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!