How much does a company pay for unemployment insurance in California EDD?

That's what I figured. The layoff was their decision, not mine. I'm not withdrawing anything.

Exactly right. The employer knew the UI system existed when they hired people. This is literally what the tax is for.

Your boss texting you personally to pressure you out of filing is honestly wild. That is not okay.

Wait, so the employer gets a notice about the charge percentage? I didn't know that. No wonder my boss knew I filed.

EDD sends the last employer a notice when you file, so yeah, they know pretty much right away.

DE 1545 is the form that shows the employer what percentage hits their reserve account. EDD mails it to them.

Does that mean every employer always gets notified? Even if the person filing had multiple jobs?

This is really helpful context. So the CASDI deduction I always saw on my stubs was never for unemployment at all?

Right, CASDI goes toward SDI and PFL only. The UI tax is on the employer, full stop. Your paystub never had a UI deduction because there isn't one.

Had no idea about this honestly. I always assumed both sides paid in like Social Security.

Makes total sense. And they chose to lay me off, so the consequences of that are on them.

This is the clearest explanation I've seen. The experience rating system is real but it's just the cost of doing layoffs.

I work in accounting and can confirm this is accurate. Some smaller companies freak out about their UI rate going up after a round of layoffs, which is probably what's driving your boss's behavior.

Good to know. I'm going to do the same thing and just keep moving forward with my claim.

Yeah the pressure from employers is so common and it's usually just them not wanting their rate to go up. File your claim, it's your right.

Mine was a regular for-profit logistics company, so the reserve account thing applies. Good info to know though for anyone reading.

Important distinction. And nonprofits that go the reimbursable route have to stay on it for at least five full calendar years once they choose it, so it's not like they can just opt out when claims spike.

Had no idea nonprofits had a different setup. I worked at a small 501c3 and always wondered why they seemed so stressed whenever someone filed.

Oh wow I didn't even think about that angle. If he wasted time texting me guilt trips instead of responding to EDD...

Exactly. That ten-day window is firm. An employer who doesn't respond to the DE 1101CZ gets no Notice of Determination and can't appeal afterward.

This whole thread is genuinely useful. Bookmar- I mean, I'm screenshotting this for my cousin who's about to file.

How long had your claim been stuck before you got that info? Mine just started so I want to know what to watch for.

Mine had been in adjudication about two weeks before I got through. The agent said both sides had responded and EDD was just processing the determination.

Adjudication when both employer and claimant respond can take a bit, but it moves. The important thing is to keep certifying through it so back weeks can be paid once it clears.

Layoffs are a bit different from quits or firings in that sense. When someone is laid off - let go through no fault of their own - EDD's standard is pretty clear that they qualify. It's quits and firings where the interview and the employer's response really come into play. A quit requires the claimant to show good cause, and a firing requires the employer to show misconduct. For a straight layoff the employer can still respond to the claim notice, but the standard EDD applies works in the claimant's favor.

That makes sense. So for a layoff the employer responding and saying 'we just had too many people' isn't really grounds to deny anything.

Right. The logistics company laying off a warehouse worker due to business reasons is not misconduct by the worker, so there's no basis to deny. The boss texting you is just trying to intimidate you out of filing.

$412 a week sounds about right for a mid-level position. Mine showed $376 on my DE 429Z. And yeah, once EDD is in the picture the manager tends to quiet down.

It tends to go quiet fast once they realize EDD is handling it. And don't forget to get registered on CalJOBS and post your resume within 21 days of the date on the DE 8405 notice EDD sends you, otherwise payments can get held up.

Wait there's a CalJOBS requirement? Nobody told me about that when I filed last year and I never did it.

I never got a DE 8405 when I filed, or at least I don't remember getting one. Should I be worried about past payments I received?

If you completed your claim, got paid, and your benefit year has closed, it's probably not an issue now. For anyone actively filing though, check every piece of mail from EDD as soon as it comes.

yeah the DE 8405 is easy to overlook if you're not reading everything EDD sends carefully. i almost missed mine

Mine was pretty straightforward since I had steady pay for six years. But that's a good point for someone whose income changed a lot recently.

