How to reactivate my EDD claim after periods of contract work?

Yes, you need to reopen your claim! This is a common situation for those of us with sporadic contract work. When you haven't certified for benefits for a while (usually after 2-3 weeks of not certifying), EDD automatically closes your claim in their system, even though your benefit year is still active and you have funds remaining. To reopen: Log into UI Online, and on your homepage there should be a button that says "Reopen Your Claim." Click that and complete the questions. It's basically a mini-application that asks about your work situation since you last certified. Make sure you have your recent work history and earnings info ready. After you submit, you'll usually be able to certify again in 1-2 weeks.

u dont actually have to reopen ur claim u can just call them and they'll fix it on their end faster..thats what i did when i was working doordash part time and my claim got messed up

My sister had this exact problem! It took her forever to figure out how to get her benefits back. The EDD website is so confusing sometimes! Hope you get it sorted out soon.

Actually, when you reopen your claim after having contract work, you should list YOURSELF as the last employer if you were doing independent contractor work (1099 work). EDD considers self-employment as being your own employer. If you had actual W-2 employment with any company during this period, even temporary, then list that company. Also, make sure you understand how to report your earnings correctly when you do certify. For self-employment/contract work, you report earnings when you GET PAID, not when you do the work. And you report GROSS earnings before any expenses or taxes. One more thing - if you've had NO earnings for several consecutive weeks, make sure you're fulfilling the work search requirements by applying to jobs, networking, etc. EDD is being more strict about this now than during peak COVID times. You need to document at least 3 work search activities per week.

this happened to me too when i was doing instacart between regular jobs. the whole system is set up weird for gig workers. my claim kept getting flagged for interviews and i had to explain everything over and over. so annoying!!!

Since you mentioned you're confused about reporting contract work properly, here's a quick guide that might help once your claim is reopened: 1. Report gross earnings (before taxes/expenses) in the week you RECEIVE payment, not when you do the work 2. Keep documentation of all payments (screenshots, bank deposits, etc.) 3. If you make more than $599 from any single client, they should provide a 1099 4. You can still qualify for partial benefits if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount 5. Always answer "yes" to "did you work?" even for small gigs For your work search activities, yes - submitting proposals for freelance work DOES count! So do client meetings, networking events, portfolio updates, and applying to regular jobs. Just keep good records of all these activities in case EDD requests them.

I had this EXACT situation last year after my restaurant closed and I was doing DoorDash. So basically what happens is if you don't certify for like 2-3 consecutive certification periods, EDD automatically deactivates your claim even though your benefit year isn't over. When I reopened mine it took about 10 days before I could certify again, but then they did pay me for all those weeks I missed. Just make sure when you reopen you're super clear about your work situation and why you stopped certifying (because you were over the income threshold). You'll be fine!

Just a note about reopening online vs. calling: When you reopen online, there's often a 10-14 day processing period. If your situation is urgent and you need benefits sooner, calling can sometimes expedite the process since a representative can reactivate your claim immediately in their system and allow you to certify for past weeks. Regarding your contract work: Make sure you're very careful about answering the "Are you self-employed?" question correctly when you reopen. This affects how EDD views your work situation. For true independent contractor/freelance work, you should answer "Yes" because you're essentially running your own business. Lastly, if you've been reporting your contract income correctly in previous certifications, the reopening process should be straightforward. Just be consistent with how you reported earnings before.

kinda related but not totally - does anyone know if you can get unemployment if you QUIT a job to do freelance work but then the freelance work dried up? asking for a friend lol

UPDATE: I followed everyone's advice and reopened my claim online yesterday. The system says I should be able to certify by next Sunday! I answered "yes" to self-employment and listed myself as the employer for my contract work. I also found all my payment records so I can accurately report past earnings if they ask. Thank you all for your help - this community is amazing! Will update again once I'm able to certify and (hopefully) receive benefits.