How to cancel an incorrect EDD claim? Local offices keep redirecting me in circles!

Unfortunately, this is a common issue. The only way to officially cancel a claim is by speaking with an EDD representative by phone. Local offices typically don't handle claim cancellations - they mostly deal with in-person ID verification and general information. Keep calling the main 833 number and try right when they open at 8:00am. Mondays and Tuesdays are the worst days to call. Try Thursday around 1:30pm when call volume tends to dip a bit. Alternatively, you can submit a written request through UI Online under 'Contact EDD' explaining you need to cancel your claim due to incorrect information, but honestly, phone is faster. They'll need to verify your identity before cancelling the claim.

i had the same issue last yr... drove to 2 diffrent offices and wasted gas money. its IMPOSIBLE to get EDD on da phone, i tried for 3 weeks str8. ended up using claimyr.com and got connected with a rep in like 20 mins. they have a demo video: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. the rep canceled my wrong claim and helped me submit a new 1 while i was on the phone with him. worth every penny cause i was bout to giv up

There's a lot of misinformation here. Let me clarify the official process: 1. You CANNOT cancel a claim by visiting a physical office. Offices primarily handle ID verification and limited in-person services. 2. The proper procedure is to contact EDD by phone at 1-833-978-2511, explain the situation to a tier 2 claims specialist (not all representatives can cancel claims). 3. You can also submit a written request through your UI Online account under Contact EDD > Claims Questions > Select "Cancel my claim" as the category. However, this typically takes 7-10 business days for processing. 4. If you filed with incorrect information, do NOT file a second claim without cancelling the first. This can trigger an automatic fraud investigation. 5. Keep detailed records of all your attempts to contact EDD (dates, times) as this will help if there are any issues later. Be persistent with calling. The system is designed to be difficult, but it's not impossible.

This happened to me, sent me all over the place too lol. Finally got thru on the phone after like calling 60 times (not exaggerating). The trick is to call at exactly 8:01am not 8:00 because everyone calls right at 8. Once I got thru they cancelled my claim in like 5 minutes and I was able to refile with the correct info that same day. Just keep trying!

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!! I swear they train these people to give you the runaround. My cousin works for the state (not EDD) and says EDD reps have quotas for how many claims they need to DENY each month! That's why they send you in circles between offices - they're hoping you'll just give up. I spent THREE MONTHS trying to fix an incorrect claim last year and ended up having to involve my state assembly member's office to get it resolved. Call your local assembly member - they have dedicated EDD liaisons who can actually get things done!

yo just wondering... what happens if you just abandon the incorrect claim and file a new one anyway? asking for a friend lol

UPDATE: Finally got through to EDD after 3 more days of trying! For anyone with the same issue - I called at 8:03am (not right when they opened), selected options 1-2-4, then 3-4 when prompted. The rep was actually really helpful and cancelled my claim in about 10 minutes. She said I needed to wait 24 hours before filing a new claim with the correct information. What a relief! Thanks everyone for your advice.

Glad you got it resolved! Your experience matches what I went through last month - the phone system is definitely the only way to cancel claims, despite what the local offices might tell you. For future reference (and for others reading this), I found that calling on Wednesdays around 2pm also worked well - seems like there's a brief lull in call volume then. The 24-hour waiting period before refiling is standard procedure to make sure the cancellation processes completely in their system. Hope your new claim goes smoothly with the correct information!

This is such a frustrating but common experience with EDD! I went through something similar last year when I accidentally put the wrong social security number on my initial claim. The runaround between offices is absolutely ridiculous - they should really train their staff to give accurate information about what services each location actually provides instead of sending people on wild goose chases. Just to add to the advice already given here: when you do get through on the phone, make sure to ask for the confirmation number for your claim cancellation and write it down. The rep should give you a reference number that proves the cancellation was processed. I didn't get one initially and had to call back to confirm it went through before filing my new claim. Also, if you're still having trouble getting through by phone, try calling right after lunch around 1:00-1:30pm on Thursdays. That's when I finally got through after weeks of trying. The hold time was still about 45 minutes, but at least I didn't get the busy signal and disconnect. Good luck to anyone else dealing with this mess - persistence really is key with EDD unfortunately.

