How much unemployment will I get if I make $900 a week - California EDD benefits explained

So the $450 is actually the ceiling no matter what you made? Even if someone earned way more than $900 a week they still cap out at $450?

Exactly, $450 is the weekly maximum in California. Someone making $900 a week or $9,000 a week gets the same cap. That's why higher earners feel the replacement rate more - it ends up being a smaller percentage of their actual income.

The DE 429Z is also worth reading carefully when it arrives because the total claim amount is on there too. The most EDD can pay over the whole claim is 26 times your weekly amount or half your total base period wages, whichever is less.

That's actually how it works for most people - the most recent quarter is intentionally left out of the standard base period. The idea is to give EDD time to process wage records from employers. So yes, a recent raise might fall outside the window. There is an alternate base period using the last four completed quarters, but EDD only switches to that automatically if your standard base period wages don't meet the minimum threshold to have a valid claim at all - it doesn't apply just to get a higher amount.

That feels kind of backwards honestly but okay. So I shouldn't count on my recent raise showing up in my benefit calculation.

DE 429Z came and I was surprised mine was lower than I expected for exactly this reason - I'd gotten a pay bump about four months before filing and it fell right outside the standard base period. Nothing you can do about it, just how the formula works.

That's really helpful to know the agent could actually look up your wage records before you even filed. Did they tell you anything about when to apply - like right on your last day or wait a bit?

She said apply as soon as you're out of work, don't wait. The claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply so every week you delay is a week you're not covered. I applied online through myEDD the same week my job ended.

Applying the same week makes sense. There's also a one-week waiting period on every claim - EDD doesn't pay the first eligible week - so the sooner you file the sooner that waiting week is behind you.

EDD uses gross wages, not take-home. What you actually earned before any deductions come out is what goes into the base period calculation. Your taxes and other withholdings don't reduce the number EDD sees from your employer's wage records.

oh okay that actually makes it a little better than I thought then

Good to know - I was second-guessing whether to look at my gross or my net when I was trying to use the EDD calculator. Gross it is.

How long does it usually take to get that first payment after filing?

EDD says about three weeks to process a new application and issue the first payment. Mine took closer to four but I know people who got theirs faster. Payments post to the Money Network debit card pretty quickly once they're processed - often within 24 hours of certifying online.

The Money Network card thing caught me off guard too. You can switch to direct deposit in myEDD if you'd rather have it go to your bank account. Either way, payment info updates daily in UI Online.

This breakdown actually makes sense. So basically I'm looking at $450 a week for up to 26 weeks assuming everything goes smoothly with the claim?

That's the ceiling, yes. Whether you actually receive all 26 weeks depends on staying eligible each week - certifying every two weeks, meeting the work search requirement, being able and available for work, that sort of thing.

And the 26 weeks isn't extended automatically when it runs out - once you use up the claim that's it unless Extended Benefits are triggered by law, which requires pretty specific economic conditions. Don't count on that.

I had no idea about CalJOBS at all. So that's separate from the UI Online stuff on myEDD?

Completely separate system - caljobs.ca.gov. UI Online is where you certify and check your claim. CalJOBS is where you post your work profile and resume. EDD links them on the backend but you manage them independently.

CalJOBS registration tripped me up during my last claim because I thought the EDD website covered everything. Definitely log into caljobs.ca.gov and get the resume posted early so you're not scrambling when the DE 8405 shows up.

Wages are wages as far as EDD's base period is concerned - but what actually gets counted depends on what your employer reported to the state. If tips were reported as part of your W-2 wages they'd be included. If they weren't reported, they wouldn't show up in EDD's records. The base period pulls from employer wage reports, not from what you personally earned.

that makes sense i guess. restaurant workers often get shafted on this stuff

For a layoff do I need any kind of documentation from my employer? Like a letter saying I was laid off?

EDD contacts your employer directly after you file - they send a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Claim Filed to the employer, who has 10 days to respond. You don't need to submit a layoff letter yourself, though it doesn't hurt to keep one. Just answer EDD's questions accurately about your separation.

I kept my layoff notice just in case but EDD never actually asked me to submit it. The employer confirmed the layoff on their end and that was that.

There's no specific number of contacts EDD requires you to list - at least not that I've ever seen stated anywhere officially. But keeping your own records is just smart practice.

Right, I never said there's a mandatory number - I just meant document what you're doing so you can show you were genuinely looking if it ever comes up.

Makes sense. I'll start keeping a simple spreadsheet once I'm out.

So I should do the ID.me thing as part of applying or does EDD prompt you for it?

UI Online walks you through it during the application process. Have your state ID or driver's license ready and be somewhere with decent lighting for the photo part.

