How long after EDD phone interview to receive backpay? Can I still certify while waiting?

Yes, absolutely keep certifying every two weeks while waiting for your eligibility interview! This is critical because if you're approved, they can only pay you for weeks you've properly certified for. As for when you'll receive backpay after approval, typically it takes 3-5 business days for payments to process and hit your Money Network card or direct deposit after an eligibility issue is resolved. Sometimes it can happen within 48 hours if you're lucky. The EDD representative will most likely not give you an approval decision during the actual interview - they usually need to review everything afterward, so don't be discouraged if they don't tell you right away.

my interveiw took 10 minutes and i got paid 2 days later. they just wanted to verify why i lost my job which wasnt my fault. certified for 6 weeks before they called me

I went thru the EXACT same thing back in January! They made me wait 5 weeks for my phone interview and yes - DEFINITELY keep certifying while you wait. My interview lasted maybe 15 minutes tops, and they just asked about the circumstances of my job separation. The interviewer didn't tell me if I was approved or denied during the call, but 3 days later my status changed from pending to paid and I got all my back weeks deposited at once! It was almost $3,740 because I had 5 weeks of backpay at the max benefit amount. SUCH a relief!! Good luck with your interview!

To directly answer your questions: 1) If approved after your phone interview, you'll typically receive all backpay within 2-5 business days. This gets processed once the interviewer updates your claim status from pending to paid. 2) Yes, absolutely continue certifying for every week you're eligible while waiting for the interview. If you don't certify, you won't receive payment for those weeks even if ultimately approved. Pro tip: Have documentation ready that supports your reason for separation from employment. If you were laid off, have any termination notice or email ready. If you quit, have documentation showing good cause. Being prepared makes these interviews go much more smoothly.

NOBODY EVER MENTIONS THIS but be prepared for them to possibly not call at all!!! My interview was scheduled for 10am-12pm and they never called! I had to wait ANOTHER 2 weeks for a rescheduled interview. The system is completely broken and they don't care about our bills piling up. When they finally did the interview, it took 8 days for my payments to go from pending to paid, not the 2-3 days everyone claims. Don't get your hopes up that this will be resolved quickly.

Make sure you have a good phone connection for your interview! My first scheduled interview got dropped because I was in a bad reception area, and I had to wait another 3 weeks for a reschedule. For the actual timeline: after approval, my pending payments switched to paid status within 24 hours, then took another 2 days to appear on my Money Network card. So about 3 days total from interview to money in hand. And like others said, definitely keep certifying while waiting - that's actually required by EDD guidelines.

i got denied after my interview even tho i was laid off they said i didnt have enough evidence or something but i appealed it and won but that took like 2 more months just be ready for anything they can be totally random sometimes

This might be a stupid question but are phone interviews and eligibility interviews the same thing? I have something scheduled but I'm confused about what type of interview it actually is. My notice just says "phone appointment" without specifying what for exactly.

what about SDI interviews are those different my friend is waiting for one of those

Update: My interview happened today! It lasted about 20 minutes and the interviewer was actually pretty nice. She mostly asked about why I lost my job and verified some information from my application. She didn't tell me on the spot if I was approved or not, just said I should check my UI Online account for updates in the next few days. I'm still nervous but feeling more hopeful now! Will update when I know more about the payment timeline.

FINAL UPDATE: IT HAPPENED!! Just checked my UI Online account and all my pending weeks switched to PAID status! It took exactly 2 days after my interview. Now just waiting for the money to hit my account. SUCH a relief after all this stress. For anyone else waiting - hang in there and definitely keep certifying while you wait!

Congrats @Amara Eze! So happy to see your update worked out! 🎉 This thread is going to be super helpful for others going through the same stress. Your timeline matches what most people experience - the 2-day turnaround from interview to paid status is pretty typical when everything goes smoothly. Thanks for keeping us posted throughout the whole process!

Reading through this thread as someone who just started this whole process - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I just filed my claim last week and already seeing "pending" status. Based on what everyone's saying here, sounds like I should expect to wait several weeks for an interview call. The stress is real but at least now I know to keep certifying every two weeks while I wait. @Amara Eze so glad your situation worked out! Gives me hope that there's light at the end of this tunnel. Going to bookmark this thread for reference during my own waiting period.

This thread is gold! I'm currently on week 3 of waiting for my eligibility interview and the anxiety has been eating me alive. Seeing @Amara Eze's timeline from stressed to success in just a couple days after the interview gives me so much hope! I've been religiously certifying every two weeks based on the advice here, even though my claim has been stuck on "pending" this whole time. Question for those who've been through this - did anyone else get multiple different appointment times before they actually got the call? EDD sent me three different "appointment scheduled" notices and I'm not sure which one is actually real at this point. The inconsistency is driving me crazy but reading all these success stories helps me believe there's an end in sight!