I feel your pain on this! The same exact thing happened to me a few months ago - incorrect employer info and dates on my initial claim. I also got sent from office to office before realizing they literally cannot help with claim cancellations at the local level. One tip that helped me get through on the phone faster: I used the "callback" feature on the EDD phone system. When you call the main number and get the busy message, there's sometimes an option to request a callback instead of hanging up and trying again. You might have to wait 2-3 hours for the callback, but it beats redialing 50+ times. Not all days have this option available, but when it is, it's a lifesaver. Also, don't worry too much about the fraud concern - as long as you're actively trying to reach them to fix the mistake (which you clearly are!), you're showing good faith. Just keep documenting your attempts to contact them in case you need to reference it later. The fact that you drove to multiple offices and have been calling shows you're trying to do the right thing. Hang in there - you'll get through eventually and they'll sort it out quickly once you do!

I went through this exact nightmare last summer! After getting bounced between three different offices and making probably 80+ phone calls over two weeks, here's what finally worked for me: Call the main EDD number (1-833-978-2511) at exactly 8:02 AM on a Wednesday or Thursday. Don't call right at 8:00 - everyone does that. The magic sequence is: 1-2-4, then when it asks about your claim type, press 3-4. When you finally get through (and you will!), tell them you need to speak with a "Tier 2 specialist" for claim cancellation. Regular reps can't always do cancellations. Be super polite but firm about needing the cancellation, not just modifications. Also, I learned the hard way that you should ask for an email confirmation of the cancellation if possible, or at least write down the rep's name and the time/date of your call. This saved me when there was a delay in their system updating. The whole process took about 15 minutes once I got the right person on the line. Don't give up - it's incredibly frustrating but you're doing everything right by trying to fix it properly instead of just filing a duplicate claim. The system is broken but persistence pays off!

I just went through this same ordeal a couple weeks ago! The local office runaround is absolutely maddening - I hit three different locations before someone finally told me the truth that they literally cannot process claim cancellations at the local level. Here's what worked for me after reading through all the advice in this thread: I called Tuesday at 1:45 PM (avoiding Monday/Friday madness) using the 1-2-4 then 3-4 sequence, and specifically asked for a "Tier 2 claims specialist" right away when I got connected. The regular customer service rep tried to transfer me but I politely insisted I needed someone who could actually cancel claims, not just provide information. Total time from getting connected to having my claim cancelled was about 12 minutes. The specialist gave me a confirmation number and told me to wait 48 hours before filing a new claim (some reps say 24 hours, but 48 is safer to avoid system conflicts). One thing I wish I'd known earlier - keep a log of every call attempt with date/time. Even though it feels pointless when you keep getting busy signals, it actually helps if you need to escalate later or if there are any questions about your good faith efforts to resolve the issue. Don't give up! The system is designed to be frustrating, but once you get the right person, the actual cancellation is quick and straightforward.

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I see this thread is still active and helping people! I had the exact same issue last week - filed with wrong employer dates and got the classic office runaround. After reading through all the advice here, I finally got through using a combination of tips from this thread. Called on Thursday at 1:15 PM using the 1-2-4, then 3-4 menu sequence. When I got connected, I immediately said "Hi, I need to speak with a Tier 2 specialist to cancel an incorrectly filed claim." The first rep tried to help but confirmed she couldn't do cancellations, so she transferred me directly to Tier 2. Total wait time was about 35 minutes, but the actual cancellation took less than 10 minutes once I got the right person. She gave me confirmation number EDC-2025-0329-4471 and said to wait 48 hours before refiling. Pro tip: Have your SSN, claim number (if you have it), and a clear explanation of what went wrong ready to go. The specialist was super efficient once I had all the info at hand. This thread was a lifesaver - thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timing tips! The system is still broken and frustrating, but at least there are ways to work around it if you know the right approach.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - filed my claim with the wrong last day worked and got sent to two different offices that couldn't help. Based on all the advice here, I'm going to try calling Thursday around 1:30 PM using the 1-2-4, then 3-4 sequence and specifically ask for a Tier 2 specialist right away. One question for those who've successfully gotten through - should I mention upfront that I need a "claim cancellation" or is it better to say I need to "fix incorrect information on my claim"? I'm wondering if certain keywords help get you routed to the right department faster. Also keeping my fingers crossed that the callback feature is available when I call - that sounds like it could save hours of redialing! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and specific timing tips. It's frustrating that we need this level of strategy just to reach a government office, but at least this community makes the process less overwhelming!