How does part-time work (20hrs/week) affect my EDD benefits? Report or lose everything?

Yes, you absolutely MUST report your part-time earnings when you certify! EDD won't completely cut you off - they'll just reduce your weekly benefit amount based on what you earn. It's called partial unemployment. Here's how it works: 1. When you certify, report your exact gross earnings (before taxes) for each week 2. EDD allows you to earn up to $25 or 25% of your weekly benefit (whichever is higher) without any reduction 3. After that threshold, they reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar So if your weekly benefit is $450 and you earn $320 in a week, they'll subtract (after the first $112.50): $450 - ($320 - $112.50) = $242.50 for that week. Don't call them specifically about this - just report accurately when you certify. This is a very normal situation!

Be super careful with reporting your hours correctly!! I worked part time last year while on unemployment and accidentally under-reported my hours for a couple weeks. EDD eventually caught it when they did their quarterly employer check and sent me an overpayment notice for $2,600 that I had to pay back. Make sure you report your GROSS earnings before any deductions and taxes, not your take-home pay.

u have to report it on ur certification. they ask if u worked and how much u made. they dont cut u off they just pay u less. i work 15-25 hrs a week and still get some money from edd. its not that hard

You're in a good situation for partial unemployment. Here are the exact steps: 1. When certifying, answer "Yes" to "Did you work?" 2. Report your gross earnings (before tax) for each specific week 3. Report hours worked for each week 4. Mark "No" for the question about full-time work The system will automatically calculate your partial benefit. The formula is your weekly benefit amount minus (your earnings minus 25% of your weekly benefit amount). You must report accurately - EDD verifies all earnings through employer tax reports quarterly. Any discrepancies can trigger overpayment notices or fraud investigations. Don't call EDD about starting part-time work - this is a standard situation handled through regular certification.

I had the EXACT same situation in January! I was getting $504/week from EDD, then started a part-time job (22hrs). Had a NIGHTMARE trying to get through to EDD to ask questions about it. Kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message for days. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have this system that keeps calling EDD for you until they get through, then connect you. Their video explains it: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Anyway, the EDD rep confirmed I just report earnings on certification and they adjust payment automatically. Some weeks I get a small payment, some nothing if I worked more hours. But maintaining an active claim means I can get more benefits if my hours drop or job ends.

i Work part time toO and i STILL get benefits BUT they take some $$ away based on what u earn each wk. DOnt hide ur income they WILL find out later and make u pay it ALL back with penalties!!!!! Just be honest when u certify & theyll figure out the rest. sometimes i get like $94 sometimes i get $178 it depends on how many hours i worked that week

One more important thing you need to know: When reporting your earnings, you must report them for the week you EARNED the money, not when you got paid. So if your pay periods don't align with EDD's certification weeks, you'll need to calculate what you earned in each specific EDD week. For example, if you worked Monday-Friday but the EDD week ends on Saturday, you'd need to report 5 days of earnings for that week. Keep a detailed log of your hours and earnings by day to make this easier. As long as you keep certifying accurately, your claim stays active for the full benefit year, even if some weeks you earn too much to receive any payment.

The EDD is a disaster! They'll probably mess up your partial benefits anyway. I was working part time last year and they randomly stopped my payments for 8 weeks claiming I needed an eligibility interview. When I finally got through, the rep said I'd been reporting correctly all along and it was their system error. The whole thing is designed to be confusing so people give up.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I understand now that I need to: 1. Report my part-time work on my bi-weekly certification 2. Include GROSS earnings (before taxes) for each specific week 3. Track my hours carefully by day to report accurately 4. Understand my benefits will be reduced but not eliminated entirely I'm feeling much better about this situation now. I was seriously losing sleep thinking they'd just cut me off completely once I reported my part-time job. I'll start keeping a detailed log of my hours and earnings starting today!

You're doing the right thing by getting all this information upfront! Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me - when you're keeping that daily log of hours and earnings, also note down exactly what days fall into each EDD certification period. EDD's weeks run Sunday through Saturday, and knowing exactly which days belong to which certification period makes reporting so much easier. Also, don't stress too much about the system being confusing - once you get into the routine of reporting your part-time earnings every two weeks, it becomes pretty straightforward. The key is just being consistent and accurate with your reporting. You've got this!

Welcome to the partial unemployment world! I've been doing this for about 6 months now and it's honestly not as scary as it seems at first. A few practical tips that have helped me: 1. Download a simple time tracking app on your phone - I use one that lets me start/stop timers for each shift and it automatically calculates my daily/weekly hours 2. Take photos of your paystubs and save them in a dedicated folder - super helpful if you ever need to reference exact amounts later 3. EDD's certification questions can be confusing at first, but they're the same every time so you'll get used to the wording The biggest thing that helped my stress was realizing that partial unemployment is actually a GOOD thing - it means you're actively working toward getting back to full employment while still having some financial support. EDD expects people to work part-time while on benefits, so you're not doing anything wrong or unusual. One last thing - if your retail job ever offers you more hours during busy seasons (like holidays), you can always take them even if it means getting $0 from EDD some weeks. Your claim stays active and you'll get benefits again if your hours get cut back. Good luck!

One thing that really helped me when I started part-time work while on EDD was setting up a simple system to track everything. I created a basic spreadsheet with columns for: Date, Hours Worked, Daily Gross Pay, and EDD Week (Sunday-Saturday). This made certification so much easier because I could just add up the totals for each EDD week period. Also, don't panic if your first few certifications feel confusing - the questions about work and earnings are the same every time, so you'll get comfortable with the process quickly. The most important thing is just being accurate and consistent. Your retail job at 20 hours/week is actually a really common situation for partial unemployment. EDD handles thousands of these cases, so their system is designed for exactly this scenario. You're not doing anything unusual or risky - you're just transitioning back to work while still needing some support, which is exactly what the program is for!

