How does minimum wage affect unemployment benefits in California EDD?

Wait so the base period is not just the last few months I worked? Because I had a gap in the middle of last year where I was between jobs for about 6 weeks, would that hurt my numbers?

The gap itself between jobs doesn't shrink the base period window - EDD still looks at all four of those standard quarters. The issue would be if you earned less during the quarter where the gap fell, which could lower your highest quarter total. The agent I talked to explained it exactly that way for my own situation.

the $40 to $450 range is real, minimum wage workers almost always land in the lower half of that range, it's just how the formula works out

That makes total sense honestly, I guess I was hoping there was some kind of adjustment. So $189 is what I'm working with for this whole benefit year?

Exactly - the DE 429Z lays out your maximum benefit amount too, which is 26 times the weekly amount or half your total base period wages, whichever comes out lower. So your cap and your weekly rate are both set now.

ugh same boat. got laid off from a coffee shop at min wage and my weekly amount is so low i almost didn't even bother filing. filed anyway obviously but still

I had no idea CalFresh was even an option while collecting unemployment. I'm going to look into that this week, thank you.

covered california saved me when i was on a low weekly benefit amount last year, definitely worth checking out

The 211 service is also worth a call - dialing 2-1-1 from any phone connects you to local resources in your county that the statewide programs don't always cover. Food banks, rental help, that kind of thing.

Part-time work doesn't automatically wipe out your benefit for that week. The first $25 or 25% of whatever you earn in a week, whichever is bigger, isn't counted against you. Anything above that gets subtracted from your weekly benefit amount. So if your weekly benefit is $189 and you earn $100 in a week, EDD takes the 25% exclusion ($25) and subtracts the remaining $75, leaving you with $114 from EDD plus your $100 earned - which is actually more than your full benefit alone.

oh wow I didn't know the math worked out that way. So working part time can actually be better than not working at all financially?

yes but you have to report all earnings for the week you EARNED them not when you get paid, that part is super important or you can end up with an overpayment notice

Full-time work is different though - if you work full time in a given week that week's benefit is gone regardless of what you made. The partial benefit calculation is only for part-time hours.

The benefit amount is always a percentage of what you earned, that's how it works for every worker at every wage level. Higher earners get more in dollar terms but they're also capped at $450 a week no matter how much they made - a software engineer making $5,000 a week doesn't get $5,000 in benefits. So it's calibrated but yes, minimum wage workers do end up in the lower range.

okay that makes more sense i guess. still feels rough though

The DE 429Z that shows your weekly benefit amount is itself an appealable notice - you have 30 days from the mailing date on it to appeal in writing if you think the wage figures are off. The Appeal Form is the DE 1000M or you can write a letter, sent to the address on the notice. If you think your employer underreported your wages, that's the route to flag it.

I didn't realize the DE 429Z was something you could appeal. I thought appeals were only for denials. Good to know I still have options here.

Worth pulling your old pay stubs together before you do anything - if you have documentation that shows higher earnings than what EDD has on file, that's what you'd submit with the appeal to back it up.

Tips are earnings and they should have been reported to your employer and show up in your wage records. EDD bases the calculation on wages reported by employers to the state - if your tips weren't fully reported by your employer that could mean your base period wages look lower than your actual take-home was. Tough situation for tipped workers.

My employer was pretty good about it and I always reported my tips, but I never double-checked what they actually sent to the state. Guess I should look at my DE 429Z carefully and compare.

tipped workers getting hit twice - low base wage AND potentially underreported tips. the whole system is weird for restaurant workers

Yes, EDD looks at all wages you earned in California during the base period, not just one job. If you worked two jobs both their wages go into the calculation. Your highest-paid quarter would be your combined earnings from both jobs in that quarter.

Okay so both jobs fed into my $212. I was worried they'd only count the main one. That actually makes my number make more sense now.

The alternate base period uses your four most recent completed quarters instead of the standard window. EDD only uses it automatically if the standard base period doesn't give you enough wages to have a valid claim at all - it's not something you can request to get a higher weekly amount on a claim that already works. So if your standard base period gives you a valid claim, alternate doesn't come into play.

That clears it up - I think someone told me I should ask for the alternate base period to get more money but sounds like that's not actually how it works.

Yeah that's a common mix-up - the alternate base period is a fallback for people who'd have no valid claim otherwise, not a way to bump up a benefit amount that's already set.

I really feel this. $189 a week in my area covers maybe five days of groceries and one utility bill. I'm still job searching actively but it's stressful.

keep logging your job searches even if EDD doesn't tell you a specific number to hit - I always kept my own records just in case

To flag one thing on the work search piece - EDD doesn't specify a set number of contacts you need each week on its pages, so stating a specific number as a requirement could get someone in trouble if the actual rule differs. The requirement is to be able to work, available for work, and looking for work each week you certify.

