How much unemployment will I get if I make $800 a week in California?

Wait so it's based on my highest quarter not my most recent pay? That seems kind of unfair if I got a raise recently. My last two quarters were actually pretty consistent at around that $800/week range though so maybe it won't matter much.

this is accurate - the base period calculation trips up a lot of people. one thing to add: if your income was inconsistent or you had any weeks off, your highest quarter might be lower than the full 13 weeks x $800, which would reduce your WBA slightly.

Also worth noting that California EDD does have an alternate base period option if your claim would be denied or result in a lower benefit under the standard base period. You can request that they calculate using the most recent four completed quarters instead.

Oh no, I was worried about this. Did you ever get through? I have some questions about my specific situation that I don't think the website can answer.

Eventually yes but it took forever. Someone in another thread mentioned a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to an EDD agent without sitting on hold all day. I wish I had known about it sooner honestly - claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10. Would have saved me so much stress.

Same experience here. The phone situation with EDD is absolutely brutal. Good luck OP.

So there's a hard cap at $450? That's good to know. I was kind of hoping it might be higher since $416 is going to be tight but I guess it's better than nothing.

The cap hasn't changed in a while and there's been talk in Sacramento about raising it but nothing has passed yet. For context the $450 max has been criticized a lot because housing costs in CA have gone up so much.

yeah $450 doesnt go far in LA or SF lol. at least OP is getting close to max

I only had one employer so hopefully that makes it simpler. Do they tell me my calculated WBA before I actually start certifying for weeks?

Yes! Once your claim is approved you'll get a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award (DE 429Z) in the mail that shows your WBA, your maximum benefit amount (which is 26 times your WBA), and your benefit year end date. Keep that document - you'll need to reference it.

This is accurate. The DE 429Z is really important and a lot of people throw it away thinking it's junk mail. Open everything EDD sends you, seriously.

seconding this so hard. I almost missed an important disqualification notice because I thought it was just informational mail. READ EVERYTHING FROM EDD.

Yes, California EDD has an earnings offset. If you earn wages during a week you're certifying for, you report those wages and EDD reduces your benefit. The formula is: if you earn less than 25% of your WBA, there's no reduction. Earnings above that threshold reduce your benefit dollar-for-dollar. So if your WBA is $416 and you earn $200 that week, only the amount above $104 (25% of $416) reduces your payment. So $200 - $104 = $96 reduction, meaning you'd get $320 from EDD plus your $200 earned = $520 total.

Oh interesting so it's not like you lose dollar for dollar immediately. That's actually better than I thought.

This is actually really helpful to know too. I might do some gig work while looking for a full time job so good to understand how that works with the certification.

Typically 3-5 weeks from your filing date if everything goes smoothly with no adjudication issues. The first week is always an unpaid waiting week in California. So you wait one week, then certify for the next two weeks, then payment is usually processed within a few days of certifying.

3-5 WEEKS?! that is so long I literally have $200 in my account right now

I know it's scary. If you need to speed up confirming your claim is moving forward, that's another situation where being able to actually talk to an EDD rep helps. I mentioned Claimyr earlier - it's specifically useful for these kinds of status check situations when you can't get through by calling normally.

Also check if you qualify for emergency assistance through your county while waiting for EDD benefits to kick in. Many counties have general assistance programs or food banks that can bridge the gap.

Wait you have to do 3 job searches EVERY week you're on unemployment? Even the first week? I didn't know that.

Yes, the work search requirement is active basically from the start unless you have a formal standby status approved (like if your employer confirmed you'll be recalled within a set timeframe). If you're on regular UI without standby, 3 documented contacts per week minimum.

To clarify - the waiting week is still week 1 and you don't certify for it, but technically job search requirements begin from when your benefit year starts. Practically speaking you should start logging from day one to be safe.

What kind of things cause adjudication? I was laid off, not fired, so I'm hoping that's straightforward.

Layoffs are usually the cleanest situation for getting approved quickly. Adjudication typically happens when there's a question about why you left (like if EDD needs to verify it was truly a layoff vs resignation or termination for cause), if your employer contests the claim, or if there's an identity verification issue. Since you were laid off you're probably in good shape.

Agreed. Laid off due to lack of work is about the most clear-cut qualifying reason there is. Just make sure your previous employer also confirms the reason on their end if EDD contacts them.

That's the maximum WBA cap at work - currently $450/week in California. Your sister hit the ceiling. The cap is set by the state legislature and tied to a formula based on average weekly wages in CA. It hasn't kept pace with actual wage growth in high cost of living areas which is a real criticism of the current system.

exactly. she was paying into UI for years at that wage level and then when she needed it the benefit felt really disproportionate to what she'd been contributing

the contribution vs benefit disconnect is real but that's kind of how insurance systems work in general - you pay in based on wages but receive based on a capped formula. not saying it's fair just explaining the structure

26 weeks feels like a lot but also not that much depending on the job market. I'm in warehouse/logistics so hopefully I find something faster than that.

