How long until EDD sends first payment? My claim is approved but no check yet

Congrats on getting approved! For paper checks, it typically takes 7-10 business days after the payment shows as 'paid' in the system. Yes, your first payment should include all back weeks that were approved. The EDD prints and mails checks from their central office, so there's always a delay compared to direct deposit (which is usually 1-2 days). Keep checking your mail daily. Sometimes the checks come in plain envelopes that can look like junk mail if you're not careful.

they will combien all ur weeks into 1 check dont worry. my brother got his in like 5 days last month but my neibor said hers took 2 weeks so who knows lol

Last year when i filed they sent mine after 8 days exactly. But my friend who filed the SAME DAY got hers in 4 days!!! EDD makes no sense sometimes. At least you're approved tho!

If your payment is showing as 'paid' in UI Online, that's a good sign! The paper check processing time varies between 5-14 days in my experience helping claimants. One thing to note - if this is your first payment ever from EDD, they will issue you a Money Network debit card for future payments, even if you selected paper checks. Many people miss this card when it arrives because it comes in a plain white envelope. If it's been more than 14 days since your payment status changed to 'paid,' you should contact EDD directly to inquire. And yes, they will include all back weeks in one payment.

CAREFUL with assuming anything with EDD. My account said PAID for THREE WEEKS but nothing showed up!!! Had to call like 97 times before someone finally told me there was a hold on my account that wasn't showing in the system!!! Sometimes the computer says one thing but the reality is different. ALWAYS call to confirm!!!

I had the exact same situation last month! My payment was showing as 'paid' but nothing arrived after 2 weeks. I tried calling EDD but couldn't get through with the usual methods - constant busy signals or disconnects. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an EDD rep within about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Turns out there was a small address issue that was causing my check to be held. The rep fixed it right away and my payment arrived 3 days later. Might be worth a call just to make sure everything is proceeding normally with your claim.

I'm in a similar boat waiting for my first payment too! Did yours arrive yet? I'm on day 6 of waiting and getting anxious...

Just to follow up on this - I want to clarify something important about EDD payments. When the system shows 'paid' status, it means EDD has processed the payment on their end, but there are still several steps before you receive it: 1. EDD processes payment (status changes to 'paid') 2. State controller issues the check (takes 2-3 business days) 3. Check is printed and mailed (1-2 business days) 4. Mail delivery time (3-5 business days) So from 'paid' status to check-in-hand is typically 6-10 business days total. It's not like a direct deposit where 'paid' means it's already in your account. This timeline doesn't include weekends or holidays, which can extend things further.

UPDATE: My check arrived today! It took exactly 12 calendar days (8 business days) from when the status changed to 'paid' in the system. And yes, it included all 6 weeks of benefits in one check. Thanks everyone for your help!

That's awesome news! Thanks for following up with the timeline - it really helps those of us who are still waiting to know what to expect. 8 business days seems pretty consistent with what others have mentioned. Glad you got all your back weeks in one payment too. Hope this helps ease the stress for anyone else in a similar situation!

This is super helpful for anyone waiting on their first EDD payment! I'm currently in the same boat - my status changed to 'paid' 3 days ago and I was starting to panic that something was wrong. Reading about your 8 business day timeline and seeing that others had similar experiences really puts my mind at ease. One quick question - did the check come in a regular envelope or was it clearly marked as being from EDD? I want to make sure I don't accidentally throw it away thinking it's junk mail. Also, did you get a separate Money Network card like Sean mentioned, or was it just the paper check since you had a previous claim? Thanks again for taking the time to update everyone - it's so rare to see people follow up with their results!

Thanks for sharing your experience and providing such a detailed timeline! This is exactly the kind of real-world information that helps people manage their expectations. I'm currently waiting on my first payment too (status changed to 'paid' 5 days ago) and was getting anxious, but your 8 business day timeline makes me feel much better about the wait. It's really helpful to know that all the back weeks come in one check - I was wondering if they'd split them up. And good point about the plain envelope - I'll definitely be checking all my mail carefully over the next few days. For future reference, do you know if there's a way to track the check once it's been mailed, or is it just a waiting game once EDD processes it?

This thread is so reassuring! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now. My claim was approved 4 days ago and the status shows 'paid', but I've been checking my mailbox obsessively every day. Reading everyone's experiences here really helps manage the anxiety that comes with waiting for that first payment. The breakdown of the 8 business day timeline makes perfect sense - I was thinking it would be like direct deposit where 'paid' means it's already there. Now I understand there's still the state controller processing, printing, and mail delivery steps. @Chloe Wilson thanks for updating with your results! It's so helpful when people follow through with what actually happened. Gives the rest of us waiting a realistic expectation. I'll try to remember to update here too once mine arrives. One thing I'm curious about - did anyone else get nervous about the plain white envelope? I'm worried I might miss it or accidentally toss it thinking it's spam mail!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in week 2 of waiting for my first payment after my claim was approved. The status has shown 'paid' for 9 business days now, so based on everyone's experiences here, I should be getting close. What really struck me was @Zara Malik's point about hidden holds that don't show up in the online system. That's honestly terrifying - the idea that everything could look fine online but there's actually a problem behind the scenes. I'm wondering if I should proactively call just to double-check, even though I'm still within the normal timeframe everyone's mentioned. @Luca Greco - thanks for mentioning that Claimyr service. I've been dreading having to call EDD because of all the horror stories about busy signals and getting disconnected. If I do end up needing to call, I might give that a try. The plain envelope issue has me paranoid too! I've been opening literally every piece of mail, including obvious credit card offers, just to be safe. Better to be overly cautious when you're waiting for money to pay rent! Will definitely update here once mine arrives to add another data point for future folks going through this same anxiety-inducing wait.

