How to certify for EDD when job offer accepted but no start date yet?

congrats on the job! but dont report it till u actually start working and get paid. verbal offers arent reportable income, u need to have actual work hours

You need to answer the question about whether you refused work accurately. Since you accepted the job offer, you would answer "No" to that question. However, you don't need to report any income until you actually perform work and earn wages. The certification questions specifically ask if you worked or earned wages during the certification period. Be aware that once you do start working, you'll need to report your earnings for the week you worked, even if you haven't been paid yet. EDD cares about when you earned the money, not when you received payment.

I had something similar last year! The job offer took forever to process and I was in limbo for like 3 weeks. So annoying! I just kept certifying normally until my actual first day of work. When you certify, just answer the questions honestly based on the specific week. So if you didn't work or earn any wages during the week you're certifying for, you report that you didn't work or earn wages.

The certification process is very specific about the time period you're reporting on. Here's exactly what you need to know: 1. Answer "No" to the question about refusing work (since you accepted the offer) 2. Don't report any income until you actually perform work 3. Continue to meet all work search requirements until your first day of work 4. Once you start working, report your gross earnings (before deductions) for the week you worked, even if you haven't been paid yet 5. If your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll be considered "employed" for that week Also, make sure you're answering all certification questions accurately about your availability to work during each specific week. If you were available full-time during the certification period, you should indicate that.

I had the EXACT same issue back in December! I got a job offer but then HR took FOREVER with the paperwork and background check. I was freaking out about how to certify too. I called EDD using Claimyr (claimyr.com) after trying for days to get through myself. The service connected me to an agent in about 20 minutes - there's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep told me I should continue certifying normally until my first actual workday. They said a job offer isn't reportable until you actually start working and earning wages. Just make sure you're truthfully answering all the certification questions for each specific week.

your fine dont worry bout it til u actually start the job. i think thers a question about did u get any job offers but u dont need to report income til u actually work. the whole thing is super confusing but dont stress

Just to clarify something SUPER IMPORTANT that's confusing people - there is NO QUESTION on the certification that asks if you "received a job offer" - the question is specifically "Did you refuse any work?" - if you got an offer and ACCEPTED it, then you did NOT refuse work, so you answer NO to that question! Don't overthink this! The certification asks specific questions and you answer those SPECIFIC questions truthfully. If you didn't work during the week, you report no work. If you didn't earn money during the week, you report no earnings. If you didn't refuse work, you answer NO to refusing work. SO MANY people mess this up and then get hit with overpayment notices later!!!!

My daughter went through something similar last year. Her new job took almost a month to get her started after she accepted their offer. Just answer the certification questions honestly based on what actually happened during the week you're certifying for. If you didn't work or earn wages, report that. If you were available and looking for work (which technically you should still be doing until you have a firm start date), report that too.

One additional important point: once you do start working, if your earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount, you may still qualify for partial unemployment benefits. Make sure to continue certifying if you're working part-time or if your initial earnings are low. If you earn more than $25, EDD will deduct 75% of your earnings from your weekly benefit amount. And yes, you absolutely must continue doing your work search activities until your actual first day of work. A job offer with no start date doesn't exempt you from the work search requirement.

Congratulations on the job offer! I went through something very similar a few months ago. The key thing to remember is that EDD certification is based on what actually happened during the specific week you're certifying for, not what might happen in the future. Since you have a verbal offer but no official paperwork or start date yet, you should continue certifying normally. Answer "No" to refusing work (since you accepted the offer), report no earnings if you didn't work that week, and make sure you're still doing your required work search activities until you actually start the job. The uncertainty is stressful, but you're handling it right by being cautious. Once you get that official start date and begin working, then you'll report your earnings. Until then, just stick to answering the certification questions honestly based on what actually occurred during each certification period. Good luck with the new position!

I just want to add one thing that helped me when I was in this exact situation - keep documentation of everything! Save any emails about the job offer, make notes about when you accepted it, etc. Even though you don't need to report anything until you actually start working, having that paper trail can be really helpful if any questions come up later. Also, don't feel bad about continuing to apply for other jobs while you wait for the paperwork to finalize. Until you have that official start date in writing, it's smart to keep your options open. I learned that the hard way when a "sure thing" job offer fell through during the background check process. Better safe than sorry! You're doing everything right by being cautious and asking questions here. The EDD system can be confusing but you've got this!

I've been through this exact scenario twice! The first time I panicked and almost reported the job offer too early, but luckily I asked my friend who works in HR first. Here's what I learned: Keep certifying normally until your ACTUAL first day of work. A verbal offer with no paperwork or start date is essentially just a promising conversation - nothing more. The EDD certification questions are very literal: "Did you work?" No. "Did you earn wages?" No. "Did you refuse work?" No (since you accepted). What really helped me was setting up a simple tracking system. I created a note in my phone with the offer date, acceptance date, and any updates from HR. This way I had everything documented if I ever needed to reference it later. The hardest part is the limbo period - you want to celebrate but you also can't fully relax until that first paycheck hits. Just remember that EDD deals with actual work performed and wages earned, not future promises. You're being smart by asking these questions instead of just winging it! Once you do get that start date, make sure to report your gross earnings for any week you work, even if the paycheck comes later. But until then, you're still unemployed in EDD's eyes, so keep doing everything you're supposed to do as an unemployment recipient.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Got a verbal offer on a Friday, accepted it, but then had to wait almost 3 weeks for HR to get everything sorted out. It was so stressful not knowing when I'd actually start earning money again. Here's what I did and it worked out perfectly: I kept certifying normally every week until my actual first day of work. The key is understanding that EDD's questions are very specific to what happened during that certification period. So if you didn't work or earn wages that week, you report no work and no wages. Since you accepted the job offer (didn't refuse it), you answer "No" to the refuse work question. I also kept doing my three work search activities each week until my start date, just to be safe. I know it seems silly when you already have a job lined up, but technically you're still unemployed until you actually start working. The waiting period is nerve-wracking, but you're doing the right thing by being cautious and asking questions. Once you do get that official start date and begin working, then you'll switch to reporting your actual earnings. Until then, just answer each certification question truthfully based on what actually happened that week. You've got this!