Logistics is actually fairly active in California right now, especially around major distribution hubs. You've got a reasonable shot at a relatively quick reemployment. Just stay consistent with those job search requirements and document everything.

does the 26 week clock pause if your claim goes into adjudication? asking for a friend (its me im asking for me

No the benefit year doesn't pause for adjudication but if adjudication delays your payments you can typically receive retroactive payments back to when you were first eligible once the adjudication resolves in your favor. So you don't permanently lose those weeks, they just get paid later.

I feel this so deeply. I was in the same situation earlier this year and that's when I started looking for alternatives. The Claimyr service I mentioned earlier in the thread - it essentially holds your place and calls you back when an agent is available instead of you having to keep redialing. claimyr.com - there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that explains the whole thing. Genuinely helped me get through after weeks of failed attempts.

I'll try literally anything at this point. Thanks for sharing, going to check that out.

the Tuesday tip is a myth lol. Mondays are supposedly the worst because of weekend backlog but honestly every day is bad. Early morning (right at 8am) used to help more but even that's gotten less reliable.

No, the benefit calculation is purely based on your wages - the type of work doesn't affect it at all. A warehouse worker making $800/week gets the same WBA as an office worker making $800/week. EDD only looks at what you earned, not what industry or occupation.

oh ok makes sense. thought maybe like union jobs got treated differently or something

Union jobs sometimes have separate union-administered benefits on top of state UI but the California EDD calculation itself is the same regardless. Some union contracts include supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB pay) that can top up your EDD benefit but that comes from the union/employer not from EDD.

That's basically exactly my situation and my takeaway too. File as soon as possible because the benefit year starts from when you file, not when you got laid off. Every week you delay is potentially a week of benefits you miss.

This is a really important point OP made - file immediately. You will not get paid for weeks before your filing date (with very limited exceptions). The sooner you file the sooner your benefit year clock starts and the sooner you can certify for payments.

Filing today then. Thanks everyone.

Oh that's a really practical tip. I was wondering how I was supposed to know my quarterly breakdown without having saved every pay stub.

Also your employer might be able to give you a quarterly earnings breakdown if you ask HR. And if you're totally unsure you can estimate and EDD will verify against employer records anyway - just try to be as accurate as possible.

The EDD UI Online system actually pre-populates some wage information from employer records in many cases. You'll enter your wages but EDD cross-references what your employer reported to the state tax board. If there's a discrepancy they'll investigate but for most people the numbers match up fine.

yeah i was surprised when i filed that it already had some of my info. makes the process a little less scary than i expected

Good question with a nuanced answer. California state income tax does NOT apply to unemployment benefits - California exempts UI benefits from state income tax. However, federal income tax DOES apply. EDD will give you a 1099-G form at the end of the year showing your total benefits received, and you'll need to include that on your federal return. You can have EDD withhold 10% federal tax from each payment if you want to avoid a big bill in April.

Oh interesting - I didn't know California exempted it but federal still applies. How do I opt into the 10% withholding?

When you file your initial claim or through your UI Online account settings you can elect voluntary federal tax withholding. It's under the payment options or tax withholding section. Highly recommend it unless you know you'll have offsetting deductions.

Seconding the withholding recommendation especially if this is your first time on unemployment. Way better to get slightly less per week than owe at tax time when you're already trying to recover financially.

That sounds really stressful. Were you able to get it resolved?

Eventually yes but it took like 8 weeks and I had to talk to someone at EDD which as everyone here knows is a nightmare to accomplish. I ended up using Claimyr to finally get through because I was getting nowhere on my own. Seriously game changer for situations where you HAVE to speak with a real person - claimyr.com. Saved me so much time.

The certification questions are genuinely confusing sometimes. 'Available for work' and 'able to work' are technically different things and the questions can be easy to misinterpret. When in doubt read each one twice before answering.

Absolutely not true. EDD does conduct random audits and can request your job search documentation at any time. If you can't provide it you can be disqualified and required to repay benefits. It's not worth the risk - keep a simple spreadsheet with employer name, contact method, date, and position applied for.

ok ok i believe you lol. gonna start keeping better records

The audit rate might be low in any given week but 'they never check' is genuinely dangerous advice. One audit letter with missing documentation can result in disqualification for all the weeks in question, which is potentially thousands of dollars you'd have to pay back.

Your coworker probably never got audited and assumed it doesn't happen. Survivorship bias. Plenty of people have been hit with overpayment notices specifically because of job search documentation issues.

Thank you, that's really kind. This community has been super helpful - way more than the EDD website honestly. I feel a lot more prepared now going into this.

agreed this thread was genuinely useful. bookmarking it

Good to know. Hopefully I won't need it but it's good to understand my options.

Most straightforward layoffs don't end up in appeal territory. But if anything unexpected comes up on your claim just remember you have that right and that deadline. The appeals process through the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board is separate from EDD itself so don't give up just because EDD denies something initially.

This is great advice to end on. The appeals board actually overturns EDD determinations fairly often when claimants properly document their case. The system has more recourse than people realize.

+1 to all of this. File your claim, certify weekly on time, document your job searches, read your mail. Those four things will keep most people out of trouble.