How long can you apply for unemployment after being fired - California EDD rules

That's kind of what I'm hoping but I genuinely don't know. I keep searching and getting different answers

No hard cutoff for filing after being fired. The thing that changes is your benefit year start date - it starts the Sunday of the week you actually apply, so every week you wait is a week you can't get back. File today if you haven't yet

Oh okay so there's no deadline but you lose money by waiting, that makes more sense

So I literally just lost five weeks of potential payments by waiting? Ugh that hurts to read

Yeah unfortunately that's how it works. The sooner you file the sooner the clock starts. But going forward you're fine

Same thing happened to me, waited like three weeks thinking I'd find something fast and just ate those weeks. File as soon as you lose the job from now on

Base period is something I don't understand at all. Did the agent explain how they figure out which quarters count?

She basically said EDD takes the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the claim starts. So if you apply now in late November, it's not your most recent quarter - it goes back further. She showed me exactly which ones applied to my wages

Good to know there's a way to actually reach someone. I've been trying the phone line and it's impossible

Wait so my employer could fight my claim? I was fired for being late twice, is that going to count as misconduct?

EDD makes that call after hearing both sides in the interview. Being late could go either way depending on what your employer says and what you say. The interview is your chance to give your side. Don't skip it - the notice they send you (called the DE 4800) has the time you need to be available for the interviewer to reach you

My employer tried to say I was fired for misconduct and EDD still approved me after the interview. Just be honest and give them the full picture

Okay that's reassuring, I was worried they could just say anything and EDD would believe them

Three weeks after filing before money comes? That's rough. So I'm looking at like eight total weeks without income by the time I see anything

Pretty much, yeah. And there's also a waiting week built in - your very first eligible week doesn't get paid, it's kind of like a deductible. So the first check you get actually covers the waiting week plus one paid week

Nobody tells you about the waiting week when you apply and then people freak out thinking something is wrong. It's normal

I had no idea about the waiting week either. So first certification covers both of those?

Exactly. First certification usually covers the unpaid waiting week and one paid week, so you get one week's worth on that first payment

Length at that specific job isn't the main thing EDD looks at. They go back 18 months across all your employers in the base period. As long as you earned at least $1,300 in one of those quarters, you likely have a valid claim. If not, there's an alternate base period that uses your four most recent quarters instead

Oh I worked somewhere else before that for like six months so those wages would count too?

Yes, all your California employers in that 18-month window. EDD adds them all up. You'd see it on the DE 429Z they mail you after processing

Okay that's way better than I thought, I was assuming it was only about the last job

$450 is the max? That seems low for California cost of living but okay

It is what it is. The weekly amount is what it is, but EDD also has a list of other programs - CalFresh for food, Medi-Cal or Covered California for health insurance. Worth looking into while you're on UI

450 a week doesn't go far in the Bay Area that's for sure

EDD's line is basically that misconduct is about deliberately doing something wrong, not just not being good at the job. Performance issues where you were trying but struggling is usually different from intentionally violating a policy. But EDD decides this case by case after the interview - nobody here can tell you your situation qualifies

Got it. So I shouldn't assume I'll be denied just because they said the word fired

Right. File and go through the process. The interview is there specifically so you can explain what happened

Severance doesn't block you from filing right away. EDD's rules say severance paid under a company plan isn't counted as wages for unemployment purposes, so it doesn't delay when you can start. That said, you do need to report it when you certify - EDD will figure out how it affects things from there

Wait so I can file even while I'm still receiving severance payments?

Yes, file as soon as you stop working. Don't wait on the severance. Report it honestly when you certify and let EDD sort out the numbers

I made the mistake of waiting until my severance was done before filing and lost like a month of potential payments. File right away

I haven't even heard of CalJOBS before this, how do I know if I need to do it?

