How to certify for EDD unemployment benefits over the phone - step by step?

The EDD Tele-Cert phone number is 1-866-333-4606. You'll need your Social Security Number, the answers to your certification questions (did you look for work, did you refuse work, were you too sick to work, etc.), and any income you earned during your certification period. The automated system will walk you through everything step by step. Make sure you write down your confirmation number when you're done! That's your proof that you completed the certification.

i did phone cert last month when my wifi was out. it works but takes FOREVER!! like 20 mins of robot voice asking questions. so annoying lol. but it worked fine

Tele-cert is available 24/7, so you can call anytime. But a heads up - the phone system is SUPER outdated and frustrating. It's really easy to mess up your answers because there's no way to go back and fix them. I actually called the wrong certification line once and had to call the main EDD line to sort it out, which took FOREVER. If your phone is working for browsing but just freezing on the EDD site, you could try using a different browser or clearing your cache. Might be easier than dealing with the phone system!

Actually you don't even need to certify by phone - you can also certify by mail! EDD sends out paper certification forms (DE 4581) that you can fill out and mail back. It's the slowest option but might be easier if you're having tech issues. Just be prepared to wait 7-10 days longer for your payment to process. The Tele-Cert system is available 24/7 as others mentioned. Write down all your answers before calling so you don't get confused during the call. The system will ask: - If you looked for work each week - If you refused any work - If you were too sick or injured to work - If you had any income/earnings - If you've started school/training And FYI the phone system has been known to hang up on people randomly, so be prepared to call back if that happens!

You can request paper certification forms by calling the main EDD customer service line at 1-800-300-5616. But honestly, getting through to them is nearly impossible these days. I've had much better luck using Claimyr to connect with EDD agents. It gets you through the phone queue so you can actually speak to someone. I used it when my certification got stuck in pending and the agent fixed it while I was on the phone. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km For your phone certification though, definitely write down all your answers before calling. The system moves quickly and you can't go back to change answers once you've entered them.

Yes, it does work. I was skeptical at first but when I had that issue with my pending payment, I got through to EDD in about 25 minutes instead of spending days redialing. The agent was able to fix my problem right away. They basically navigate the phone tree for you and get you in the callback queue.

Just a heads up - make sure you have good phone reception when you call to certify! My call dropped halfway through once and I had to start ALL over again. So frustrating!

STOP TELLING PEOPLE TO USE TELECERT!!! It's the WORST option! The system frequently has glitches that cause certifications to get stuck in pending for WEEKS. This happened to me TWICE and when I finally got through to an agent, they said it happens all the time with phone certifications. The best option is UI Online (when it works). Second best is the paper form. Telecert should be your LAST RESORT unless you're desperate to certify before the deadline.

To clarify something important - the Tele-Cert system (1-866-333-4606) is different from the regular EDD customer service line (1-800-300-5616). Tele-Cert is ONLY for certifying for benefits, not for resolving claim issues. Also, the Tele-Cert system will ask if you want instructions in English or Spanish at the beginning. Then you'll enter your SSN and follow the prompts. Once you complete both weeks, you'll get a confirmation number - WRITE IT DOWN! That's your proof you certified. And yes, the system is available 24/7, so you can call whenever is convenient for you.

I had to use the phone system back in January when my internet was down and it actually wasn't that bad? I mean yeah it's slow but as long as you have your information ready it works fine. Just make sure you know your work search details for each week before you call.

Just checking back - were you able to certify using the phone system? Hope it worked out for you!

Great to hear you got it sorted out! For anyone else who might need phone certification in the future, here's a quick tip: if you're worried about the call taking too long or dropping, you can actually pause partway through and call back later to continue where you left off. The system will remember your progress as long as you use the same SSN. Also, if you ever get an error message during phone certification, don't panic - just hang up and call back. Sometimes the system gets overloaded but it usually works fine on the second try. The 24/7 availability is really helpful for people with irregular work schedules or other commitments during normal business hours.

One thing I learned from experience - if you're using the phone system and you accidentally enter the wrong answer to a question, DON'T hang up immediately! Wait until the very end of the call and then hang up before confirming your certification. This will cancel the whole thing and let you start over without creating a duplicate or incomplete certification that could mess up your claim. Also, if you have any earnings to report during your certification period, make sure you have the exact dollar amounts ready. The system is very picky about this and won't let you estimate or round numbers. I made the mistake of guessing my tips one time and had to call back with the exact amount from my pay stub. The confirmation number they give you at the end is usually 8-10 digits long, so make sure you write down the whole thing. I've seen people miss the last few digits and then worry they didn't certify properly!

Just wanted to add another tip for anyone using the Tele-Cert system - if you have multiple weeks to certify (like if you missed a previous certification), the system will walk you through each week separately. Don't get confused thinking you need to combine the information for both weeks into one set of answers. Also, when it asks about work search activities, you can just answer "yes" or "no" to whether you looked for work. You don't need to provide specific details about what jobs you applied for over the phone like you do online. The system keeps it pretty simple compared to the UI Online portal. One last thing - if you're certifying close to the Sunday deadline, try to call earlier in the day. I've heard the system can get overwhelmed on Sunday evenings with everyone trying to certify at the last minute, which can cause longer wait times or connection issues.

For future reference, if you ever need to use the phone system again and want to double-check your answers before submitting, you can actually ask the system to repeat back all your responses at the end. Just listen carefully when it gives you the summary - if something doesn't sound right, you can hang up before confirming and start over. Also, I noticed some people mentioned issues with the mobile UI Online site. If your laptop gets fixed or you get access to another computer, try accessing UI Online through a desktop browser instead of mobile. The desktop version is much more stable and user-friendly. But sounds like the phone system worked out fine for you this time! One more tip - keep that confirmation number somewhere safe, not just written down. I take a photo of it with my phone as backup in case I lose the paper. Has saved me a couple times when I needed to reference it later.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you're using the Tele-Cert system and you have any weeks that show "disqualification" or other issues on your claim, the phone system might not let you certify for those weeks. In that case, you'll get an error message telling you to contact EDD directly. Also, just a heads up that the phone system sometimes asks you to enter your SSN twice for verification, so don't think you made a mistake if it asks again. And when entering numbers, speak clearly or press the keypad buttons firmly - the voice recognition isn't great and can misinterpret what you're saying. If you're someone who gets anxious about phone calls like I do, it helped me to practice saying my SSN and answers out loud a few times before calling. The whole process is pretty straightforward once you get used to the robot voice!

Just wanted to share my recent experience with the Tele-Cert system since I see this thread helped a lot of people! I had to use it last week when my internet was out for three days due to a storm. The phone number (1-866-333-4606) worked perfectly and I was able to certify for both weeks without any issues. The whole process took about 12 minutes - not too bad! I followed the advice from this thread about writing down all my answers beforehand and having my SSN ready, which definitely made it go smoother. One thing I noticed that hasn't been mentioned - the system will actually tell you your next certification date at the end of the call, which was helpful since I couldn't check online. Also, my payment showed up in my account at the same time it normally would have if I'd certified online, so there was no delay. Thanks to everyone who shared their tips and experiences here - it really helped calm my nerves about using the phone system for the first time!