And if the standard base period doesn't give you enough wages to have a valid claim at all, EDD automatically looks at the alternate base period - the last four completed quarters - to see if that works better. But it only switches you to alternate if you don't qualify under standard.

One thing to flag: the alternate base period doesn't bump up your weekly amount if you already have a valid claim under standard. It's only there to help people who wouldn't qualify otherwise. I've seen a lot of people expect a bigger check because their latest quarter had a raise, but if standard already validates the claim, the alternate period doesn't apply.

Eight people, all filed, all got paid. That's a pretty clear outcome.

The company even tried to claim one person had resigned voluntarily to avoid the layoff paperwork. That person had a phone interview, explained what actually happened, and EDD still approved her.

That's exactly why the interview process exists. EDD hears both sides and makes the call, and 'the employer said so' isn't the final word.

Filing for unemployment benefits and receiving them doesn't show up on a credit report. Those are entirely separate systems. Your credit score and report have nothing to do with whether you collected UI.

That's such a relief. I avoided filing for two weeks after my layoff last year because I was worried about that. Left money on the table for no reason.

A lot of people have that fear and it stops them from filing when they absolutely should. File the same week you stop working - the claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply, so delays cost you weeks you can't get back.

I filed two and a half weeks ago, so if he got the notice around then and hasn't responded to EDD yet, that window is almost certainly gone.

Very likely. And even if he did respond in time, for a straightforward layoff, EDD still has to decide based on the facts - his opinion alone doesn't change your eligibility.

For what it's worth, an employer can respond and disagree with how the charge is applied, like if they think the DE 1545 percentage is wrong, by responding to that notice within 15 days. But that's about the money side, not about denying your benefits.

Good to know. I've been doing some gig work while job hunting and want to make sure I report it correctly.

Report wages in the week they were earned, every time you certify. UI Online has a Report Wages section you can use to work out how a week's wages affect your payment before certifying. If you ever report a week wrong, don't try to fix it in UI Online - message EDD through your account or call them.

gig work is always the confusing part. i messed up reporting once and had to call EDD to sort it out. not fun but it's fixable

That's really useful - I hadn't even thought about whether my severance from the layoff package would affect my weekly amount. Good to know the agent walked you through it.

The agent was pretty clear that reporting it is still required even though it's not deducted the same way wages are. EDD decides how it's treated, so just report it and let them sort it.

Severance question is one of those things where the UI Online help section doesn't give you a clear enough answer on your specific situation. Phoning in and talking to an agent is usually the only way to get clarity tied to your actual claim.

Employers can't opt out of the UI tax system or refuse to participate. It's a legal requirement for businesses operating in California. What they can do is respond to EDD and give their side of the story if they think a claim shouldn't be paid, but EDD makes the final call - not the employer.

So all my old boss can really do is respond to EDD and hope for the best? He can't just block my claim?

Exactly. He responds, EDD weighs both sides, EDD decides. If he doesn't respond within ten days of the DE 1101CZ, he loses even that. And denying a claim isn't something an employer can do unilaterally - that power sits with EDD alone.

I did set up the federal withholding when I first certified. Figured it was easier than dealing with a bill in April.

Smart move. A lot of people skip that option and then owe more than expected. The 1099G shows the full amount paid and any withholding you chose, so it's straightforward when you file.

Does Social Security get counted as income they'd subtract from your UI benefits? I know someone on SS who wants to file.

Social Security benefits are not deducted from your UI payment and you don't report them when certifying. Pensions based on past work are different - those may reduce benefits and EDD decides how much. But Social Security specifically is not counted against UI.

Do not respond to him. EDD is handling it. Any pressure your old employer puts on you outside the official EDD process is irrelevant to your claim outcome.

Keep a record of those texts in case anything unusual happens with your claim and you need to show a pattern of interference. Not saying it'll come to that, but just in case.

Already screenshotted everything. And honestly reading through this thread helped me understand exactly why he's doing it - the reserve account rate thing - and it makes his pressure feel a lot less scary now that I understand the actual mechanics.

Knowing how the system works is the best defense against this kind of pressure. You have every right to what you filed for and understanding why your boss is upset has nothing to do with whether your claim is valid.