How much do you make for unemployment in California EDD?

Wait so the highest quarter is what matters most? I had one really strong quarter last year where I picked up a ton of overtime. Would that one count more than the others?

Exactly that, the agent confirmed it works off whichever quarter had the most wages. So your overtime quarter could be really helpful for your weekly amount.

Same question I had. My quarters were super uneven because I had a slow stretch mid-year and then went full throttle at the end. Knowing the highest one is what they use made me feel a lot better.

$40 to $450 is a huge range lol. I'm going to try that calculator tonight. Is it pretty accurate or does the real number come out different usually?

It's a solid estimate, usually pretty close. The official amount on the DE 429Z is what EDD actually commits to, so treat the calculator as a planning tool, not a guarantee.

I used that calculator and it was within like $8 of my actual weekly amount on the DE 429Z. Definitely worth doing before the letter arrives so you can at least budget.

Wait does the waiting week count toward those 26 weeks? I keep hearing about it and I'm not sure if I'm losing a week of benefits or just a week of payment.

The waiting week is the first eligible week of your claim and it doesn't get paid, but it doesn't reduce your total weeks either. You still get the full 26 paid weeks, it just means the first week you certify covers the waiting week unpaid and then the second week paid.

This tripped me up too. The first certification usually covers both the waiting week and one paid week, so you get one payment for those first two weeks, not two. Confused me until someone explained it that way.

That's frustrating about the part-time quarter dragging it down. Is there any way to ask them to use different quarters?

There's something called an alternate base period where EDD uses your four most recent completed quarters instead of the standard ones, but it only kicks in if the standard base period doesn't give you enough wages to even have a valid claim. It doesn't get used just to bump up your weekly amount if you already qualify. I found that out the hard way.

Correct on that. The alternate base period is a fallback for people who can't meet the minimum threshold with the standard one, not a way to get a higher payment. EDD runs it automatically if needed, you don't have to ask.

Oh I had no idea about this, thank you. I haven't gotten any DE 8405 yet but I'll watch for it.

Missed this notice completely on my first claim back in the day. Payments froze and I had no idea why. Now I watch for every piece of mail EDD sends like a hawk.

The EDD notice tells you exactly what to do and when, just don't let it sit on your counter unopened. Everything time-sensitive has a date on it.

This is really good to know. I've been scared to even apply for part-time work because I thought any earnings would just cancel my benefits.

Report everything you earn in the week you earned it, not when you get paid. That matters for the certification questions.

So you still report the wages even if you're only going to earn like $50? Better safe than honest I guess... wait I mean better to report and be safe.

What did they say about the severance? I might be getting a small payout too and I don't know if I'm supposed to report it or if it affects my payments.

She said to report it when the certification asks about it and EDD would sort out how it affects things. She didn't tell me a rule about it, just that I needed to report it. I did and my payments came through fine.

Severance is on EDD's list of things to report on your certification. You put it in and EDD figures out the rest. Don't skip that question on the form.

What if someone worked two jobs? Do both sets of wages get counted into the base period?

Both jobs' wages go into the base period calculation. EDD looks at all wages you earned during those quarters, not just from one employer.

Worked two jobs the whole time before my layoff and both sets of wages counted. My weekly amount was actually decent because of it.

Pending weeks in your Claim History usually mean there's something EDD needs to decide before releasing the payment. Could be an eligibility question, could be an identity step. Check if you got any mail from EDD about a next step.

Got nothing in the mail except the DE 429Z. No other letters. So I have no idea what the hold up is.

Try the live chat option from the Help button inside UI Online. It's available Monday through Friday 9am to 2pm. Sometimes faster than the phone for a status question like that.

The 60 percent number floats around because that's roughly what lower-to-middle earners see when they do the math informally, but it's not a rule. The formula is based on quarterly wages with a hard cap.

I definitely heard the 60 percent thing too. Good to know it's not a real rule, just a rough approximation that doesn't hold at higher earnings.

A pension tied to past work can reduce your weekly benefit amount, and EDD decides by how much based on your specific situation. It's one of those things worth confirming directly with EDD because how they handle it varies.

Okay so I need to actually talk to someone about it. I already reported the pension income on my application so at least that part is done.

