How to report retroactive pay from old employer on EDD certification?

Yes, you need to report this as wages for the week you RECEIVED it, not when you earned it. EDD certification asks about wages when they were paid to you, not when the work was performed. So if you got that $70 check this week, you'll report it in this certification period. There's a section where you can add additional information to explain it's retroactive pay from 2023.

Actually, this depends on whether it's considered "wages" by EDD definition. Retroactive pay adjustments might be classified differently. When I had a similar situation (got backpay from prevailing wage adjustment), I called EDD directly and the rep told me how to specifically report it. Better safe than sorry!

Oh no, now I'm really worried. I've been trying to call EDD for 2 days but keep getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and it hangs up. Is there any specific section on the certification form where I should explain this situation? I really don't want to make a mistake.

Here's the official answer according to EDD guidelines: Retroactive pay adjustments should be reported as wages for the week you receive them, not when you earned them. On the certification form question "Did you work or earn any money, whether you were paid or not?" - answer YES. Report the gross amount (before deductions). In the comment section at the end of certification, briefly explain "$70 retroactive pay adjustment from 2023 employment." This small amount will likely reduce your weekly benefit amount for just this certification period using their partial benefit calculation formula.

idk why everyones making this so complicated. just put it down as wages for the week u got paid. thats all. edd dont care when u did the work they only care when u get the $$

this happened to my sister last yr and she just reported it as wages for that week. they never said anything about it so i guess it was fine?? the edd website is SO confusing

Actually I just looked this up in the EDD Claimant Handbook to be sure. For retroactive pay increases (like your situation), you report it for the week you RECEIVE it. But there's a difference between "back pay" (like from a settlement) and "retroactive pay increase" (like your situation). For your $70 adjustment, just report as wages in the week received and explain briefly. Since it's a small amount, it might not even impact your benefits depending on your weekly benefit amount and the partial benefit formula.

Just wanted to add - if you're still worried about reporting it correctly, you can also check your online EDD account under "Payment History" after you certify. If there are any issues with how you reported the income, they'll usually send you a notice or it will show up in your account messages. I've found that being transparent and adding explanations (like you plan to do) goes a long way with EDD. They're more concerned about people who don't report income at all than those who make good faith efforts to report everything correctly.