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - definitely keep certifying while you wait! I went through this exact same situation last year and made the mistake of not certifying for 2 weeks because I thought it didn't matter since I was "pending." Big mistake! Even after I got approved, those 2 weeks were lost forever because you can't get backpay for weeks you didn't certify for. The whole process is stressful enough without losing out on benefits you're entitled to. Also, try not to read too much into how long your interview takes - mine was only 8 minutes and I still got approved. They're just verifying the basic facts about your job separation. Good luck with your interview Tuesday, sounds like you're well prepared!

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm everything others are saying here! My interview was scheduled after 6 weeks of waiting (longest 6 weeks of my life), and I was so nervous I could barely sleep the night before. The actual interview lasted about 12 minutes - they asked about my layoff, verified my last day of work, and confirmed I was actively looking for new employment. The interviewer was professional but not particularly warm, so I couldn't tell if it went well or not. But exactly 3 days later, all my pending weeks flipped to "paid" status and I received over $4,200 in backpay! The relief was incredible. My advice: have all your documents organized beforehand (termination letter, pay stubs, etc.), make sure you're in a quiet place with excellent phone reception, and definitely keep certifying every two weeks while you wait. The system works, it's just painfully slow. Your Tuesday interview will be here before you know it - you've got this! 💪

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver for me! I'm currently on week 5 of waiting for my eligibility interview and honestly was starting to panic about whether I was doing everything right. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially @Amara Eze's complete journey from stress to success, has given me so much peace of mind. The consistent advice about continuing to certify every two weeks is crystal clear now - I was second-guessing myself but I'm glad I kept doing it. What really stands out to me is how the actual interviews seem much shorter and more straightforward than we all build them up to be in our heads. I have my termination letter and all employment docs ready to go, and I'm feeling way more confident after reading everyone's timelines. The 2-5 day turnaround from interview to payment seems to be the standard, which is honestly faster than I expected. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here - this community support makes such a difficult process feel manageable! 🙏

This thread is incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences! I'm currently in week 2 of waiting for my interview and the stress is already getting to me. Reading @Amara Eze's journey from panic to success in just 2 days after the interview gives me so much hope! I've been certifying every two weeks like everyone recommended, even though seeing "pending" status each time makes my stomach drop. The consistent advice about having documentation ready is noted - I was laid off due to company restructuring and have all the paperwork saved. One question: did anyone else find it hard to focus on job searching while dealing with this uncertainty? I feel like I'm in limbo and can't fully commit to applications when I don't know my financial situation. But seeing how quickly things can turn around after the interview is really encouraging. Thanks for creating such a supportive space to share these experiences!

This thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! I'm currently on week 3 of waiting for my eligibility interview and was starting to spiral about whether I'd ever get approved. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially seeing @Amara Eze go from complete stress to getting paid in just 2 days after her interview, has given me so much hope! I've been religiously certifying every two weeks based on all the advice here, even though that "pending" status haunts me every time I log in. I got laid off when my startup ran out of funding and have all the documentation saved. The consistent timeline people are sharing (4-6 weeks for interview scheduling, then 2-5 days for payment after approval) actually makes this feel manageable rather than endless. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this waiting game makes such a difference! 🙏

This thread is exactly what I needed to find today! I'm on week 4 of waiting for my eligibility interview and the financial stress has been overwhelming. Seeing @Amara Eze's complete journey from panic to getting paid within 2 days after her interview gives me so much hope that there really is light at the end of this tunnel! I've been following everyone's advice about certifying every two weeks religiously, even though that "pending" status feels like a punch to the gut each time. I was laid off due to budget cuts at my company and have my termination letter ready along with all my employment records. The consistent timelines everyone is sharing (interview within 4-6 weeks, then payment within 2-5 days after approval) actually makes this whole process feel less mysterious and more predictable. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here - this community support is keeping me sane during the most stressful financial period of my life. For anyone else waiting, we've got this! 💪

I'm currently in week 2 of waiting for my eligibility interview and this thread has been such a lifesaver! @Amara Eze your complete journey from stress to success gives me so much hope - that 2-day turnaround from interview to paid status is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been certifying every two weeks like everyone recommended, even though seeing "pending" makes my anxiety spike each time. I was laid off when my department got eliminated and have all my paperwork organized thanks to the advice here. The consistent timelines everyone's sharing (4-6 weeks for interview, then 2-5 days for payment) makes this feel way more manageable than the endless uncertainty I was imagining. Thank you to everyone who took time to share their real experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this waiting game is keeping me going! For anyone else just starting this process, definitely keep certifying and stay organized with your documentation. We've got this! 💙