ID.me verification can sometimes take a day or two if the automatic check doesn't go through instantly. Just check your email and your myEDD account and respond to anything they ask for quickly.

wait you have to certify even if you got a new job during those two weeks?

If you worked during a certification period you report those wages on the certification - you don't just skip it. EDD has an earnings formula: the first $25 or 25 percent of what you grossed that week (whichever is more) doesn't count, and the rest gets subtracted from your weekly benefit amount. So part-time work doesn't necessarily knock you off completely.

oh that's actually useful. I always assumed any work at all meant losing benefits for that week

How did you know if EDD needed something from you vs just processing normally?

EDD mails you if they need something. If you get a DE 4800 it means they scheduled a phone interview, which happens when there's a question about your eligibility. For a standard layoff with no complications it usually just moves through on its own.

The DE 4800 gives you the date and time of the phone interview and the questions they're likely to ask. Keep your phone free that entire window - the interviewer calls at the scheduled time. If you miss it, phone EDD that same day.

Have you actually gotten through on the main line without waiting forever?

Calling right at 8 a.m. is better than calling midday. It's still not fast but it beats sitting on hold for two hours and then getting cut off.

DE 429Z hadn't arrived after three weeks and I really needed to know my benefit amount before budgeting. Ended up using Claimyr to get through to an EDD agent - the agent confirmed my weekly amount was $438 and told me my DE 429Z had been mailed the previous week. Saved me a lot of back and forth.

Can you change the withholding election later or do you have to decide once and stick with it?

You can change your withholding preference - it applies going forward from when you change it. So if you start without withholding and then decide you'd rather have taxes taken out, you can update that in your certifications.

I didn't withhold anything my first claim and owed more than I expected at tax time. Second time around I opted for the 10 percent right from the start.

My company is paying two weeks of severance as a lump sum - so I should still apply right away and just report the severance on my certification?

Apply as soon as you stop working. When you certify and it asks about income, report the severance. EDD makes the determination from there. The key thing is not to delay your application waiting for the severance period to end.

Vacation pay and in-lieu-of-notice pay are on the same list of things to report when certifying - EDD decides how each of those affects a payment. The rule the person above described about severance is correct: file, report, let EDD sort it.

What counts as the benefit year - is it 12 months from when I file?

The claim starts on the Sunday of the week you apply and runs for 52 weeks. That 52-week window is your benefit year. Even if you use up all 26 weeks of payments, the benefit year clock keeps running until those 52 weeks are up.

And if you go back to work and get laid off again during that same benefit year, you can reopen the existing claim through UI Online rather than starting a new one from scratch - assuming you still have a remaining balance.

I hadn't even thought about CalFresh. Good to know that's potentially on the table.

Medi-Cal and Covered California are also worth checking if your employer health coverage ends with the job. BenefitsCal handles Medi-Cal applications. COBRA keeps your current plan going but it can be expensive since you pay the full premium.

Mine is a full elimination not a hours cut, but good to know for the future. Also - what if I find part time work while collecting, same deal?

Same formula. Part-time earnings get reported when you certify and EDD applies that calculation. Full-time work in any week ends your eligibility for that week regardless of what it pays. Just report everything accurately - don't try to guess how EDD will treat it.

Accurate reporting is the most important thing. An overpayment because you underreported wages is a headache nobody wants - EDD can recoup it from future benefits and it creates a whole paper trail.

The AJCC near me had a resume workshop that was actually useful. Free, and they had people there who could help with job fair prep too. Worth a look if there's one near you.

Exactly - for job search support they're legitimately helpful. Just don't expect them to handle anything on the EDD claim side, that all goes through EDD directly.

What would make the numbers on the DE 429Z wrong? Like what error would I even be looking for?

Missing wages from an employer who didn't file their quarterly report on time is the most common one I've seen mentioned. Or if you worked for more than one employer and one of their quarters didn't show up. Compare it to your own pay records.

The appeal form is the DE 1000M and it goes to the address on the notice. Keep it simple in writing - just say what number you believe is wrong and what you think it should be, then attach any documentation like pay stubs. The deadline is what matters most.

I tried it again after reading this thread and you're right, it makes more sense now that I understand the base period. It's estimating me right around $441-$450 depending on which quarter numbers I enter.

That's about what I'd expect at your earnings level. The DE 429Z will have the official number but you're in good shape to plan around $450.

Filing the week your job ends and having that estimate in hand made it a lot easier to figure out my budget while waiting for the first payment. Unemployment is the last time you want financial surprises on top of everything else going on. Used Claimyr again recently when my claim hit a pending status I didn't understand - agent looked it up and explained exactly which weeks were held and why.