Hey Ethan! I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago when I started a part-time job at Target while collecting EDD benefits. I was terrified I'd mess something up, but it's actually way more straightforward than it seems! The key things that saved me stress: - Set up a simple tracking system from day one (I used a notes app on my phone to log hours daily) - Remember that EDD WANTS you to work part-time - it's literally called "partial unemployment" for a reason - The certification process becomes second nature after the first couple times Your 20 hours/week at retail is perfect for partial benefits. I was working similar hours and still got a decent amount from EDD each week. The formula everyone mentioned is accurate, but don't get too caught up in calculating it yourself - EDD's system does the math automatically when you certify. One thing that helped my peace of mind: I printed out the partial unemployment info from EDD's website and kept it handy the first few weeks. Having the official guidelines right there made me feel more confident I was doing everything correctly. You're going to be fine! This is exactly how the system is supposed to work.

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - you're absolutely doing the right thing by asking these questions upfront! I've been working part-time (18-25 hours/week) while on EDD for about 4 months now, and honestly the hardest part was the initial anxiety about messing something up. A few things that made my life easier: - EDD's UI Portal actually has a really helpful "Work and Wages" section that explains partial unemployment in plain English - Your first certification with earnings might take a day or two longer to process than usual, but that's totally normal - don't panic if it doesn't show up immediately - Keep screenshots of your completed certifications showing the earnings you reported, just for your own peace of mind The retail schedule actually works great for this because most stores are pretty consistent with their part-time hours. I work at a grocery store and rarely have surprise schedule changes that complicate my reporting. One last thing - if you ever have a week where you work more hours than usual (like holiday coverage), don't worry about getting $0 from EDD that week. Your claim stays active and you'll get benefits again the following week when your hours are back to normal. The flexibility is actually one of the best parts of partial unemployment! You've got this! The community here has given you all the right info.

Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful! I was honestly panicking about this whole situation, but now I understand that partial unemployment is actually a normal, expected part of the system. I'm going to start implementing everyone's advice right away: - Set up a simple spreadsheet to track daily hours and earnings by EDD week (Sunday-Saturday) - Take photos of all my paystubs for records - Report my GROSS earnings accurately on each certification - Remember that some weeks I might get reduced benefits or even $0, but my claim stays active The biggest relief is understanding that EDD actually expects people to work part-time while collecting benefits - I thought I was somehow gaming the system or doing something wrong. Now I realize this is exactly what partial unemployment is designed for. Thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences and practical tips. This community is amazing! I'll make sure to pay it forward and help others who have similar questions in the future.

I just want to add something that really helped me when I was in a similar situation - download the EDD mobile app if you haven't already! It makes certifying on the go so much easier, especially when you're working retail hours that might not align with typical business hours for calling. Also, one thing I learned the hard way - if your store ever asks you to stay late or come in on a day off, make sure you track those extra hours immediately. I once forgot to log a 4-hour shift I picked up last minute and it threw off my whole certification that week. The fact that you're asking all these questions upfront shows you're going to handle this perfectly. Most people who run into problems with partial unemployment benefits are the ones who don't report anything and hope EDD won't notice. You're being proactive and transparent, which is exactly the right approach!

One more tip that saved me a lot of headaches - create a simple photo album on your phone specifically for work-related stuff. I take quick pics of my schedule when it gets posted, any shift change texts from my manager, and of course all my paystubs. Having everything in one place makes it super easy when you're doing your certification. Also, don't overthink the "gross earnings" part - it's literally just what your paycheck says you earned before taxes and deductions. Your pay stub will show this clearly as your "gross pay" for the period. The anxiety you're feeling right now is totally normal, but I promise after your first successful certification with part-time earnings, you'll realize how manageable this whole process really is. EDD processes thousands of partial unemployment claims every week - you're definitely not alone in this situation!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in almost the exact same situation - just started a part-time job at a clothing store (22 hours/week) while collecting EDD benefits and was completely stressing about how to handle it properly. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has been incredibly helpful. I love all the practical tips about tracking systems, the mobile app, and creating photo albums for documentation. It's such a relief to understand that this is a completely normal situation that EDD handles all the time. One question I have after reading everything - has anyone dealt with inconsistent schedules? My store warned me that my hours might vary between 15-25 hours per week depending on business needs. Should I expect any issues with EDD if my reported earnings fluctuate quite a bit from week to week, or does the system handle that variation smoothly as long as I'm reporting accurately? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for helping newcomers navigate these situations!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been doing partial unemployment with retail work for over a year now! Your 20 hours/week situation is absolutely perfect for this program. A few things that made my life so much easier: - I use a simple calendar app where I just jot down "worked 4hrs - $58 gross" each day I work. Takes 10 seconds but saves me from scrambling during certification - Don't stress about the math! I used to sit there with a calculator trying to figure out what I'd get, but EDD's system does it automatically and shows you the breakdown - Your retail job probably has pretty predictable pay periods, which actually makes the reporting easier than jobs with weird schedules The biggest mindset shift for me was realizing that some weeks getting $0 from EDD because I worked more hours is actually a GOOD thing - it means I'm earning more that week! And like everyone said, your claim stays active for those lighter weeks. I've never had a single issue with EDD over partial benefits reporting in 14+ months of doing this. As long as you're honest about your earnings when you certify, the system works exactly as designed. You're going to do great!