How does unemployment pay you through California EDD?

Ok this is super helpful thank you. So I need to wait for the physical card to arrive before I can do anything? And when does the waiting period start, is it from when I filed or from when they approve the claim?

The waiting period starts from the beginning of your benefit year, not the approval date. The card usually arrives 7-10 business days after your claim is approved. You can actually start doing your certifications on UI Online even before the card arrives since the money will just be waiting on the card when it gets to you.

this is right, i got my card about a week after approval. just make sure you activate it as soon as it arrives

Oh I didn't know direct deposit was an option! That's definitely what I'd prefer. Is there a waiting period before I can switch or can I set it up right now?

You can set it up anytime through UI Online under the payment preferences section. I'd do it sooner rather than later so your first payment goes straight to your bank.

direct deposit is way better imo, never had a problem with it

What kinds of things trigger adjudication? I want to make sure I don't accidentally cause a problem when I certify.

Common triggers include saying you refused any work, that you weren't available for work, or if you report some earnings. Also if there's anything unusual in your claim history it can flag automatically. Most people with clean layoff situations go through no problem though.

adjudication is the WORST, i was stuck in it for 6 weeks with zero communication from EDD. that claimyr tip is solid, I wish i had known about it then

yeah adjudication is really hit or miss, my cousin got through it in 5 days but my coworker waited 2 months

Yes, California EDD requires you to make at least three job search contacts per week while collecting unemployment. You certify that you completed those contacts when you do your biweekly claim. You're supposed to keep a job search log with the employer name, contact method, position, and date but EDD doesn't always ask to see it - you just need to have it in case of an audit.

oh ok so you just say you did it, got it

Well you should actually BE doing the job search activities, not just saying you did. If EDD audits your claim and you can't back up your job search log you could face disqualification and potentially an overpayment situation where they want money back. Take the requirement seriously.

This is exactly the situation where Claimyr saved me honestly. I was in the same loop, couldn't get through on the phone, nothing making sense on UI Online. The service at claimyr.com connects you to an actual EDD agent and I got my payment released the same day I finally got someone on the line. The video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 explains exactly how it works. Don't spend another week hitting redial.

I've honestly never heard of this but at this point I'll try anything. Did you have to give them a lot of personal info?

It's pretty straightforward to use, nothing complicated. Just focused on getting you connected to EDD which is the hard part.

pending for weeks is so common and so frustrating. EDD's phone situation is genuinely broken

How do I find out what my certification dates are? Is it in the approval letter?

Yes it should be in your award letter, and also in your UI Online account under the certify for benefits section. It'll show clearly when the next certification period opens and closes.

Ok great, I'll log in and check. Thanks for the heads up because I definitely would have missed that.

There's a mobile app? I had no idea. I'll download it now.

the app is decent but sometimes it's glitchy during peak times, like Sunday nights when everyone is trying to certify. desktop backup is good to have

Ok so to be totally clear - I'll certify for that first week, it'll show up but have $0 payment, and then the following weeks should have actual payments?

Exactly right. The first certification period you complete will cover that unpaid waiting week plus potentially a second week depending on your certification schedule. Just certify for everything as normal and the system handles the waiting week automatically.

I didn't know the waiting week was back, I thought it was still waived. Good to know for when I file again potentially

47 times, I felt that in my soul. I was at that exact point of exhaustion when someone in another forum mentioned Claimyr. You can find them at claimyr.com - they essentially handle the phone queue process for you so you actually get connected to an EDD representative instead of being hung up on endlessly. There's a quick walkthrough video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10. I know it sounds too good to be true when you're this frustrated but it genuinely worked for me.

ok I watched the video and I'm going to try it because I literally have nothing to lose at this point. 3 weeks with bills piling up is not ok

the 8am trick stopped working a long time ago, their lines are slammed the second they open. good luck with claimyr though I've heard good things

EDD phone system has been broken for years and they just keep not fixing it. The only way anything gets resolved is if you somehow get an actual human

That's exactly what I wanted to know too, thank you. My award letter showed $387 per week which I'm now realizing is based on my earnings from like a year ago, not my most recent paychecks. Is there any way to appeal that calculation?

