiday pay = income but NOT work days, since you're not performing any actual services. The partial benefit formula explanation was super helpful too - knowing that the first $25 or 25% (whichever is greater) doesn't count against you makes me feel much better about still getting some UI benefits that week. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about keeping screenshots and documentation of everything I submit. And honestly, after seeing how many people have struggled to reach EDD by phone, I might look into that Claimyr service right away rather than spending hours trying to get through their phone system when I inevitably have more questions. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this community is so much more helpful than the official resources!

I'm new to unemployment and this discussion has been incredibly helpful! I have a related question - what about sick days that you get paid for but don't actually work? My company has a policy where they pay us for sick days even if we're not physically ill but just can't come in (like for a family emergency). Would those be treated the same way as holiday pay - as income but not work days? Or is it different because it's technically "sick pay" even though I wasn't actually sick? I want to make sure I report everything correctly on my certifications.

I'm a newcomer to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently dealing with unemployment for the first time and was completely lost about how to handle holiday pay on my certifications. The way everyone has explained the distinction between "income" and "days worked" has been a game-changer for my understanding. I was definitely about to make the mistake of reporting holiday pay as actual work days, which would have hurt my benefits more than necessary. I have holiday pay coming from my previous employer for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and thanks to this discussion, I now feel confident about reporting it correctly - as income for the week I receive it, but not marking it as days worked since I wasn't performing any services. The tip about the partial benefit formula was especially reassuring. Knowing that the first $25 or 25% (whichever is greater) doesn't count against me, and that I'll still receive a reduced UI payment rather than losing benefits entirely, takes a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm also planning to follow the advice about keeping documentation and screenshots of my certifications, and I'll definitely look into that Claimyr service if I need to reach EDD directly since everyone seems to have had such trouble getting through their phone system. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative community - this has been more helpful than anything I could find on the official EDD website!

This thread has been absolutely amazing! As someone who's completely new to unemployment benefits, I was totally confused about how to handle holiday pay reporting. I just got laid off right after the holidays and have been stressing about my Christmas bonus and New Year's Day pay that my former employer included in my final paycheck. Reading through everyone's explanations about the "income vs days worked" distinction has been so clarifying. I was definitely going to mess this up by reporting the holiday pay as actual work days! Now I understand that since I wasn't performing any services for my employer on those holidays (the office was closed), it's just income that gets factored into the partial benefit calculation. The breakdown of the benefit reduction formula was super helpful too - knowing that they don't count the first $25 or 25% against me makes this feel much more manageable. I was worried I'd lose my entire weekly benefit for those weeks. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about keeping screenshots of my certifications and checking exactly when payments hit my account for proper timing. And if I run into more questions, that Claimyr service sounds like a much better option than trying to get through EDD's phone system! Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - this community has been way more helpful than hours spent trying to understand the official EDD guidelines!