How many hours do you need to qualify for California EDD unemployment?

Wait so they don't count hours at all? I was so focused on that. I was making about $17/hour so I guess my quarterly earnings would definitely be over $1,300. That's actually really reassuring.

yeah earnings is what matters not hours. i made that same mistake when i first filed thought i needed some minimum number of hours worked lol

This is correct. The earnings test is what California EDD uses. Hours matter indirectly because more hours = more earnings but there's no standalone hours requirement written into the eligibility rules.

Did you have any issues during the adjudication process? Or did your claim go through pretty smoothly?

mine went through in like 10 days honestly. no adjudication hold or anything. just make sure you answer all the questions carefully especially the part about why you left

I had no idea there was an alternate base period. So if I got denied I could potentially still appeal using that alternate calculation?

Exactly. It's not even necessarily an appeal — you can request they recalculate using the alternate base period. California EDD should automatically check this but sometimes you have to ask specifically. Keep records of your pay stubs to support your case.

this is good info i wish i'd known about the alternate base period before my first claim got denied back in the day. had to go through the whole appeal process unnecessarily

I've been trying to call EDD for two days and keep getting disconnected. Going to check out that Claimyr link, thanks for sharing.

same experience here. claimyr saved me from losing my mind trying to get through on hold for hours

does it actually work though? i'm always skeptical of these third party things when it comes to government stuff

100% legitimate, the video demo at that youtube link explains exactly what it does. it just helps you get in the queue to reach an actual EDD agent. no weird stuff involved.

Technically no minimum hours requirement exists in the California UI code — but if you only worked 5 hours a week at say $15/hour, you'd make roughly $300/month which over a quarter is about $900. That might still meet the alternate base period threshold depending on your exact situation. The earnings floor is what filters out very minimal work, not an hours floor.

oh okay that makes more sense i guess. the earnings cutoff basically accomplishes the same thing as an hours requirement would

Exactly right. Earnings and hours are correlated enough that a pure earnings test captures what a minimum hours rule would anyway, just more precisely.

That's a really helpful distinction. I was laid off — they eliminated the position entirely — so I should be in the clear. And yeah I'm filing today after reading all these responses.

the part about not being able to backdate is SO important. i waited like 3 weeks thinking i needed to find another job first before filing and lost all those weeks of benefits

Unfortunately that happens all the time. File immediately when you become unemployed, even if you think you might find something quickly. You can always stop certifying if you get a job but you can't recover those early weeks.

lol this is actually what I might end up doing. Just file and see what happens.

honestly yeah. worst case they deny you and then you get an explanation of exactly why which is more useful than trying to interpret the website yourself

Oh interesting, I actually did some temp work on the side for a few months. So that would count toward my base period earnings too? That actually might push me comfortably over the threshold even if my main job earnings were borderline.

Yes exactly. As long as those employers were paying into the state unemployment insurance system (almost all employers are required to), those wages get counted. The EDD actually cross-references employer wage records so it mostly happens automatically.

good to know, i didn't realize multiple jobs stacked like that

This is encouraging, thank you. I've been psyching myself out thinking I won't qualify when I probably should just go ahead and file.

file file file!! the worst they can say is no and even then you can appeal

That's actually helpful to have a rough estimate. $200-320 is meaningful while I look for something new.

fyi the maximum WBA has been around $450 for a while but it gets adjusted periodically so worth double checking the current amount on the EDD site

Good point, I should have said to verify. The formula they use is what matters and that hasn't changed — the exact cap amount is worth confirming on the current California EDD site before you get your hopes up or down about the number.

California eliminated the one-week unpaid waiting period a few years ago. You now get paid starting from your first week of eligibility, assuming you certify on time. So no waiting week anymore — that's one thing California EDD actually improved.

omg thank you i've been telling people there's still a waiting week this whole time lol. good to know

Yeah this is a change a lot of people don't know about. No more unpaid first week in California as of 2018. File and certify your first week and you'll get paid for it.

This is actually a completely different situation. If you were a true independent contractor (1099 worker), your earnings typically don't count toward California UI eligibility because your employer wasn't paying into the UI system on your behalf. W2 employment is what counts for standard unemployment benefits. There have been some expansions and experiments with coverage for gig workers but the standard California EDD system is still built around traditional employment.

ugh that's what i was afraid of. i have some W2 work mixed in though so maybe that part qualifies me at least

If you have any W2 employment in your base period it's worth filing a claim — your W2 wages will be counted and you might qualify based on those alone even if the 1099 income doesn't count.

I felt this deeply. I mentioned it earlier in this thread but Claimyr (claimyr.com) was genuinely what finally got me through after days of failed attempts. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that shows how it works. After however many hours I spent redialing, getting through the same day felt kind of miraculous.

okay i'm actually going to try this. at this point i'll try anything to talk to an actual human being at EDD

the EDD phone situation is genuinely one of the most demoralizing experiences. good luck getting through however you manage it

The weekly certification form asks about any work you did and any earnings, not specifically hours. However you're expected to report all wages earned during the week you're certifying for, regardless of whether they were cash or formal employment. Failing to report earnings is considered fraud. For partial work weeks, EDD uses a formula to reduce your benefit proportionally rather than cutting it off entirely — so working a few hours doesn't necessarily disqualify you for that week.

okay good so i wouldn't lose everything if i did a day of work here and there. just report it and get a reduced payment

Exactly. The earnings disregard means the first small amount you earn doesn't reduce your benefit at all, and after that it's reduced gradually. Report everything and let EDD do the math — it's much safer than not reporting and risking an overpayment notice later.

yeah same honestly. the EDD website doesn't explain it nearly as clearly as people in this thread did

someone should write a plain English guide to California unemployment because the official stuff is written by lawyers for lawyers

YES! so glad you filed. fingers crossed for a smooth approval with no adjudication issues

Good luck! If you do hit any snags like adjudication or a need to verify something with an agent, don't hesitate to try reaching EDD by phone. Claimyr (claimyr.com) is worth bookmarking just in case you need it — helped several people in this thread get through quickly.

Great outcome! The weekly benefit estimate shown during filing is usually pretty accurate to what you actually receive. Hope the claim processes cleanly.

glad you filed!! and glad this thread existed because i'm in a similar part time situation and now i know i probably qualify too. might as well file

Union rules don't change California EDD eligibility requirements — those are set by state law and apply to everyone equally. Your shop steward might be referring to union-specific benefit programs some unions offer separately from state UI. You'd still qualify for California unemployment under the same earnings thresholds as anyone else, assuming your employer was paying into the UI system.

ohh that makes sense. yeah i think he meant the union's own separate benefit fund. good to know the state EDD stuff works the same for me

yeah union UI stuff and California EDD unemployment are totally separate systems. you can potentially get both if you're entitled to the union benefit, they don't cancel each other out