If you believe the quarterly wage amounts EDD used are incorrect, yes you can appeal. Your award letter will have a breakdown of which quarters and which wages were used. Compare those to your actual W2s or pay stubs. If there's a discrepancy file an appeal within 30 days of the award letter date and request a wage audit.

This is correct information. Also worth noting that even if the calculation is technically correct, if you were recently promoted or got a raise, your WBA might feel low because it's based on older earnings. That's unfortunately how the base period calculation works and isn't really appealable unless the numbers themselves are wrong.

Holidays don't affect your certification or payment amount. You certify for the week as normal and get your full weekly benefit amount regardless of what holidays fell in that period. Holidays only matter if you had a part-time job and were scheduled to work but didn't because of the holiday - in that case you'd report it differently.

Oh ok cool, I was worried about that for no reason then lol

Answering no to the able and available question will hold your payment for that week pending review because being able and available for work is a basic eligibility requirement for unemployment. If you had a temporary medical issue you can sometimes explain it but it can complicate things. Most people should be answering yes to that question each week.

What if I had like a minor injury that kept me home for two days but I could have worked the other days? Do I split it somehow?

For partial weeks with a medical situation it gets complicated and honestly that's exactly the kind of nuanced question where you need to talk to an EDD rep directly rather than guess. One wrong answer on your certification can trigger adjudication that takes weeks to clear up.

How did you handle reporting the freelance income? Did it reduce your payment or stop it completely?

When you earn wages during a certification period you report the gross amount and EDD adjusts your benefit payment for that week. Usually they deduct 25% of your WBA for the first portion of earnings before reducing dollar for dollar. So earning a little won't necessarily cut you off, but you have to report it accurately or face an overpayment later.

This is the partial wages rule and it's actually pretty generous if you're doing gig work on the side. Better to report and get a reduced payment than to not report and get hit with an overpayment demand later.

Once you switch to direct deposit in UI Online, all future payments will go to your bank account. Any payments that were already processed before the switch might still go to the card but new ones after you set it up go to your bank. Give it one certification cycle to fully switch over.

Ok good because I just switched yesterday and was worried my next payment might go to the wrong place

What workaround did you find? I'm still trying to get through about my pending payment.

Someone here mentioned Claimyr a few comments up and that's actually what I ended up using too. Go to claimyr.com and watch the demo. It got me connected to an EDD agent after weeks of failed attempts on my own. The YouTube walkthrough at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows exactly what to expect.

Trying it right now, thank you

Update from me above - I used Claimyr this morning and actually got through to someone within a couple hours. My payment is being processed now. Can't believe that simple service solved what 3 weeks of calling 8am to 5pm every day couldn't.

Oh wow I did not think about taxes at all. Should I do the withholding or just track it myself?

Depends on your situation. If you think you'll be back to work soon and have other income, withholding might prevent a bill at tax time. If this is your main income for a long stretch it might be fine without. When in doubt do the withholding and get a refund rather than owe.

I always do the withholding just to be safe. Last thing you need is a surprise tax bill after going through unemployment

Good call, I actually moved like a month before I got laid off. I should probably make sure my address is current. Where do I update it in UI Online?

Log into UI Online, go to profile settings or contact information - it should be in there. Also make sure your phone number and email are current because EDD will sometimes contact you through those too.

yes update all your contact info asap, I got a questionnaire from EDD that I only saw because it also came by email. If I had only been checking mail I would have missed the deadline

This is super helpful timing info, thank you. I'll make sure to certify Sunday mornings.

Sunday morning is actually high traffic and UI Online can be slow. Sunday evening or even Monday morning is just as good and usually a bit faster on the website.

I always do mine Sunday night, never had issues with slow loading personally

Glad it helped! Bookmark your UI Online account and check it every few days even when you don't have an action to take - sometimes EDD sends messages through there. Good luck with your claim.

Best of luck, hope everything goes smoothly. And now you know about Claimyr if you ever hit a snag and need to reach EDD directly.

you've got this, once you get in the rhythm of the biweekly certifications it becomes pretty automatic