How much unemployment can you get from California EDD?

Wait so the max is really only $450 a week? That seems really low for California cost of living. Is there any way to get more than that?

yeah $450 is the cap unfortunately has been that way for a while. brutal if you were making decent money before

Unfortunately yes $450 is the current maximum WBA for regular UI in California. The benefit amount doesn't change based on cost of living in your area. One thing to know - you can also receive up to 26 weeks of benefits, so your maximum benefit amount (MBA) would be $450 x 26 = $11,700 total if you qualify for the maximum each week.

Oh I didn't realize I needed to report the part time income weekly. My part time job is pretty inconsistent, sometimes I only work 1 shift a week. Do I still report it even if it's just like $80?

Yes absolutely report every dollar you earn every week no matter how small. Failing to report earnings is what leads to overpayment notices and potentially fraud flags. $80 in a week probably won't reduce your benefit much because of the earnings disregard formula but you still have to report it.

this is really important info i wish someone had told me this when i first filed, i didn't report a couple small amounts and ended up with a $2,100 overpayment notice later 😩

I've been trying to call California EDD too and can't get through at all. Going to check out that video thanks

claimyr worked for me too when I needed to ask about my base period earnings. got through way faster than trying to call myself

Is this legit? Seems weird to use a third party service just to call a government agency lol

I thought the same thing honestly but at some point you just need to actually talk to someone. The California EDD phone system is genuinely impossible to get through on your own most days.

How do I know which base period they used? Does it say on UI Online?

Yes when your claim is processed you should get a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award (DE 429Z) that shows your base period quarters and wages reported. If anything looks off compared to your actual W2 earnings, that's when you'd want to contact California EDD to dispute it.

This alternate base period thing saved my claim when I had taken a few months off for a medical thing. Definitely worth understanding before assuming the number is final

RIGHT. $450 hasn't kept up with inflation or housing costs at all. Some states pay way more proportionally

The cap has been a longstanding issue that advocates have been pushing to change. For now though $450 is the reality. Worth noting that if you have a working spouse or other income sources you may want to look into whether there's any reduction - but California UI doesn't count household income, only your own earned wages from employment.

Oh that's actually good news, I was told there was still a waiting week by someone at my old job. So I should get paid for week 1?

Yes California eliminated the waiting week. Make sure you filed your first weekly certification on time though - the window to certify for each week typically opens on Sunday and you have a specific window. Missing certifications means missing payments for those weeks and you generally can't go back and certify for weeks you missed.

wait really no more waiting week?? I filed in 2022 and definitely had a waiting week. did this change recently?

California suspended the waiting week during COVID and then made it permanent through legislation. If you filed in 2022 there may have been some transition timing but currently there's no waiting week for new claims.

California EDD looks at all wages earned during the base period quarters regardless of whether you worked the full period. So if you earned $30k in those 8 months spread across a couple of quarters, they'll use whatever quarter had the highest earnings to calculate your WBA. You just need to have earned at least $1,300 in your highest quarter, or at least $900 in your highest quarter AND total base period earnings of at least 1.25x your high quarter wages. Meeting those minimums is the main thing.

Ok so I should still qualify then. My highest quarter was probably around $18k-19k in the tech job so that would put me right near the $450 cap right?

Correct, $18,000 ÷ 26 = approximately $692 which exceeds the $450 cap, so you'd receive the maximum $450 per week assuming no other issues with your claim.

This is my nightmare scenario. Is there anything you can do to prevent adjudication or speed it up?

honestly not much you can do to prevent it. sometimes it's just random, sometimes it's because your employer contested the claim. to speed it up you basically need to actually get someone on the phone at california edd which as we all know is nearly impossible

This is exactly why I used Claimyr when my payments stopped without explanation. Got through to an agent who was able to tell me my claim had been flagged for an employer response and that I needed to submit additional documentation through UI Online. Never would have known that from just staring at the portal. claimyr.com if you need it.

wish I'd known about that when I was dealing with my adjudication. would have saved me a lot of stress

Just tried this! It estimated me at $398/week based on what I entered. That's lower than I was hoping but at least I have a number to plan around now. Thank you!

Keep in mind that estimate can shift based on what wages your employers actually reported vs what you entered. The final WBA on your award notice is the real number.

$398 for someone working full time in california is honestly embarrassing. just saying

didn't know this, good info

Does a 401k payout count as pension? I took a small distribution when I left my last job

A one-time 401k distribution is generally different from an ongoing pension - I'd recommend asking California EDD directly about your specific situation since the rules can get complicated around retirement account distributions and UI eligibility. That would be a good question to ask if you do manage to get through to an agent.

