How much will I get for unemployment in California EDD?

Wait so they only look at ONE quarter not my whole year? That seems weird. What if my hours were really inconsistent?

Yeah just the single highest quarter. If your hours were uneven it could actually work in your favor or against you depending on which quarter was your best. EDD will send you an award notice after they process your claim showing your calculated WBA.

this is right but also make sure your employer actually reported all your wages correctly to EDD or you might get a lower number than expected

Ok good because I was worried about that. I worked full time the whole time so hopefully I'm ok

yeah 2 years full time warehouse at $52k you're not even close to the minimum threshold, you'll qualify no problem

$450 a week is way less than I was making but I guess it's better than nothing. How long does it take to find out the exact amount?

Usually within 2-3 weeks of filing you get the Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award in the mail. It'll show your WBA and total award amount (which is usually 26 weeks worth at your WBA).

mine took almost 4 weeks to get that letter and then i had to call EDD to ask about it anyway because something looked wrong. good luck getting through on the phones lol

I've already been dreading trying to call them. I'll check that out thanks

seconded on claimyr. used it when my benefit amount looked way lower than it should have been and got through to someone who actually fixed an error in my wage records

is that even legit? sounds sketch to me

@12 I thought the same thing at first but it's totally legitimate, been around for a while and a lot of people on this forum have used it successfully

Oh wow I had no idea unemployment was taxed. So out of my $450 I should probably set aside some money for taxes?

Yes, unemployment benefits are taxable as ordinary income at the federal level. California does NOT tax unemployment benefits at the state level though, so that's one silver lining. The 10% federal withholding option is usually a safe bet.

this trips everyone up the first time. California not taxing it is nice but don't forget Uncle Sam still wants his cut lol

Yeah that is pretty low honestly. $450 doesn't go far in California especially.

I feel you but technically California's cap has been at $450 for a while now and there have been proposals to raise it that keep stalling in the legislature. It is what it is unfortunately.

at least you get 26 weeks of it. some states only give you like 12-20 weeks. small consolation i know

Wait I need to be doing weekly certifications already?? I just filed my initial claim 3 days ago, do I need to do something right now?

Yes, start your first certification on Sunday for the previous two weeks. Log into UI Online and there should be a 'Certify for Benefits' option. Don't wait for your award letter to start certifying or you'll have gaps in your payment schedule.

This is really important OP, I didn't know about certifying early and missed my first certification window and it delayed my first payment by like 3 weeks

Also when you certify make sure you're honest about any days you worked or earned money during that period. Even small amounts have to be reported or it could cause overpayment issues down the line

$450 is your weekly rate. EDD does pay every two weeks (biweekly) so a check/deposit would be around $900 for two weeks if you're at max. The 'weekly benefit amount' is just how they calculate and describe the rate even though actual payments come every two weeks.

ohhhh ok that makes more sense thank you

I was confused about this too glad someone asked

How would I even know if the amount is wrong? Like I don't have any way to check what my employer reported

When you get your award letter it'll show your base period wages by quarter. Compare that to your pay stubs or W-2. If any quarter looks significantly off, that's your evidence to request a review. Save all your pay stubs!

Also your W-2 from last year shows total wages but not by quarter. Dig up old pay stubs if you can. Most companies use ADP or Paychex and you can usually access historical stubs through their employee portal

3 weeks and still pending could just be normal processing time or could indicate your claim went to adjudication for some reason. If it's been 3 weeks with no correspondence from EDD at all, you should probably try to contact them. The online message system in UI Online can work but phone is faster for status updates.

I've tried calling like 8 times and can't get through at all

Seriously try Claimyr (claimyr.com) for this exact situation. When my claim was stuck in pending for over two weeks with no explanation that's what I used to finally get through to someone. The video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows exactly what to expect. Got answers about my claim status within hours instead of days.

Thanks I'll look into that. Getting desperate here because rent is coming up fast

Yes that's correct. $450 x 26 weeks = $11,700 maximum benefit amount for your benefit year. You have one year from your claim date to use those 26 weeks. If you find a job and stop collecting, the remaining weeks and money stay available for the rest of that benefit year in case you need them again.

oh interesting so if I find a job in 3 months I still have the remaining weeks if something happens? that's good to know

yes but ONLY within that same benefit year. if your year ends and you haven't used all the weeks they're just gone. so if you're working again make sure you know when your benefit year ends just in case

Oh this is super helpful because I've been thinking about doing some gig work while I look for a permanent job. So I just report what I earn during certifications?

Exactly, just report your gross earnings honestly when you certify. The system calculates your partial benefit automatically. The key is to always certify and report, never just skip certifying because you worked a few days.

this is technically correct but gig work can sometimes get complicated if EDD questions whether you're 'available for work' - just be aware that some gig platforms have had issues with California EDD classifications

Nobody told me this! So I'm going to wait even longer for my first payment?

Unfortunately yes, the waiting period is built into the system. It was temporarily waived during the pandemic but is back in effect now. So realistically you're looking at 3-4 weeks from filing to first payment in a normal processing situation.

3-4 weeks is optimistic honestly if there's ANY kind of issue with your claim. Mine took 6 weeks because EDD had a question about my separation and I couldn't get anyone on the phone for two full weeks to resolve it

I was at this exact point of desperation when someone told me about Claimyr. It's legitimately the solution to this specific problem - they get you into the EDD phone queue without you having to spend all day redialing. claimyr.com and there's a demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 to see how it works before committing.

ok I just watched the video and I'm going to try this because I literally cannot do the phone situation anymore

the fact that a third party service exists literally because EDD's phone system is so terrible tells you everything you need to know about the state of this agency

California does not have a dependent allowance that increases your weekly benefit amount. Your WBA is calculated purely on your earnings history. Some other states do factor in dependents but California's formula is just the highest quarter wages divided by 26, capped at $450.

ok good to know, i was curious because my cousin was telling me his state factors that in and he gets more because he has 3 kids

Yeah there's a lot of variation state to state on this. California keeps it simple - earnings-based only, no family considerations in the benefit calculation itself

This is really helpful to have a realistic timeline. Thank you. I'm going to set a calendar reminder to certify every two weeks.

Smart move. Also make sure you keep track of your job search activities - California requires you to search for 3 jobs per week and keep a record of employer name, contact info, and date applied. EDD can audit this randomly.

3 jobs per week!! I didn't know that either. This thread has taught me more than EDD's website honestly.

CalJOBS is California's official job search portal and activities there automatically count toward your job search requirement. Worth registering there just to make logging your job search easier

The partial payment calculation really confuses people. The simple way to think about it: any week you earn more than $25, EDD subtracts your earnings minus $25 from your full WBA. So small earnings chip away at your weekly payment rather than eliminating it completely.

Yes exactly! If someone had explained it that simply from the start I would have saved myself a lot of anxiety.

EDD's own explanations of this are genuinely confusing. Their website is not great at explaining things in plain English which is why threads like this exist lol

Thank you so much. This whole thread has been incredibly helpful. I feel way more prepared now. Going to make sure I certify on Sunday and start keeping my job search log.

Good luck! It gets less stressful once the first payment hits and you know everything is working. The beginning is always the most nerve wracking part.

Also bookmark the UI Online site and EDD's main page. A lot of your questions can be answered there once you know what to look for, even if the initial setup is confusing.

Will do. Really appreciate everyone who responded, this community is great for getting actual clear answers