Refusing suitable work can affect your eligibility - EDD considers whether a job is suitable based on things like your work history, the wages, and conditions. Whether a specific offer with a rough commute counts as something you can decline without losing benefits is EDD's call to make, not something anyone here can say for certain. If that situation comes up, it's worth explaining the specifics to EDD directly.

Makes sense, I'll keep that in mind. I won't turn anything down without thinking about it carefully first.

Quarterly wages found on appeal or through a correction could change things - but under normal circumstances your weekly benefit amount stays at what the DE 429Z says. EDD agents can see what wages are on file and whether a correction or appeal might be worth pursuing. Had a similar question on my own claim and that was essentially what I was told.

That's what I figured. My DE 429Z shows $176 and I just want to make sure I'm not leaving anything on the table.

EDD's benefit formula is based on the actual wages paid and reported by your employer, not on a minimum wage floor. So if your employer paid you the LA city rate and reported those wages to the state, those are the wages in your base period. The fact that it's a city minimum versus state minimum doesn't change how EDD handles the numbers.

Okay so it's just whatever I actually earned and was paid, not some standard rate. Got it.

Exactly - so workers in cities with higher local minimums who were actually paid those rates will see that reflected in their base period wages, which is a good thing for their benefit amount.

I've been certifying through UI Online and the timing has been pretty consistent for me too. Nice to have one part of this process that actually works reliably.

right like it's not a lot of money but at least it arrives on time lol

Your claim is valid if you had at least $1,300 in one quarter of the base period, or at least $900 in your highest quarter with your total base period earnings being at least 1.25 times that highest quarter. Twenty hours a week at $17 an hour for 13 weeks in a quarter is around $4,420, which clears the threshold easily. Even part-time minimum wage can produce a valid claim if you worked consistently.

Oh wow okay I definitely cleared that threshold then. I had been worried I worked too few hours to qualify but it sounds like I should have filed already.

File as soon as you can if you haven't yet - the claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply, not retroactively from when you stopped working. Every week you wait is potentially a week you can't recover.

CASDI on your stub is the deduction for State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave - completely separate programs. Unemployment insurance is funded by employers, not by anything taken out of your wages. So technically nothing came out of your check for unemployment, but you can still collect it because your employer was paying into the system on your behalf.

I always wondered what that deduction was for. So disability insurance and unemployment are two different things funded differently - that's actually interesting to know.

yeah i thought the same thing for years until someone corrected me on a thread like this one

Registering in CalJOBS and posting a resume within 21 days of the date on your Notice of Requirement to Register (the DE 8405) is what EDD requires - missing that deadline can stop your payments. Beyond that, CalJOBS has job listings and your local America's Job Center of California (AJCC) can help with resume work, job fairs and referrals. So it's a real resource, not just paperwork.

I did register within the window and posted a resume, so I should be okay on that. Good reminder though for anyone just filing.

For CalFresh, unemployment benefits are listed as proof of income for the application - they count toward the income calculation, not against you. For rental help, that really depends on the local program's rules, which vary by county. Calling 211 is probably the fastest way to find out what's available locally and how they treat unemployment income.

I'll call 211 this week. I didn't even know that was a thing until this thread.

211 came up a few times in this thread and I hadn't heard of it before either. Adding it to my list of things to try along with CalFresh.

Knowing your CalJOBS registration actually landed with EDD is something I'd want confirmed too. I registered but I never got any kind of confirmation that it was received on their end.

That's exactly why I wanted to talk to someone live. The agent confirmed the registration was showing in my file, so I didn't have to wonder about it anymore.

I might try that route too just to verify my own base period wages are what they should be. Would give me peace of mind on the $212 showing on my DE 429Z.

This is so important and I almost made this mistake when I thought my claim might not be valid. Kept certifying anyway just in case and glad I did.

I've been consistent on certifying through UI Online every two weeks since day one. At $189 I need every dollar.

never skip certifying, full stop

You've got it right - if your standard base period resulted in a valid claim, the alternate base period isn't applied. EDD uses the alternate only as a fallback for people who'd have no valid claim under the standard window. Your $164 is based on what the standard calculation produced.

Figured as much. Frustrating but at least I understand why now instead of just feeling like EDD got it wrong.

Worth double-checking that all your wage quarters showed up correctly on the DE 429Z anyway. Seasonal work sometimes has gaps that can confuse which wages landed in which quarter.

That's actually really encouraging to hear. I'm going to compare my DE 429Z against my pay stubs this weekend and see if everything lines up.

Definitely worth the comparison. My original amount felt low and the math confirmed it. The 30-day window to appeal from the mailing date on the DE 429Z goes fast though, so don't sit on it.

This whole thread should be required reading for anyone filing at minimum wage. The base period, the highest quarter, the alternate base period fallback, the appeal option - I didn't know any of this before today.