Mine should be fine, I got an official layoff notice and my employer confirmed it was due to reduction in workforce. But good warning for others

good, that's the easiest type of separation for a clean claim. just keep documenting everything as you go through the process

How do you request a wage audit? Is that something you do through UI Online or do you have to call?

I had to call to get it started. You can submit a request through UI Online messages but honestly calling is faster. It took me 3 weeks to get the audit resolved and my WBA corrected but they did backpay the difference. Definitely worth fighting if the number is wrong.

This is another situation where actually getting someone on the phone matters a lot. Wage disputes are hard to resolve through the online portal alone. I mentioned Claimyr earlier - claimyr.com - but seriously for something like a wage audit discrepancy you want to be speaking directly with an agent, not waiting on message responses that take weeks.

Yes, California EDD counts all wages paid during the base period including overtime, bonuses, commissions, and other compensation. So if you had a particularly high quarter because of heavy overtime, that could actually be your highest quarter and give you a better WBA. Overtime pay is just regular wages as far as the calculation is concerned.

oh that's actually great news, I had one quarter where overtime pushed me way up. might actually hit close to the cap then

Just make sure those overtime wages are reflected in what your employer reported. Sometimes payroll reporting lags so double check your award notice when it comes in.

That's reassuring to hear about the processing time. I'm at day 8 right now so hopefully my award letter comes soon

10 days sounds about right from what I've heard. My first claim took about 2 weeks but that was a couple years ago

The main thing that seems to slow claims down now is identity verification. If you get a notice to verify through ID.me or they flag something in your identity verification it can add weeks. Make sure that step is complete if it pops up.

California EDD requires you to accept suitable work. Generally a job is considered suitable if it's in your field, pays reasonably close to your previous wage, and is within reasonable commuting distance. You can typically refuse work that pays significantly less (California uses roughly 80-85% of your previous wage as a guideline) without losing benefits, but this gets more complicated the longer you've been collecting. After several months on UI California EDD expects you to broaden your search and lower your wage expectations. If you refuse what California EDD considers suitable work you could face a disqualification.

ok so if im a nurse and they offer me a minimum wage retail job i can say no right? that seems obviously not suitable

Correct, a nursing job offered to a nurse that pays minimum wage would almost certainly not qualify as suitable work. The factors considered include skill level, experience, wages, and the conditions of the job. As a nurse you'd be expected to look for nursing or healthcare adjacent work.

also keep good records of all your job search activities, California EDD can audit your job search log at any time and if you can't prove you're actively looking they can disqualify you

This is the clearest breakdown I've seen, thank you. Bookmarking this thread

Good summary. The one caveat is that California sometimes uses a slightly different formula for very low earners where they calculate WBA as the highest quarter wages multiplied by 0.04 rounded to the nearest dollar, but for most people the divide-by-26 approach gets you to the same number.

still depressing that $450 is the ceiling. but yes this is a good clear breakdown

Oh I didn't know this. So if my claim is in adjudication for 3 weeks those 3 weeks still exist within my benefit year but don't count toward my 26 paid weeks?

Exactly right. The 52 week benefit year is the container, 26 benefit weeks is the max inside that container. Adjudication weeks where you don't receive payment don't burn through your 26 weeks. However - and this is important - you still need to file weekly certifications during adjudication so that if you're approved those weeks can be paid retroactively.

this is SO important to know. when i was in adjudication no one told me to keep certifying every week. i missed 2 weeks and lost those payments entirely even after my claim was approved

Good tip, I'll do that as soon as it arrives

Also you can opt for direct deposit through UI Online instead of the debit card if you prefer. Might be faster and more convenient depending on your situation. You set it up under payment preferences.

oh I didn't know direct deposit was an option now, that would have been way easier

I was skeptical when someone mentioned this earlier but two people vouching for it now makes me think it might be legitimate. May give it a try if I have issues with my calculation

yeah honestly at this point anything that helps you actually reach someone at california edd seems worth trying. that phone system is a joke

the main thing it did for me was just eliminate the hours I was wasting redialing. got to actually resolve my issue in one call instead of never getting through at all

Congrats on the quick approval! For weekly certs: certify every two weeks (California EDD certification is bi-weekly), report all earnings honestly, answer the job search questions accurately. For job search requirements you need to contact at least 3 employers per week and log those contacts. California EDD can request your job search log at any time so keep records of every application, the company name, contact method, and date.

This is encouraging to hear, gives me hope mine will process similarly. Thanks for the update!

Good luck OP! The waiting is the worst part but once it's approved the actual claiming process is pretty straightforward as long as you stay on top of certifications.

One note on the job search - if you're in a union with a hiring hall you may qualify for standby status which exempts you from the 3-employer-per-week requirement. Not applicable to most people but worth knowing.