Social Security income is different, by the way. That one doesn't get deducted from unemployment benefits at all and you don't report it. Pensions and Social Security are handled differently.

Calendar quarters are January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December. Filing now in late November, the most recently completed quarter would be July through September. The standard base period looks back past that one and uses the four before it, so roughly July of last year through June of this year. The quarter you're in right now and the most recently finished one both sit outside the standard window.

So my wages from October through now don't count at all in the standard base period. That makes sense but also feels a little rough if someone just got a raise recently.

That's exactly the scenario where someone sometimes asks about the alternate base period, but remember it only kicks in if you don't have a valid claim under the standard one. A recent raise landing outside the window is just how the timing works, not a mistake EDD can fix.

Three weeks total before first payment. That's good to know so I can plan around it. I have some savings but not a ton.

Try not to cut it too close. The waiting week is unpaid, then you certify covering that week plus the next, and then payment processes. It moves faster if you certify online through UI Online immediately when the certification window opens.

Reporting part-time earnings is exactly right and the adjustment is usually pretty straightforward. The formula does what it's supposed to do.

Good to know the system actually works the way people say it does when you do things by the book.

And if your job ends again while your benefit year is still open, you reopen the existing claim rather than starting a new one. UI Online has the option to reopen it.

Does reopening it reset the waiting week? Or do you only serve that once per claim?

The waiting week is per claim, served in the first eligible week. When you reopen an existing claim mid-year you don't serve it again, it was already done.

I have all my stubs in a folder, so this is actually doable for me. Going to do this tonight.

If you don't have stubs, your old W-2s break it down by year. You'd have to roughly divide by quarters but it gets you in the ballpark.

The DE 429Z shows your weekly benefit amount officially, so it's the closest thing EDD gives you to an income document. Whether a landlord accepts it is really their call, not something EDD controls.

I figured it was worth asking in case there was a standard answer. Sounds like it varies landlord to landlord.

Printed my DE 429Z plus my bank statements showing the deposits and together that worked for the place I ended up renting. No guarantees but it's what I had.

CalFresh does count unemployment benefits as income when you apply, so your payment amount could affect your CalFresh eligibility or the amount you receive. How much it changes things is determined by the county, not EDD. Apply through BenefitsCal or call 1-877-847-3663 and they'll work out your specific situation.

Okay so I should still apply and let them figure out the numbers rather than assuming I won't qualify. That makes sense.

Definitely apply. Meeting income requirements for CalFresh is separate from getting unemployment. You could qualify for both depending on where your total income lands relative to the thresholds.

Processing typically takes about three weeks from when you apply before the first payment goes out. The DE 429Z usually arrives a couple weeks in. EDD's calculator on their site is the only preview you can get until that letter shows up. You can also check UI Online periodically but it won't show the official amount until EDD finishes processing.

Three weeks feels so long when you have rent due. At least now I know I'm not missing something I should be doing.

Keep an eye on your mail every day once you hit the two-week mark. Mine showed up on day 13 and that was a relief just to have a number to plan around.

How long did it take once you got through to the agent to actually resolve the question? Like was it a quick conversation or did they need to put you on hold?

Honestly pretty quick once I was talking to her, maybe 10 minutes. She could see everything on my claim and answered the quarterly breakdown question right away.

I had no idea California didn't tax unemployment. That's actually pretty helpful. I'll opt into the federal withholding so I'm not scrambling in April.

Opting in at certification is easy, it's one of the questions they ask. You can change your answer each time you certify if your situation changes.

Good call on the withholding. I'd rather have slightly smaller payments now than a bill in April.

The training extension isn't automatic and not every program qualifies. EDD has to approve the specific training, so check with them before you sign up for anything expecting benefits to continue.

Exactly right, I should have said that. EDD approves the program, you don't just pick any class. Worth asking EDD early if you're considering it.

Store closure should mean laid off through no fault of your own, right? Or does EDD still do a full interview even when it's clearly a closure?

EDD still does the interview when there's any question on record. The agent said the interview is how EDD collects both sides and then makes the eligibility call. I keep my phone charged and near me on the date on the DE 4800.

Good luck with that interview. Keep all your documentation about the store closure in case they ask you about it.