Reading through all these experiences has been really eye-opening! I'm currently on day 6 of waiting for my first payment after approval, and honestly, this thread has been more helpful than anything I've found on the official EDD website. The 8-10 business day timeline seems to be the consistent theme here, which is actually longer than I expected when I first saw 'paid' status. I was definitely thinking it would be more like 2-3 days max. The breakdown of all the steps (EDD processing, state controller, printing, mailing) makes so much sense though. One thing I'm taking away from this is to be extra vigilant about checking ALL mail - even the stuff that looks like junk. I've already started doing this after reading about the plain white envelopes. It's wild that something so important comes in such a nondescript package! Also really appreciate the heads up about potential hidden holds that don't show in the system. That's honestly my biggest fear right now - that everything looks fine online but there's actually some issue preventing payment. Might follow @Luca Greco's suggestion about that calling service if I hit the 2-week mark without seeing anything. Thanks to everyone who's shared their timelines and experiences. It really helps reduce the stress when you know what's normal vs. when to start worrying!

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm currently on day 4 of waiting after my status changed to 'paid' and was starting to get really anxious about when to expect my first payment. The detailed timeline breakdown and everyone's real experiences have helped me understand this is totally normal. What really stands out to me is how consistent the 8-10 business day timeframe seems to be across different people's experiences. I was definitely expecting it to be much faster when I first saw the 'paid' status - more like same-day or next-day delivery. But understanding all the backend steps (state controller processing, check printing, mail delivery) makes the timeline make much more sense. The plain white envelope warning is so important too! I've already started my paranoid mail-checking routine where I'm opening everything, even obvious junk mail. It seems crazy that such an important payment comes in such a generic package, but better safe than sorry. @Zara Malik's point about hidden holds that don't show up online is honestly terrifying but good to know about. I think I'll give it the full 10 business days before calling, but it's reassuring to know about services like Claimyr if I do need to get through to someone. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and especially to those who followed up with results. This kind of peer support is invaluable when dealing with government systems!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm new to this community and currently waiting for my first EDD payment after being approved last week. My status changed to 'paid' 3 days ago and I was starting to panic that something was wrong, but reading everyone's experiences here has really put my mind at ease. The 8-10 business day timeline seems very consistent across different people's stories, which is way longer than I initially expected when I first saw 'paid' status. I was thinking it would be like a direct deposit situation where 'paid' means it's already there. The breakdown of all the processing steps (state controller, printing, mailing) makes total sense though. I've definitely started the paranoid mail-checking routine after reading about the plain white envelopes! Opening literally everything now, even obvious credit card offers. It's crazy that such an important payment comes in such a generic package. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and especially those who followed up with updates. This kind of peer support makes dealing with government systems so much less stressful. I'll make sure to update here when mine arrives to help the next person going through this same anxiety-inducing wait!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently on day 7 of waiting after my status changed to 'paid' and was getting really worried, but seeing everyone's consistent 8-10 business day experiences has calmed my nerves significantly. What I find most helpful is how detailed everyone has been about the actual process - I had no idea there were so many steps between 'paid' status and actually receiving the check. Like others, I initially thought 'paid' meant the money was basically already on its way, but understanding the state controller processing, printing, and mail delivery phases makes the timeline much more reasonable. I've definitely joined the paranoid mail-checking club! Been opening every single piece of mail since reading about those plain white envelopes. It's honestly ridiculous that such a critical payment arrives looking like generic junk mail, but at least now I know what to watch for. The point about hidden holds that don't show up in the online system is genuinely concerning though. I think I'll stick with the 10 business day guideline before calling, but it's good to know about alternative ways to reach EDD if needed. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their real experiences and follow up with results. This kind of community support makes navigating government systems so much less stressful! I'll definitely update when mine arrives to keep the data points coming for others.

Just wanted to jump in and say how much this thread has helped me too! I'm currently on day 5 of waiting after my status changed to 'paid' and was definitely starting to get anxious. Reading everyone's consistent experiences with the 8-10 business day timeline has been such a relief. The breakdown of all the processing steps really makes sense - I was also expecting it to be much faster when I first saw 'paid' status. Understanding that there's state controller processing, check printing, and then regular mail delivery time helps set realistic expectations. I've absolutely joined the paranoid mail-checking club after reading about those plain white envelopes! Been opening everything that comes through, even the most obvious junk mail. It's wild that such an important payment comes in such a generic package, but better safe than sorry. One thing that's been really helpful is keeping track of business days vs calendar days - weekends and holidays definitely don't count toward that processing timeline, which I wasn't factoring in initially. Thanks to everyone who's shared their real experiences and timelines. This thread has become like a support group for all of us going through this stressful wait! I'll definitely update when mine arrives to add another data point for future folks dealing with the same anxiety.

I'm in the exact same situation right now! My claim was approved 6 days ago and the status shows 'paid', but I've been obsessively checking my mailbox twice a day with no luck yet. This thread has been such a godsend - I was starting to think something was wrong since I expected it to arrive much sooner. The detailed timeline breakdown everyone has shared (8-10 business days from 'paid' status) is so helpful. Like others mentioned, I was thinking 'paid' meant the money was basically already on its way, but understanding all the backend processing steps makes the wait time much more reasonable. I've definitely joined the paranoid mail-checking brigade after reading about those plain white envelopes! Been opening absolutely everything, even obvious spam. It's honestly crazy that such a critical payment arrives looking like junk mail, but at least now I know what to look for. Really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences and following up with results. This community support makes dealing with EDD so much less stressful. I'll make sure to update here when mine finally arrives to keep the data chain going for others going through this same anxiety-inducing wait!