EDD sends a notice telling you if you're required. It's the DE 8405. Most regular claimants do have to do it. When you get that notice just go set up your CalJOBS profile quickly - it doesn't have to be perfect, just active and with a resume up

Does failing to do CalJOBS actually stop payments or is it just a suggestion? Because I haven't done it yet

It can actually stop payments if EDD requires it and you don't do it in time. Don't skip it. Check if you got the DE 8405 in the mail

No two-week deadline, that's not a California EDD rule. What's true is that your benefit year starts the Sunday of the week you apply - so the sooner you file, the sooner you can collect. But there's no door that closes after two weeks or any other set number of days

Okay good because I was worried for a second. So people can file months later?

Technically yes, though obviously you'd be losing those weeks. Apply as soon as you know you're not going back to work

Got it. Telling my sister she was wrong lol

Hours cut before firing - that's exactly the kind of thing I'd worry about too. Good that you got a direct answer

Yeah the agent walked through my specific quarters so I wasn't just guessing. Filed the same day after that call

Does it work if you have a pretty specific wage question? That's my situation too

Has anyone here actually won an appeal after being denied for a firing?

Yes - me. Got denied initially, appealed it, and the judge sided with me after I brought in my written warnings showing the company had deviated from their own progressive discipline policy. It's real

I didn't know an actual judge handles it, I thought it was just EDD reviewing their own decision

Nope, it goes to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, completely separate from EDD. The notice of your hearing comes at least 10 days before it's scheduled

Every two weeks you log into UI Online and answer a set of questions - basically confirming you were able to work, available for work, and looking for work during those weeks. You also report any money you earned. It's not complicated but you have to keep doing it or payments stop

Every two weeks, got it. And if I work a little part-time somewhere I report that earnings?

Yes, report whatever you earn in the week you earned it, not when you get paid. EDD has a formula where the first $25 or 25% of your gross earnings (whichever is higher) doesn't count against you, and the rest gets subtracted from your weekly amount. So working part-time doesn't necessarily kill your payment

That's actually really helpful, I was afraid any work would just end my claim

Six years, that's rough. Hope you're getting somewhere with your claim

Finally filed last week, still waiting to hear about the phone interview. The waiting is the worst part

So the DE 429Z shows up and I still might not be approved?

Right. The notice just shows the potential weekly amount based on your wages. Eligibility is a separate question, especially for firings. The phone interview is where EDD gets your side of what happened

This is a really important distinction that gets people confused. The DE 429Z existing doesn't mean you're getting paid, it means EDD processed your wage records

Tell the truth, all of it. EDD's standard for misconduct is pretty specific - it's about deliberately violating something you knew was a rule, not just making a mistake. A lot of people who made real errors still get approved because honest mistakes aren't the same as willful misconduct in EDD's eyes

That actually makes me feel a lot better. I made a judgment error on a client account, nothing malicious

That sounds like it could go either way and EDD will decide, but go into the interview prepared to explain what happened and that there was no intent to cause harm. That context matters

That's correct. The benefit year is 52 weeks starting from the Sunday of the week you apply. And once your benefit year ends you can't file a new California claim until it's over, so maximizing that window matters

Every answer in this thread just confirms I should have filed five weeks ago. Lesson learned, filing today

Filing today is the right move. Five weeks isn't forever but it's real money. Good luck

You have to be able to work, available for work, and actively looking for work for every week you certify. EDD doesn't specify a certain number of applications you have to make - but keeping track of where you apply is smart in case anything comes up. It's just part of the certification questions

So I certify every two weeks and answer questions about job searching, got it

Exactly. And if you get into an approved training program through EDD at some point, you might not have to do the work search - but that's a separate thing to look into if school or retraining is on your radar

Okay I think I finally understand the whole process now. This thread was actually really useful

Had no idea about the ID.me thing. What does that involve?

You create an account with ID.me, take a photo of your ID, and they confirm your identity and pass it to EDD. It's part of the online application process. If EDD can't verify you right away they mail the DE 1326C telling you to do it

Got that letter and panicked thinking something was wrong with my claim. Turned out it was just the ID verification step

Pending with no explanation is so stressful - glad you got an answer. I'll keep that in mind for when my claim starts

Yeah the agent was straightforward about exactly what was holding things up. Way better than staring at Pending with no idea why